The Motion Awards 2025 Nominees

PUBLISHED by Staff

Nominated in open format » experimental

A Global Celebration of the Art, Craft, and Soul of Motion Design

Each year, The Motion Awards offers a window into the creative heartbeat of our industry. But this year, the view feels especially rich, spanning journalism, cinema, activism, and the handcrafted magic that defines Motion Design.

After months of submissions from every corner of the globe, weeks of intense deliberation by our international jury, and many moments of “Wait… how did they do that?!”, the official nominees for The Motion Awards 2025 have arrived.

Nominated infographics » social good

A Sneak Peek at the Class of 2025

These nominees come from across the world: from independent artists to global studios, from rising students to industry icons, from commercial masterpieces to experimental visions pushing the edge of what Motion Design can be.

This is our field at its boldest, its most thoughtful, and its most emotionally resonant.

The variety is staggering, ranging from the journalistic rigor of The New York Times to the cinematic grandeur of Territory’s Dune: Part Two.

But it’s the innovation that truly stole our hearts.

Nominated in open format » experimental

A Standout Nominee: “In Hot Water”

One of this year’s most extraordinary projects is “In Hot Water” (nominated in Open Format » Experimental). Created by NOMINT for the WWF and launched at COP29, the film tackles the invisible crisis of ocean warming in a way we’ve never seen before.

How do you visualize something that cannot be seen?

You paint with heat.

Shot entirely on a thermal camera, the film transforms invisible temperature data into a vivid, tangible visual language. The production required:

  • Precision control of temperature for every frame

  • 3D-printed stop-motion replacement models

  • Ovens, heat lamps, heat guns, and freezing sprays

  • Temperature calibration to within 0.1°C

This painstaking process wasn’t just a technical flex; it was a direct metaphor for the message: “Every fraction of a degree matters.”

This is the kind of work that defines The Motion Awards.
It’s not just moving pixels,
it’s moving people.

Nominated rainbow award » rainbow award

A Standard Built on Integrity

As always, nominations at The Motion Awards are earned, not appointed.

Every submission is scored by an international panel of judges. To maintain the highest standard, only projects with an average score of 7.0 or higher advance to the nominees list.

This means:

  • Some categories may have fewer nominees than usual

  • Some categories may have no nominees at all

We do this because excellence is never guaranteed, and we will not dilute the benchmark that defines our community.

This is what makes being nominated such a profound achievement.

Explore All the Nominees

Watch every nominated project on the official Motion Awards platform:

See the full nominees list and videos at motionawards.com

Congratulations to every nominee!  you are moving the world.

To all the artists, studios, collaborators, and students who made it here:
thank you for moving us forward.

And a special thank you to our judges. This would not be possible without your time, expertise, and dedication to our craft.

What Happens Next?

Now the excitement continues. Our second round of jurors is diving back in to determine the winners of this year’s Motion Awards.

Stay tuned.