# AACTA Award for Best Short Animation

The AACTA Award for Best Short Animation, is a short film award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) to the producer and director of an Australian short animated film that is "a self-contained and continuous animated film of short fiction or documentary of less than 40 minutes in duration." Prior to the establishment of the academy in 2011, the award was presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI) at the annual Australian Film Institute Awards (more commonly known as the AFI Awards) from 1979 to 2010. The award is presented at the AACTA Awards Luncheon, a black tie event which celebrates achievements in film production, television, documentaries and short films.

## Winners and nominees

In the following table, winners are listed first, in boldface and highlighted in gold; those listed below the winner that are not in boldface or highlighted are the nominees.

### AFI Awards (1979–2010)

| Year | Film | Producer(s) | Director(s) |
| 1979 (21st) | Letter to a Friend | Sonia Hofmann | Sonia Hofmann |
| 1980 (22nd) | Pussy Pumps Up | Antoinette Starkiewicz | Antoinette Starkiewicz |
| 1981 (23rd) | The Animation Game | Eric Halliday | David Johnston |
| 1981 (23rd) | Bushed | | Stephen French |
| 1981 (23rd) | Foxbat and the Mimi | | John Skibinski |
| 1982 (24th) | Flank Breeder | Bruce Currie | Bruce Currie |
| 1982 (24th) | Dudu and the Line | Steve French | Steve French |
| 1982 (24th) | The Great Wave | Tony Gooley | Tony Gooley |
| 1983 (25th) | Dance of Death | Dennis Tupicoff | Dennis Tupicoff |
| 1983 (25th) | Foxbat and the Demon | John Skibinski | John Skibinski |
| 1984 (26th) | Ned Wethered | Lee Whitmore | Lee Whitmore |
| 1984 (26th) | Anatomy of a Businessman | Bruce Currie | Bruce Currie |
| 1984 (26th) | The Thief of Sydney | Toby Zoates | Toby Zoates |
| 1984 (26th) | Waltz Mambo | Andrew Quinn | Andrew Quinn |
| 1985 (27th) | Waltzing Matilda | John Morris | Michael Cusack and Richard Chataway |
| 1985 (27th) | Cut Out Animation | David Johnson | David Johnson |
| 1985 (27th) | Kitchen Sync | Maree Woolley | Maree Woolley |
| 1985 (27th) | Pianoforte | Julia Overton | Antoinette Starkiewicz |
| 1986 (28th) | The Huge Adventures of Trevor, A Cat | John C. J. Taylor | John C. J. Taylor |
| 1986 (28th) | Change of Place | Kathy Smith | Kathy Smith |
| 1986 (28th) | Elephant Theatre | Sabrina Schmid | Sabrina Schmid |
| 1986 (28th) | Joshua Cooks | Penny Robenstone | Penny Robenstone |
| 1987 (29th) | Crust | John E. Hughes | John E. Hughes |
| 1987 (29th) | 224 | Dirk de Bruyn | Dirk de Bruyn |
| 1987 (29th) | In Love Cancer | David Atkinson | Jenni Robertson |
| 1987 (29th) | Worry | Charles Amsden | Charles Amsden |
| 1988 (30th) | Where the Forest Meets the Sea | Jeannie Baker | Jeannie Baker |
| 1988 (30th) | A Craven | Anne Algar | Anne Algar |
| 1988 (30th) | Feathers and Fools | Penny Robenstone | Penny Robenstone |
| 1988 (30th) | Home Sweet Home | Simone Lindhout | Simone Lindhout |
| 1989 (31st) | Still Flying | Robert Stephenson | Robert Stephenson |
