How to Create an Animated Film Using Artificial Intelligence and Win a Million Rubles

Sber (Sberbank), Soyuzmultfilm (Soyuzmultfilm Film Studio), and School 21 have announced the launch of the All-Russian Animation Contest «Nu, AI, Pogodi!», timed to the 90th anniversary of the film studio.

The large-scale project combines advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and the rich traditions of domestic animation. Its main goal is to support authors, help them reveal their talent, and believe in their creative potential.

«Artificial intelligence opens up new opportunities in all spheres of the economy — including in creative industries and in the production of all types of content, including animation. But behind technologies, there are always people: their imagination, creativity, ability to dream and see the world in a new way. This contest is about how technology becomes an ally of dreams. It connects the legendary heritage of Soyuzmultfilm with the key technologies of the 21st century, creating a true creative laboratory — a space where new ideas and approaches will be born, capable of inspiring more than one generation,» said Herman Gref, President and Chairman of the Management Board of Sberbank.

Contest participants must create an original animated video congratulating Soyuzmultfilm on its anniversary, where it is necessary to apply artificial intelligence technologies — «GigaChat», Kandinsky, and other domestic neural networks — at any stage of production (image generation, animation, script, and others). Creativity using neural networks involves a family format: children create projects together with parents. Another important condition: the work must include the numbers 9 and 0, symbolizing the studio«s 90th anniversary. Participants can use Soyuzmultfilm characters or come up with their own heroes.

«Time passes, new technologies appear, but the main thing is that the essence remains unchanged: our cartoons have always taught kindness, sincerity, friendship, beauty. The Soyuzmultfilm and School 21 contest is a wonderful opportunity to support those who want to create, to create new heroes,» while preserving and multiplying the best traditions of domestic animation. I wish success! — shared Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation.

«Modern Russian animation has become a powerful stimulus, setting the pace for the development of a whole spectrum of industries: from film production and digital platforms to visual effects, games, and educational technologies. That is why its support and development is an investment in the future of the entire creative economy of the country. Such initiatives open up access to the most advanced tools for talented authors and new horizons for the animation industry. After all, its language is the language of the future, which combines artistic depth, technological power, and limitless opportunities for creativity,» said Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation.

Participants« videos will be evaluated by an expert jury from the media industry, content production, and animation. The chairman of the jury will be Gavriil Gordeev, General Producer of the online cinema Okko, and the jury will include representatives from Soyuzmultfilm and School 21. Submission of contest works is open until 10 April 2026.

The winner will receive a cash prize of 1,000,000 rubles (about $10,000 at current rates), the second-place winner — 250,000 rubles (about $2,500 at current rates), and the third-place winner — a Sber smart TV. Also, Soyuzmultfilm will award 10 incentive prizes.

«Creating your own cartoon is the cherished dream of every child. Surely today»s adults remember how they drew little birds in the margins of a notebook, so that later, by quickly flipping through the pages, to see a second of magic. Today, thanks to the development of modern technologies, we can invite the whole country to joint creativity, which is very symbolic in the year of Soyuzmultfilm«s 90th anniversary. The contest team looks forward to participants» works with great interest, because animation has an amazing property — to embody absolutely any worlds and universes,« said Yuliana Slashcheva, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Soyuzmultfilm film studio.

You can learn to create short animated videos using neural networks, correctly formulate requests, and produce ready-made animated content in the course «Creating Animation with Neural Networks», developed by School 21 and Soyuzmultfilm. This is a free educational program on animation, in the creation of which experts from Soyuzmultfilm and School 21 participated. The courses are suitable both for beginner users without experience in animation, and for participants with preparation (advanced and professionals) who need to understand the principles of combining AI generation, approaches to narrative, emotional expressiveness, and visual integrity when working with neural networks.

More details about the contest conditions can be found on the official project website.