February 28, 2026

Thomas Strittmatter Award 2026

Screenwriters Duc-Thi Bui and Philipp Lutz were awarded the Thomas Strittmatter Award 2026, endowed with €20,000 and presented by MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg, for their screenplay for the drama “Malibu“. The film tells the story of 17-year-olds Jonas and David, who meet while undergoing cancer treatment in an oncology ward and develop a close friendship in which intimacy and love gradually blossom.

The three-member jury – director and screenwriter Laila Stieler, director and writer Güzin Kar, and media scholar Anna Kokenge – honored all three nominated screenplays with laudations. The Thomas Strittmatter Award was presented by State Secretary Arne Braun of the Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg, together with MFG Managing Director Carl Bergengruen, during a festive reception held as part of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival at the Landesvertretung Baden-Württemberg in Berlin. The other nominees for the Thomas Strittmatter Award 2026, Stephanie Fies and Romina Küper, will each receive €2,500 for their screenplays “Running High” and “Hyperbaby“, respectively.

Winners Thomas Strittmatter Award 2026: Duc-Thi Bui and Philipp Lutz, Jury: Laila Stieler, Güzin Kar and Anna Kokenge, State Secretary Arne Braun, MFG Managing Director Carl Bergengruen, Actress Anna Ratte-Polle, (c) AEDT Tom Maelser

More than 700 guests attended the MFG reception at the Landesvertretung Baden-Württemberg, including film personalities such as Natalia Wörner, Louise Peter, Bayan Layla, Sylvaine Faligant, Michael Baral, Anne Ratte-Polle, Susanne Wolff, Marc-Uwe Kling, Purnima Grätz, Andrea Guo, Emma Bading, Helge Mark, Viet Pham and Wanja Mues. Representatives of the AMCRS were also present, including Stefanie Larson (AMCRS Manager), Heiko Burkhardsmaier (Accenture Song VFX), Sebastian Runschke (SERU Animation), Holger Weiss, Dominique Schuchmann and Wolfgang Kerber (The M.A.R.K. 13 Group), Lilian Klages (Eagle Eye Filmproduktion), Gisela Schäfer (Gretels Gold), Matthias Drescher (Film und Fernsehlabor Ludwigsburg), Thomas Meyer-Hermann (Studio Film Bilder), Juri Stanossek (LAVAlabs Moving Images), and many more.

Source: MFG

December 5, 2025

Calls for Entries ITFS 2026 – German Animation Screenplay Award, Animated Games Award and Trickstar Business Award

The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) 2026 will take place from May 5 to 10, 2026. It focuses on artistic animated films and the promotion of young talent. In addition to the feature film competition (submission deadline January 15, 2026), additional categories are now open for submissions: the German Animation Screenplay Award, the Animated Games Award Germany, and the Trickstar Business Award.

The German Animation Screenplay Award recognises outstanding screenplays for feature-length animated films. The goal of the competition is to honor the central role of professional screenwriters in the creation of outstanding films and to encourage the development of exceptional stories for animated films.

The Award for the Best Screenplay for a Feature-Length Animated Film comes with €2,500, sponsored by the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS).

The Award for the Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential is endowed with €2,500, sponsored by our CREATORS from SOLA MEDIA.

For the best screenplay award submissions are possible in German and English, for the market potential award submissions are only possible in English.
Submission Deadline: February 1, 2026 | Regulations | Submit here

The two awards will be presented on May 7, 2026, as part of the AniX Awards.

Stefanie Larson with Peter Keydel, Producer of the Best Screenplay at ITFS 2025, “Miss December and the Moon Clan”

Jens Opatz (Authors) and Matthias Drescher (Author, Producer): Winner Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential ITFS 2025, “Nessie Junior“

The Animated Games Award Germany is endowed with €5,000 and is sponsored by M FG Baden-Württemberg. It targets developers of high-quality video games who have their primary or secondary residence in Germany.

Eligible for submission are completed games for commercially available platforms that were released after January 1, 2025. The top five games will be nominated for the Ga meZone and showcased to the public during the event.
Submission Deadline: February 15, 2026 | Regulations | Submit here

The Trickstar Business Award honours the best innovative and groundbreaking business model for a particular project or a company in the field of animation. The prize of €7,500 is sponsored by the Verband Region Stuttgart and will be awarded on May 7, 2026, as part of the AniX Awards.

