Nickelodeon’s annual Animated Shorts Program, which accepts global pitches that stand a chance at being developed into shorts, has opened the door to 2016 submissions starting today.

The news comes as Nickelodeon has officially named the 22 participants from last year’s program whose projects will be developed into shorts and will have the potential to air on Nickelodeon, appear on www.nick.com or on the Nick App.

The nearly two-dozen finalists were selected from roughly 950 pitches, and among them Max Wittert’s Best Baddies, chosen from Nickelodeon’s first-ever open call at last year’s Small Press Expo (a showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and emerging artists). Another is Rikke Asbjoern’s My Friend Pancake, which follows the adventures of young Hazel and her best friend, a giant talking cat named Pancake. Additional finalists include Dog and Squirrel, Girl from Dinosaur Island, Pig and a Blanket and Monster Taco, which was created by Dora the Explorer designer Vincent Scala.

A full list of all 22 participants can be found here.

The 2016 program, which once again will be overseen by network development executives, will accept domestic and international pitches through April 15. The program is designed to mine and cultivate a new generation of creative talent. Shorts must be original, humor-based and character-driven, and pitches specific to Nick Jr. should come from a child’s point-of-view while focusing on science, technology, and/or family for a preschool audience. Various animation styles are encouraged from 2D, stop motion, CG or mixed media. Full program guidelines are available at www.nickshortspitches.com.