The first Irish Animation Awards will take place tomorrow night in Dingle, Co Kerry, with nominees from familiar production companies such as Brown Bag Films, Kite Entertainment, Geronimo Productions, Boulder Media, Monster Entertainment and Jam Media.

Each winner will receive a statuette, designed by animator and film-maker Eimhín McNamara, that resembles a phenakistoscope, which was an early animation device used to create an illusion of motion.

The inaugural ceremony is designed to celebrate and acknowledge talent in the Irish animation, visual effects and gaming industries.

However, with judges from CBeebies, CBBC and Nickelodeon UK – important commissioning sources for the Irish industry – the stage is set for Dingle’s Skellig Hotel to be a festival of networking for animators, too.