Submission Deadline: February 25, 2026 | Regulations | Submit here

Winner Animated Games Award ITFS 2025: Slow Bros. GmbH with “Harold Halibut“

Winners AniX Award ITFS 2025, all photos: Reiner Pfisterer

May 9, 2025

The Winners of the AniX Awards at ITFS 2025!

The first award winners of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) 2025 have been chosen: In a joint awards ceremony – the AniX Awards – the German Animation Screenplay Award and the Trickstar Business Award were presented on the evening of May 8, 2025 at the Festival Centre in the Haus der Katholischen Kirche.

Award winners and nominees, juries, and sponsors AniX Award ITFS 2025, Photo: Reiner Pfisterer

The prize for the best German screenplay for an animated feature film in the amount of € 2,500 sponsored by the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS), goes to “Fräulein Dezember und die Mondschein-Bande“ (“Miss December and the Moon Clan”) by Lisa Fechner (Producer: Peter Keydel, Production: Mistral Filmstudio GmbH)

From the jury statement: Miss December is a loving, exciting, and funny Mary Poppins story, paired with magic and scary moments. Based on an Italian children’s book by Antonia Murgo, Lisa Fechner succeeds in crafting the dialogues in a fresh yet profound way. The plot is exciting, humorous, quirky, and has the necessary nostalgic feel, reminiscent of Charles Dickens’ stories and quirky families à la Wednesday and Hotel Transylvania.

The Award for the Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential is endowed with €2,500, sponsored by SOLA MEDIA – and the winner is Nessie Junior (Authors: Matthias Drescher, Jens Opatz, Producer: Matthias Drescher, Production: FFL – Film und Fernsehlabor Ludwigsburg GmbH & Co. KG)

From the jury statement: The story of the young sea monster Fin, who teams up with 13-year-old Kellina to uncover long-buried secrets about his origins, impresses with emotional depth, narrative strength, and a compelling sense of storytelling. […] Nessie Junior addresses universal themes such as friendship, identity, family, and the search for belonging – topics that resonate across cultures and are relevant to audiences worldwide. The legendary figure of Nessie is internationally recognized and sparks curiosity and empathy across generations, especially among family viewers. […] With Nessie Junior, Jens Opatz and Matthias Drescher have crafted a heartfelt, original, and internationally accessible story with the potential to become a beloved favorite among audiences worldwide.

The jury consisted of Solveig Langeland (Founder and Managing Director, Sola Media GmbH, Stuttgart), Jørn Precht (Author, Screenwriter, Professor for Storytelling, Hochschule der Medien, Stuttgart), Ron Segal (Author, Screenwriter, Berlin), Holger Weiss (CEO & Founder, Executive Producer, M.A.R.K. 13 Group, Stuttgart) und Silke Wilfinger (Founder & Owner, SILKWAYFILMS, Munich).

Matthias Drescher, Annegret Richter (ITFS), Solveig Langeland (Sola Media), Jens Opatz

Stefanie Larson (AMCRS), Winner Peter Keydel

Matthias Drescher, Jens Opatz, Solveig Langeland (Sola Media), Silke Wilfinger (Silkway Films), Peter Keydel, Holger Weiss (M.A.R.K. 13), Jørn Precht (Hochschule der Medien), Ron Segal

The Trickstar Business Award, the prize for the best innovative and forward-looking business model in the animation sector in the amount of € 7,500 sponsored by Verband Region Stuttgart, goes to SYNK by ThePack (CEO: Jan Hameeuw) – a real-time content generator and workflow management system that creates synergies and enables a huge increase in the efficiency of 3-D productions.

Congratulations to all the award winners!

November 18, 2024

Calls for Entries ITFS – German Animation Screenplay Award and Animated Games Award Germany

The 32nd Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) will take place from May 6 to 11, 2025. It focuses on artistic animated films and the promotion of young talent. In addition to the short and feature film competitions (submission deadlines: short film competitions – November 15, 2024; feature film competition – January 15, 2024), additional categories are now open for submissions: the German Animation Screenplay Award, the Animated Games Award Germany, and the Work in Progress section.

The Award for the Best Screenplay for a Feature-Length Animated Film comes with €2,500, sponsored by the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS).

The Award for the Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential is endowed with €2,500, sponsored by our CREATORS from SOLA MEDIA.

