Animation Lockdown: OOPS Edition Awards!
It's no accident that people delighted in this year's Lockdown films, all made throughout the May Long weekend this year.
On May 30th we screened the results of the 19th annual Animation Lockdown: OOPS Edition and handed out the awards! The key involved being able to make a film that included the theme (OOPS), some chosen audio from local musicians, and some awkward and often accidental animation and editing effects - such as an awkwardly long hold, or including your hands/a missing layer in the final cut!
Take a look at who won! We're always so proud to be a part of such an amazing community, and as always are blown away that 18 brand new films were created over a single long weekend!
Message from the Jury:
Speaking on behalf of myself, and the other two Jurors, Lyndon and Joanne, I would like to say how blown away I was with the entire lineup of completed films. After organizing so many film challenges myself, and knowing how challenging these are to complete in the allotted time, I have personally never watched a competition selection with so many key elements to work in, and the outcomes were truly impressive on all levels. We all loved the high energy of the pieces this year, and the spirit of the handmade animation remains present throughout, despite the wide range of techniques and mediums used.
We were impressed by the overall creativity in stories and themes, use of prompts, variety of animated styles, team work clearly proven in the final works, the stand-out music in every animation, and found this to be a slate of world-class projects that can easily be taken to audiences outside of Calgary.
We think everyone should be really proud of what they accomplished regardless of whether you win an award or not. This was a tough deliberation to say the least.
By Brenda Lieberman on behalf of the 2026 QAS Animation Lockdown Jury
JURY SPECIAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING FILM + AUDIENCE CHOICE WINNER
Team Grease Pencil: Toby Duska, Jack Hornecker and Damon Orcherton.
BLUEBIRD came up in conversation every step of the way during our deliberation, as it resonated so well with all of us, it only seemed fitting to award this unique, incredibly well-done animation with the Jury Special Award for Outstanding Film. The narrative kept the experimental elements together in a creative and professional way, great use of all the technical elements, OOPS! Fit in so well and the stopmotion and 3D aspects were seamlessly integrated. The puppet was definitely a standout too, and we all unanimously felt everything was brought together so well. Congratulations.
By Brenda Lieberman on behalf of the 2026 QAS Animation Lockdown Jury
JURY BEST USE OF TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AWARD + AUDIENCE CHOICE WINNER
Team Alcoholics Anonymous: Enzo Amogan, Leo Garcia, Emiliano Aguayo
Congratulations to Pass by Enzo Amogan, Leo Garcia, & Emiliano Aguayo, for winning the JURY BEST USE OF TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AWARD! Thank you for capturing us in a slow and melodramatic mood with their use of an emotional score and beautifully animated vignettes, only to yank us out of it with an “OOPS” that cleverly brings the technical requirements together in one steamy, well-executed scene.
I personally want to thank the team for a genuine, laugh-out-loud moment that brought a howl so loud it could wake the dead.
By Lyndon Navalta on behalf of the 2026 QAS Animation Lockdown Jury
DAVE RATZLAFF BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM AWARD (SPONSORED BY CAOS)
Team TUCC: Caro Ging, Jacqueline Huskison, Alyssia White
In his time, Dave Ratzlaff was the backbone of experimental animation at Quickdraw. He was a mainstay at the space who worked diligently to keep every weird and wacky tool prepped and ready for the next new idea. He was at once the ultimate collaborator, contributing all kinds of skills to a long list of friends’ projects, and also a lone wolf, working privately on his own cameraless practice. He was unassumingly quiet; a kind, funny, creative, supportive and gentle guy whose films betrayed a bold artist deeply in love with the process of animating, and one who valued experimentation as a key cornerstone of Canadian animation. (Written by Keltie Duncan 2024 QAS Lockdown JURY)
A delightful combination of claymation, stop motion animation, and found footage, Knob Dingers II, takes the viewer on a madcap ride-along with a pinball in play. And what a fun ride it is! The nonstop spinning, bouncing, and bashing complemented with comical close-ups and zany sound make for an entertaining film and a stand out in this category. Congratulations!
By Joanne Fisher on behalf of the 2026 QAS Animation Lockdown Jury
JURY SPECIAL MENTION
Team The Tranistion Frames: Kailyn Humphreys, Neven Frenette, Alex Mcleod, Victor Benedetti @kaiwyns @nev_creates
The Lockdown is a pressure cooker of ideas and creativity - people coming together for a short, albeit intense, time to figure out how to turn a concept into a film. The end products can be scrappy little films, rough around the edges, maybe not so pretty or polished, but strong in substance - maybe the roughness in the films is able to speak more to truth or closeness to a lived experience than something polished and tidy. Leaning into transgender body horror, The Bathroom’s strengths are its emotional undercurrent, honesty, and authentic voice. It is a quiet film that has much to say about the horrors that lurk within the confines of a small bathroom. It is this year’s winner of the Jury’s Special Mention Award. Congratulations!
By Joanne Fisher on behalf of the 2026 QAS Animation Lockdown Jury
AUDIENCE CHOICE HONOURABLE MENTION
Abdullah Al-Nono (@abdullah.alnono)
Congratulations to first-time lockdown participant Abdullah Al-Nono for scooping up the Audience Choice Honourable Mention! We thought this film perfectly encapsulated the theme this year - a morning where nothing goes right, and the audience is taken from gaffe to blunder with seemingly effortless wit and style.
KING REDCASTLE WILL WALTON AWARD
The film that reflects the artist's view of reality with a strange and strong use of colour. Dark and dry humour is expected. The animation should include at least ONE of the following:
- Long neck
- Distorted arms or legs
- A creature that has no reference to reality
- A striped shirt
- Expressive eyes
- A Banana
- Really big teeth, feet, or nose
- A slug
Congratulations to Frienemies by Russ Edworthy, winner of the KING REDCASTLE Will Walton Award! We have all love and no loathing for this maliciously catchy tune. We loved the use of bright colours in contrast with the twisted and antagonistic theme. A special thank you as well to the singing imps, whose wee voices helped this ditty live rent-free in our heads throughout the event! It’s exactly the kind of fiendishly fun celebration of creativity and camaraderie that Lockdown is known for.
By Lyndon Navalta on behalf of the 2026 QAS Animation Lockdown Jury
Congratulations to all of the winners!