The Cartoon d’Or is the pan-European award for animation short films. Founded in 1991, to this day it remains the only completely European animation prize. It rewards each year the best of the best since only prize-winning films from the 29 partner festivals can compete. Amongst this short list, a jury selects 5 films that will be screened during the Cartoon Forum (in order to promote 5 filmmakers each year) and one film will receive the Cartoon d’Or.

The Cartoon d’Or is a prestigious prize and is recognised as such within the industry. The first Cartoon d’Or went to British director Nick Park, still unknown at the time, for his film Creature Comforts. Other great names have followed: Sylvain Chomet, Jacques-Rémy Girerd, Mark Baker, Michaël Dudok de Wit, Abi Feijó, Virgil Widrich, Marc Craste, Joanna Quinn, Luis Cook and David O'Riley.

In 2010 the jury composed of Joanna Quinn, Valérie Schermann and Géza M. Tóth has selected the 5 finalists, which will be screened at ANIMAFEST 2011, including CROCODILE, the winning film directed by Kaspar Jancis, awarded at the festivals in Ljubljana, Belgrade and Tallinn, LOGORAMA by François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy i Ludovic Houplain, which won an Oscar for Best Animated Short in 2010. and ANGRY MAN by Anita Killi, the winner of major awards in Annecy, Ottawa, Aspen, Melbourne, San Sebastian, Chicago, Clermont-Ferrand.