Crunchyroll, AnimeJapan Announce Winners of 2026 New Creator Awards

Crunchyroll, the global anime brand, and AnimeJapan, the world’s largest anime event held annually in Tokyo, announced today the winners of the 2026 New Creator Awards, which celebrate the next generation of anime creative talent and is sponsored by Crunchyroll. The winning films will stream on Crunchyroll today in more than 200 countries and territories and be available in Japan on Niconiko Douga and dAnime.

The winners of the 2026 New Creator Awards are:


Grand Prix/ AnimeJapan Special Award – POLICE MEN

Created by Yui Hara, alongside Hinata Udo, Woohee, China Kin, Rakuki Chen, Hiroto Tsujinaka, and Sumihiro Nomura

Synopsis: A human dramedy set in Kyoto about three police officers with very different personalities who sometimes work together and sometimes butt heads as they run toward the shared goal of catching the bad guy.

Crunchyroll Award/ AnimeJapan Special Award – One with the City

Created by Raiki Murao, alongside Aydin Isla, Sara Amano, Shuma Ikeda, Nanami Ishida, Yume Ito, Marin Inaguma, Sora Imai, Koki Imoto, Sara Ota, Aoto Okada, Kodai Kawashima, Sara Kawamura, Yota Kida, Koharu Kuniyasu, Atsuhiro Ima, Yu Sasaki, Kanon Sato, Haruka Sato, Shosei Takeo, Yuto Tsutsui, Satoshi Deguchi, Akiho Togo, Shun Toyota, Yumi Nishiwaki, Yusuke Hayashi, Haruka Higashi, Ayano Matsui, Kaito Mikami, Yuya Mizuno, Norika Mochizuki, Haruna Mori, Asahi Yamada, Sayo Yoshito, Noemi Wada, Yuzuki Arai, Yuto Inagaki, Miku Goto, Itsuki Shibata, Sawaki Chiba, Ren Umeki　”

Synopsis: Day-to-day life in Aichi is peaceful, and there are people behind that peace who keep its cities safe. The moment they put on the uniform, they transform from “the protected” to “the protectors.” This short animation shows the police officers who support the safety and future of the people.

Technical Award – Offbeat

Created by Leow Yi Jing, alongside Dasul Jeo

Synopsis: Leo spends his days feeling robotic and oppressed. Soon enough, he starts to feel that his existence is meaningless, as if he’s been tossed into the trash can like a piece of garbage. But then he reunites with the one thing he loved most that he had given up on. From that moment onward, Leo begins to remember the joy of living.

Direction Award – Requiem for the Endless Night

Created by Wang Xinyue, alongside He Jiale, Wang Yusha, Mai Jingyao, Shao Mingzhi, and Zhu Xuanbin, and Zhou Heyang

Synopsis: An elderly man lives alone on another planet after an apocalyptic disaster. After spending thirty years searching in vain for signals from other survivors, he decides to return to his home world, embarking on one final homecoming to mourn all those who were lost.

Character Design Award – Magokoro musubi – Gyutto komeru omoi –

Created by Kakeru Hane, alongside Yukina Miura, Nozomi Tsuyuki, Asahi Saito, Harune Yamaguchi, Yukiya Iwakawa, Haruki Nakamura, Kyotaro Kaneko, Fubuki Hamada, and Tsukasa Watabe

Synopsis: Our story follows Shio Musubi, a lightly salted rice ball. He meets several other types of “musubi” rice balls in the park, but all of their unique characteristics make him feel like there’s nothing special about him. Then, right at the end of his travels, the scene he sees at a little old lady’s house makes him realize something very important.

Art Award/ AnimeJapan Special Award – Traces of Summer

Created by Katsuki Yokoyama, alongside Katsuki Yokoyama, Mitsuki Nishimura, Taiki Sakamoto, Hatsuki Tsuzukibashi, Hiroto Asato, Chie Moriyuki, Hinata Tsuji, Takuma Honda, and Kanji Kawai

Synopsis: Two years after moving to Tokyo from the countryside, the hustle and bustle of the big city has wiped the calm from our heroine’s soul. Then she receives a message that prompts her to pay a visit to her home town. There, the smells and memories of summer restart something in her heart that had stopped. Her journey follows the tiny traces of summer as her heart quietly moves forward.

AnimeJapan Special Award – Live in Red

Created by Madoka Hadano, alongside Tsuyoshi Katayama, Kaiji Sanae, and Masatomo Watanabe

Synopsis: Somewhere on a vast red planet, there sits a city enclosed by a barrier. Outside the barrier, dust storms and harsh winds rage. Suddenly, a giant robot breaks through the barrier and infiltrates the city…


“With their thoughtful, unexpected, and delightful short films, the winners of the AnimeJapan New Creator Awards represent the next generation of anime’s storytellers,” said Asa Suehira, Chief Content Officer of Crunchyroll. “We’re honored to share these fresh new perspectives with the world by streaming the winning works on Crunchyroll. We can’t wait for the AnimeJapan Special Award winners to join us for domestic and international anime conventions over the next year.”

A representative from AnimeJapan shared “The AnimeJapan New Creator Award is a first-ever competition launched with the goal of discovering and nurturing young anime creators poised to make their mark on the world stage. The competition drew submissions that showcased the imaginative, boundary-pushing vision unique to student creators, combined with a high level of technical skill. We hope that by distributing the winning works globally, this award will serve as a springboard for creators to take their next step forward. AnimeJapan remains committed to identifying and cultivating new talent through this award for years to come.”

The New Creator Awards were created by AnimeJapan and sponsored by Crunchyroll to nurture and support the discovery of new talent. The competition was judged by the AnimeJapan Executive Committee, which represents 22 anime companies and one organization.