On 18 September, Cartoon Forum announced the winners of the Tributes, the three awards handed out annually to honour “the work of broadcasters, investors/distributors and producers in the promotion and development of European animation”. This year’s winners were voted for by the professionals who attended the event in Toulouse, which unspooled from 15-18 September.

The Broadcaster of the Year Prize went to the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), while France’s Mediatoon Distribution and Belgium’s Creative Conspiracy were crowned Investor/Distributor of the Year and Producer of the Year, respectively.

Founded in 1925, DR is Denmark’s oldest and largest media enterprise. The public institution, financed through licence fees, operates television, radio and online services. In 2023, it further strengthened its commitment to Nordic animation by launching FredagsTamTam, a primetime weekly slot on DR1, and through its streaming service DR TV.

Based in Paris, Mediatoon Distribution is among Europe’s leading kids and family IP managers and distributors. Backed by its in-house studios (Belvision, Ellipse Animation, Studio Campedelli) as well as third-party producers, the company manages a catalogue of more than 10,000 half-hours of animated content. Its line-up includes series pitched at Cartoon Forum such as Cedric, SamSam, Trotro and The Fox Badger Family.

Established in Ghent, Creative Conspiracy (CC) is an award-winning outfit producing adverts, TV series, shorts and features in both CGI and 2D. In 2023, its project Ray & Ruby won the EBU Co-Development Initiative at Cartoon Forum. This year, CC presented the series Terry and Olivia in Toulouse, and also participated as a co-producer of This Moose Belongs to Me.

This year’s nominees also included companies from Germany, Poland, Spain and the UK.

The 36th edition of Cartoon Forum, showcasing 75 animated series from 20 European countries with a total budget of €339.53 million (amounting to 396 hours of animation), was organised by CARTOON – European Association of Animation Film with the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA, the CNC, the Occitanie region, the Mairie de Toulouse, Toulouse Métropole, Casino Barrière and France Télévisions.

Here is the full list of this year’s Tribute winners:

Broadcaster of the Year
Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) (Denmark)

Investor/Distributor of the Year
Mediatoon Distribution (France)

Producer of the Year
Creative Conspiracy (Belgium)