| 1989 (31st) | Lucky Girl | Jeffrey Noonan | Jeffrey Noonan |
| 1989 (31st) | Ratropolis | Jenni B-Zipporah and Bix Nussey | Jenni B-Zipporah and Bix Nussey |
| 1989 (31st) | The Shadowlands | Anthony Lucas | Anthony Lucas |
| 1990 (32nd) | Picture Start | David Atkinson and John Bird | Jeremy Parker |
| 1990 (32nd) | Once As If A Balloon | Sabrina Schmid | Jeremy Parker and Sabrina Schmid |
| 1990 (32nd) | The Emu and the Sun | John Skibinski | John Skibinski |
| 1990 (32nd) | Tiga | Lucinda Clutterbuck | Lucinda Clutterbuck |
| 1991 (33rd) | Union Street | Anne Grieve | Wendy Chandler |
| 1991 (33rd) | Feral Television | | David Ledwich |
| 1991 (33rd) | Reaper Madness | | Nick Donkin |
| 1991 (33rd) | Two Fish | Unjoo Moon | Rohan Smith |
| 1992 (34th) | Shelf Life | | Andrew Horne |
| 1992 (34th) | Secrets of the City | Cathy Linsley | Cathy Linsley |
| 1992 (34th) | The Amphibian | | Sina Azad and Anthony Lucas |
| 1992 (34th) | The Descent | | Andrew Schult |
| 1993 (35th) | The Darra Dogs | Dennis Tupicoff | Dennis Tupicoff |
| 1993 (35th) | A Saucer of Water for the Birds | Ann Shenfield | Ann Shenfield |
| 1993 (35th) | Arnold Has A Thought | Peter McDonald | Peter McDonald |
| 1993 (35th) | The Web - 'Bandicoot' | | Lucinda Clutterbuck and Sarah Watt |
| 1994 (36th) | Gorgeous | Rob Wellington | Kaz Cooke |
| 1994 (36th) | Muttaburrasaurus | David Roberts | Grahame Binding and Norman Yeend |
| 1994 (36th) | The Junky's Christmas | Francis Ford Coppola | Nick Donkin and Melodie McDaniel |
| 1994 (36th) | Total Recession | Hugh Freitag and Durand Greig | Durand Greig |
| 1995 (37th) | Small Treasures | Fiona Eagger and Sarah Watt | Sarah Watt |
| 1995 (37th) | Great Moments In Science: Falling Cats | | Andrew Horne |
| 1995 (37th) | The Story of Rosie Dock | Screen Australia | Jeannie Baker |
| 1995 (37th) | Writer's Block | Michael Lawrence | Leon Cmielewski |
| 1996 (38th) | Blood on the Chandelier | | Jeffrey Norris |
| 1996 (38th) | Lovely Day | | Chris Backhouse |
| 1996 (38th) | The Journey | | Robert Gudan |
| 1996 (38th) | The Web 2 - 'Wolf' | | Lucinda Clutterbuck |
| 1997 (39th) | Uncle | Ann Shenfield, Robert Stephenson and Sarah Watt | Adam Elliot |
| 1997 (39th) | Heartbreak Motel | | Greg Holfeld |
| 1997 (39th) | His Mother's Voice | | Dennis Tupicoff |
| 1997 (39th) | On a Full Moon | | Lee Whitmore |
| 1998 (40th) | Vengeance | | Wendy Chandler |
| 1998 (40th) | Harry The Human Fly | | Darryl Aylward |
| 1998 (40th) | Has Beans | Miriam Stein | Andrew Tamandl |
| 1998 (40th) | Seabound | Ann Shenfield, Robert Stephenson and Sarah Watt | Donna Kendrigan |
| 1999 (41st) | Cousin | Adam Elliot | Adam Elliot |
| 1999 (41st) | HeadSpace | | Chris Backhouse |
| 1999 (41st) | Project Vlad | | Aaron Rogers |
| 1999 (41st) | Slim Pickings | | Anthony Lucas |
| 2000 (42nd) | Brother | Adam Elliot | Adam Elliot |
| 2000 (42nd) | Full Circle | | Adam Head |
| 2000 (42nd) | Leunig: Tricks | | Andrew Horne |
| 2000 (42nd) | The Way of the Birds | | Sarah Watt |
| 2001 (43rd) | Living With Happiness | Sarah Watt | Sarah Watt |
