XPPen Deepens Partnership with Ottawa International Animation Festival for Landmark 50th Anniversary, Honoring 2026 Craft Award Winner

OTTAWA, October 16, 2026 — As the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) celebrates its monumental 50th anniversary, XPPen, a global leader in digital art innovation, is proud to continue and deepen its partnership with the world-renowned festival. Serving as the cornerstone of this ongoing collaboration, the XPPen Craft Award for Best Animation Technique was co-presented by XPPen and OIAF to champion exceptional technical mastery and artistic innovation in animation. On September 26, 2026, the award was officially presented to acclaimed director Elizabeth Hobbs for Daughters of the Late Colonel.

Since its inception in 1976, OIAF has championed visionary animated works and nurtured global creative talent. This year, the festival received a total of 3,026 entries from 107 countries, with seven feature films and 74 short films, including Animated Series, chosen for competition.

To mark five decades of artistic leadership, this milestone edition featured historic celebrations, including the signature "50 in 50" retrospective honoring Canada’s top animated works and their creators. Standing alongside OIAF at this historic juncture underscores XPPen’s enduring mission to honor animation heritage while continuously empowering creators through technological innovation.

“Celebrating OIAF’s 50th anniversary is a true privilege for XPPen. Over the past five decades, OIAF has set the global benchmark for creative excellence, a legacy that deeply aligns with our dedication to empowering creators,” said Brian Huang, Marketing Director at XPPen. “Through our continued partnership and the XPPen Craft Award for Best Animation Technique, we are proud to spotlight exceptional artistry behind the frame, while continuing to equip creators worldwide with the tools to bring their boldest visions to life.”

Photo by Petr Maur

Celebrating the Craft Behind the Film

The jury praised the film’s expressive imagery and inventive use of mark making, commenting: “This beautifully rendered, suggestive film impressed us with its economic use of mark making to create a vast space, open for the imagination to move freely in.”

Daughters of the Late Colonel (dir. Elizabeth Hobbs)

Adapted from Katherine Mansfield’s 1920 short story, Daughters of the Late Colonel was directed by BAFTA-nominated animator Elizabeth Hobbs and produced in collaboration with Animate Projects, Fabian&Fred, and Phil Davies Films. Crafted with wet ink and paint on paper under a rostrum camera, Hobbs’s distinctive mark-making brings expressive life to every frame. XPPen congratulates Hobbs on the award and celebrates the creative team behind the film.

As part of the award, XPPen presented Hobbs with an Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2). The 21.5-inch drawing display is Calman Verified for color accuracy, while the X3 Pro stylus offers responsive control for sketching and refining details. XPPen looks forward to the new creative possibilities Hobbs will explore and the work still to come.

The Next Chapter in Animation

As OIAF looks to the future, XPPen is proud to continue partnering with the festival to celebrate and support the artists shaping the next chapter of animation. For XPPen, nurturing creative talent has never been a one-time effort. From backing emerging voices at the Annecy Festival Residency to empowering digital artists in the 3D Community Challenge founded by Pwnisher, this ongoing support reflects a long-standing commitment to the global community.

Looking ahead, that dedication will only grow. As a leading digital art innovation brand, XPPen remains committed to standing by animators throughout their creative journeys—delivering intuitive tools and building supportive platforms that help storytellers everywhere push the boundaries of animation and bring their boldest ideas to life.