Tenerife Hosts Ninth Annual Quirino Awards as Ibero-American Animation Industry Expands

The Ibero-American animation industry is meeting in Santa Cruz de Tenerife this week for the ninth annual Quirino Awards. Organizers say the event has grown beyond a simple awards ceremony, becoming a vital hub for business networking and industry discussion.

The event concludes this Friday at the Auditorio de Tenerife, where ten awards will be presented across categories including feature films, short films, and series. This year, the competition received 265 entries, with 27 projects from 19 countries reaching the finals. Spain leads the pack with 22 projects, followed by Portugal with 11, highlighting the Iberian Peninsula’s growing influence in the field.

Event director Silvia Cornillón, alongside local government and trade officials, noted that the awards now focus on four key areas: the competition, a co-production forum expecting nearly 300 professionals from 30 countries, executive training, and working groups focused on gender equality.

A new addition this year is the "Futures Laboratory," a forward-looking initiative recognized in UNESCO cultural policy reports. Combined with meetings between creators and major television platforms, these sessions have turned Tenerife into a central decision-making hub for the industry. For the public, free screenings of the nominated works will be held at TEA (Tenerife Espacio de las Artes) from April 21 to May 19.

The Quirino Awards arrive at a time when animation has moved from a niche interest to a major cultural and economic force. Driven by the global demand for digital content, the industry is increasingly focused on professionalizing production across Ibero-America. Ultimately, the success of these awards reflects a maturing industry that is using transnational collaboration to compete on the global stage.