| 2001 (43rd) | Bad Baby Amy | Anthony Lucas and Edwina von Stiegler | Anthony Lucas |
| 2001 (43rd) | The Collective | Daniella Ortega | Norah Mulroney |
| 2001 (43rd) | The Exploding Woman | Melissa Johnston | Nancy Allen |
| 2002 (44th) | Shh. | Andi Spark and Paul Fletcher | Adam Robb |
| 2002 (44th) | Into the Dark | Fiona Cochrane and Dennis Tupicoff | Dennis Tupicoff |
| 2002 (44th) | Pa | Andrew McVitty | Neil Goodridge |
| 2002 (44th) | Show and Tell | | Mark Gravas |
| 2003 (45th) | Harvie Krumpet | Melanie Coombs | Adam Elliot |
| 2003 (45th) | Cane Toad: What Happened To Baz? | David Clayton and Andrew Silke | David Clayton and Andrew Silke |
| 2003 (45th) | Hello | David Atkinson and Jonathan Nix | Jonathan Nix |
| 2003 (45th) | Mother Tongue | Lea Croyden and Susan Kim | Susan Kim |
| 2004 (46th) | Birthday Boy | Andrew Gregory | Sejong Park |
| 2004 (46th) | Footnote | | Pia Borg |
| 2004 (46th) | It's Like That | Susan Earl, Nicole McKinnon, Sharon Parker and Sophie Raymond | Southern Ladies Animation Group (SLAG) |
| 2004 (46th) | Lucky For Some | | Robert Stephenson |
| 2005 (47th) | The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello | Anthony Lucas and Julia Lucas | Anthony Lucas |
| 2005 (47th) | 2:41 Upfield | | Callum Cooper |
| 2005 (47th) | Fritz Gets Rich | Sam White | Eddie White and James Calvert |
| 2005 (47th) | Piñata | Thomas Schober | Mike Hollands |
| 2006 (48th) | Gargoyle | | Michael Cusack |
| 2006 (48th) | Carnivore Reflux | Huy Nguyen and Sam White | Eddie White and James Calvert |
| 2006 (48th) | The Astronomer | Kate McCartney | Kate McCartney |
| 2006 (48th) | The Safe House | Denise Haslem | Lee Whitmore |
| 2007 (49th) | The Girl Who Swallowed Bees | Justine Kerrigan | Paul McDermott |
| 2007 (49th) | An Imaginary Life | Steve Baker | Steve Baker |
| 2007 (49th) | Dust Echoes 2 - 'The Bat And The Butterfly' | Michael Wagner, Dave Jones | |
| 2007 (49th) | The Goat That Ate Time | Lucinda Schreiber | Lucinda Schreiber |
| 2008 (50th) | Dog With Electric Collar | Damon Escott | Steve Baker |
| 2008 (50th) | Chainsaw | Fiona Cochrane and Dennis Tupicoff | Dennis Tupicoff |
| 2008 (50th) | Mutt | Beth Frey | Glen Hunwick |
| 2008 (50th) | Paper City | Daniel Agdag | |
| 2009 (51st) | The Cat Piano | Jessica Brentnall | Eddie White and Ari Gibson |
| 2009 (51st) | Chicken of God | Jodi Satya, Frank Woodley | Frank Woodley |
| 2009 (51st) | The Not-So-Great Eugene Green | Melanie Brunt | Michael Hill |
| 2009 (51st) | Reach | | Luke Randall |
| 2010 (52nd) | The Lost Thing | Sophie Byrne | Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan |
| 2010 (52nd) | Zero | Christine Kezelos | Christopher Kezelos |

### AACTA Awards (2012–present)

| Year | Film | Producer(s) |
| 2011 (1st) | Nullarbor | Alister Lockhart, Patrick Sarell, Katrina Mathers, Merrin Jensen and Daryl Munton |
| 2011 (1st) | Forget Me Not | Emily Dean |
| 2011 (1st) | The Missing Key | Garth Nix, Anna McFarlane and Jonathan Nix |
| 2011 (1st) | The Moment | Justin Wight, Kristian Moliere, Troy Bellchambers and Shane McNeil |