Prix Jeunesse has announced the 10 finalists that will compete for this year’s Shorts Prize during its festival week in Munich from May 24 to 29.

The award honors short-form kids content, defined as an episode or one-off no longer than four minutes in length. The 2024 finalists were picked from a crop of 45 shorts submitted by producers, broadcasters and distributors from around the world.

Pre-selection jury members included Daniel Leite (Brazil), Monika Schweiger (Germany), Ariunjargal Luvsantseren (Mongolia), Wilna Isabel van Schalkwyk (South Africa) and Silvia Lovato (US).

Germany has the most shortlisted entries, with eps from KiKA’s Animanimals, arts & crafts series Ene Mene Bu (Lupalipa Media) and Recycling Machine from Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg all making the cut.

From the US, civics-inspired toon City Island (Future Brain Media) is also a finalist. This series, which launched on PBS KIDS in 2022, is set in a city where living objects deal with conflict resolution and city planning. 

Japan’s NHK is through to the next round with Wha-Wha-Wha-What’s it all about?!, which breaks down complex topics for kids with three-minute animated shorts featuring rap songs. And New Friends from Thai PBS is also in the mix, showcasing the lives of kids from the Asian nation’s diverse provinces. 

Ranger Hamza’s Eco Quest Minis, a live-action series from Hello Halo Kids in the UK, earned its spot by imparting practical eco-friendly tips for kids. And rounding out the top-10 are Breakfast from RTVCPlay (Colombia); Place Without Limits from Canal Once (Mexico), which entered an episode focused on Cerebral Palsy; and Hugs from Pakapaka (Argentina), featuring the stories of children with incarcerated family members.

More details about the 10 Shorts Prize finalists are available on the Prix Jeunesse website.