For the best screenplay award submissions are possible in German and English, for the market potential award submissions are only possible in English. Submission Deadline: February 1, 2025 | Regulations | Submit here

Winner German Animation Screenplay Award for a Feature-Length Animated Film at ITFS 2024: Das Neinhorn, Photo: Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart, Reiner Pfisterer

Winner Animated Games Award Germany at ITFS 2024: Closer the Distance, Photo: Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart, Reiner Pfisterer

Eligible for submission are completed games for commercially available platforms that were released after January 1, 2024. The top five games will be nominated for the Ga meZone and showcased to the public during the event.
Submission Deadline: February 1, 2025 | Regulations | Submit here

The Work in Progress section provides a platform for animation projects in the concept, development, or production stages. Producers and directors have the opportunity to present their current projects in film, TV, web, games, and immersive media to an international professional audience.

Each presentation lasts approximately 20 minutes and includes initial visual insights, trailers, and a follow-up Q&A session. The audience gains exclusive behind-the-scenes access and can connect directly with the creative teams behind the projects. Submission Deadline: February 15, 2025 | Submit here

April 9, 2024

The ITFS 2024 German Animation Screenplay Award Nominees!

The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film 2024 has announced the nominated projects for this year’s German Animation Screenplay Award!

Billie Beat (Author: Beke Rienitz)
Das NEINhorn (Authors: Marc-Uwe Kling, Marcus Sauermann)
The Ogglies – Rexy Alarm! (Author: Toby Genkel)
Out of Frame (Authors: Giles New, Keiron Self)

The Award for the best German screenplay for an animated feature film that has not yet been realized comes with a cash prize of € 2,500, sponsored by Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart (AMCRS).
The German screenplay with the biggest international market potential will receive a prize of € 1,500, donated by Pink Parrot.

The awards aim to promote excellent screenplays for German animated feature film projects in German and English language as well as promising authors, and to highlight the importance of professional screenwriting.

The German Animation Screenplay Award will be presented at the ITFS as part of the AniX Awards on Thursday, April 25 at 19.00 CET in the Filmmakers’ Lounge (Festival Center – Haus der Katholischen Kirche Stuttgart), along with the Trickstar Business Award, which honors the best innovative and forward-looking business model in the animation sector, and the ASIFA Prize, which goes to Michaela Pavlátová this year.

If you would like to find out more about the screenplays and the people behind them, join the W orkshop-Talk on Thursday, April 25 at 12:30 CET at Cinema: There, Marco Kreuzer, board member of the VeDRA – Verband für Film- und Fernsehdramaturgie, will talk to the nominees of the German Animation Screenplay Award about dramaturgical work and script development based on the nominated scripts.

The candidates for the Animated Games Award Germany 2024, the € 5,000 prize for the best and most innovative animation-based computer game from Germany, donated by MFG Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg, were also announced. The Animated Games Award Germany 2024 will be presented at the ITFS Grand Award Ceremony on Sunday, April 28, 2024.

–> Find out all nominations h ere!

We keep our fingers crossed for all nominees!

Source: I TFS News, ITFS LinkedIn

October 27, 2023

Call for Entries for the German Animation Screenplay Award at ITFS 2024!

ITFS Trickstars (Photo: Reiner Pfisterer)

The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS, April 23-28, 2024) is calling for entries for the German Animation Screenplay Award – the best screenplay for a feature-length animated film not yet realized. And we, the AMCRS, are the proud sponsor of the prize money of 2,500 €!

In 2023, the award for the best screenplay went to CLARISSA, Screenplay: John Chambers, Production: XFilme Creative Pool GmbH, Producer: Uwe Schott

In addition, the ITFS will award the prize for the screenplay with the greatest international market potential. The prize is endowed with 1,500 € and donated by Pink Parrot.

The closing date for both awards is February 1, 2024.

Application and Reglement (in German)

November 28, 2022

Call for Entries for German Animation Screenplay Award at ITFS 2023!

Photo: Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film

The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS, April 25-30, 2023) calls for entries for the German Animation Screenplay Award for the best screenplay for a feature-length animated film not yet realised. And we, the AMCRS, are the proud sponsor of the prize money of 2,500 €!

2022, the award for the best screenplay went to Dino Mite / Minus Drei und die verlorene Stadt (by Armin Prediger, Andreas Völlinger, production: our HEROES Holger Weiss and Dominique Schuchmann, M.A.R.K.13 – COM, Stuttgart, and Björn Magsig and Sandra Schießl, TRIKK 17, Hamburg).

In addition, the ITFS will award the prize for the screenplay with the greatest international market potential. The prize is endowed with 1,500 € and donated by Pink Parrot.

The closing date for both awards is February 1, 2023.

Application and Reglement (in German)