The 2016 KuanDu International Animation Festival (KDIAF) is calling for entries, with submission having already started and lasting until July 15.

Nominated film works will be screened during the festival between October 30 and November 5, and admissions to the screenings are free.

Various experts and respectable artists from Taiwan and other countries will sit on a panel of judges to decide the winners of the three KuanDog Awards: Best International Short Film, Best International Student Short Film, and Best Taiwanese Short Film.

TNUA-organized KDIAF is only one of very few animation festivals in the world that are run by schools, and its popularity has been growing fast.

The festival was launched in 2011 by TNUA’s Department of Animation. The first edition of the festival only received a little more than 300 entries, but last year there were over 1,200 short films from more than 60 countries.

The 2014 winner of KDIAF’s Best International Short Film, “Bear Story,” also won the 88th Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Oscar nominees “Prologue” and “We Can’t Live Without Cosmos” were also popular films at the 2015 KDIAF.

Prof. Shih Ming-huei, chairperson of the Department of Animation, said KDIAF not only allows students and teachers to keep abreast of international animation developments, but also inspires their creativity.

During the festival, the Hsin-Yi Children’s Foundation will collaborate with Department of Animation to present the Hsin-Yi Children’s Animation Awards. KDIAF will also hold several International lectures, animation workshops, activities and related tours.