Screen Australia Kids IP Incubator 2026: A$20,000 for Australian Digital Animation and Children's Content
Australian animation and digital children's IP teams can now apply
Screen Australia and the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) are accepting applications for the 2026 Kids IP Incubator, a development programme for original digital-first screen properties for children aged up to 11. Australian applications opened on 15 October 2026 and close at 5pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) on Thursday 26 November 2026. Up to eight Australian creative teams will be selected to develop concepts, audience strategies and intellectual property for platforms such as YouTube Made for Kids and FAST, or free ad-supported streaming television. This is a local Australian content-industry opportunity, not a worldwide open digital-art prize.
A$20,000 development support for each Australian team
The organisers announce A$20,000 for each selected Australian team to develop pitches, audiovisual or interactive assets, IP and their audience-release and distribution strategy. The eight-team cap and A$20,000 funding apply to the Australian Screen Australia/ACTF stream, not automatically to New Zealand applicants. The incubator also offers industry-led webinars, masterclasses, personalised mentoring and a collaborative in-person workshop. Entering is not a guarantee of the A$20,000 development award, and production finance for a completed series is a separate decision.
Animation, hybrid live-action, factual and interactive concepts
Applications can centre on original children's scripted animation, live action or hybrid formats, factual content, First Nations projects, or interactive creative concepts. A games strategy may accompany a primary eligible children's screen-content proposition, and ideas inspired by games IP may be accepted if relevant underlying intellectual-property rights are controlled. An ordinary adult-targeted digital installation, commercial mobile game or AI-generated gallery image is not automatically eligible. The proposal should demonstrate an audience-development and sustainable IP model for children and meet restrictions on digital platforms used by minors.
Who may apply and what must be shown
The Australian initiative supports established and emerging Australian creators and companies, subject to Screen Australia's general Terms of Trade and detailed Kids IP Incubator guidelines. Applicants should check their corporate or individual eligibility, rights to underlying characters and stories, community-specific protocols where applicable, experience producing screen content, and the required local status. One individual may be attached to only one submission in any role during the round. Teams that received a production-funding award through an earlier Kids IP Incubator round may not apply again in this second intake.
Mandatory webinar and complete application package
The organisers expressly require applicants to watch the pre-recorded industry webinar before submitting. The current application materials include detailed guidelines and FAQs accessible from the Screen Australia funding page. The form asks for requested information and supporting material such as a pitch video, a project/audience impact statement and a reflection on the webinar. Applicants should also document how they will use A$20,000 to iterate the property, not present an unrealistic total production budget for an entire finished children's series.
Do not confuse the Australian and New Zealand streams
NZ On Air has joined the second year of this initiative and will independently select up to four New Zealand-based teams to participate alongside the Australian teams. Its eligibility, funding pathway and submission portal differ from the Australian Screen Australia/ACTF stream. New Zealand candidates should therefore consult NZ On Air's official Trans-Tasman Kids IP Incubator page, which sets the same 26 November closing date at 4pm New Zealand local time, instead of submitting an Australian application or assuming the A$20,000 award also applies to their stream.
Organisers' record and official application safeguards
Screen Australia is the country's principal national film and screen investment agency, and the Australian Children's Television Foundation specialises in Australian screen stories for children. The incubator is in its second Australian year, with previous creative projects including Worm Diner, Pit Pats and Magic Monkey Mayhem. Both partners have published the opening date, rules, application links and assessment arrangements, with applicant outcomes expected by 23 February 2027. Apply via the official Screen Australia system and carefully check relevant children’s content and intellectual-property permissions. No award, platform distribution contract or production commission is guaranteed.
Official application and separate New Zealand pathway
https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fund/screen-australia-x-australian-childrens-television-foundation-kids-ip-incubator/
https://www.nzonair.govt.nz/funding/scripted-and-non-fiction-funding/children-and-youth-scripted-and-non-fiction-content/