Like every year, AnimationXpress’ Ann Awards celebrated excellence in animation as part of the Animation & More (AM) Summit 2026, Arnab Chaudhuri Animation Awards (since 2021), a special segment has carried his name to honour his legacy.
A visionary director, a bold storyteller who pushed boundaries beyond the ordinary, and an extraordinary artist, whose work and thinking, was way ahead of its time. He made animation mainstream and cool when he first started at Channel V. His film, Arjun: The Warrior Prince, became the first Indian animated feature to be shortlisted for the Oscars in 2012, along with being nominated for the best feature across the most prestigious International film festivals.
The awards are presented in two categories:
- Arnab Chaudhuri Animation Ace Award – Recognising an animation director whose vision and inventiveness push the boundaries of storytelling and craft.
- Arnab Chaudhuri Young Ace Award – Honouring a student director whose work demonstrates bold creativity, originality and a distinctive storytelling voice.
Fittingly, the winners of Arnab Chaudhuri Animation Ace Award are chosen by a jury of his longtime collaborators and friends, AniMela 2026 festival director Nina Sabnani; UCLan and UAL, Central St Martins ex-lecturer & filmmaker Pete Bishop; On Air Promos Sdn Bhd creative director Rob Middleton; Disney Kids and Family international animation vice president Orion Ross; UID NCR & GD Goenka University prof of practice Prakash Moorthy; along with AnimationXpress founder, chairman, and editor-in-chief Anil NM Wanvari, and creative consultant & executive producer Ashima Avasthi Chaudhuri.
The 2026 Arnab Chaudhuri Animation Ace Award went to Triparna Maiti for her short animated film The Chair. She is a Mumbai based animation artist, writer and filmmaker. She studied from Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), with a specialisation in animation cinema.
The Chair is a short animated film exploring the complex relationship between a little girl, Piku, and her grandfather’s old vintage armchair. The film is produced by Luminary Pictures (USA), Safarnaama Pictures (USA), Humans of Cinema (India) and co-produced by Damned Films (France). The project is supported by Reborn India Film Fund.
“Winning the Arnab Chaudhuri Animation Ace Award is a deeply meaningful moment for me. It is an honour to have my work recognised by an award that celebrates the art and spirit of animation. This recognition inspires me to keep creating, learning, and telling stories through animation,” Maiti shared with Animation Xpress.
The Arnab Chaudhuri Young Ace Award 2026 went to Kalyani B of National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, for her film Mareechika (The Mirage of a Dream). The Young Ace category celebrates creators still finding their feet but already making bold creative moves, a reminder that every established filmmaker once had a first frame, first film and first leap into the unknown.
She is an animator and comic artist from Kerala, whose work Mareechika (The Mirage of a Dream) premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this year.
