FOX have partnered with Aniboom to launch the FOX-Aniboom Holiday Animation Challenge, an animation contest to find the next great FOX holiday TV special. The contest, which kicks off on May 27, 2009, invites animators worldwide to enter their original holiday-inspired animated shorts for the opportunity to win cash prizes and a FOX development deal.

The FOX-Aniboom Holiday Animation Challenge is open to animators who have reached the age of majority in their state or country of residence. To be eligible to win, entries should be two to four minutes in length and must be holiday-themed – from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas – or any other holiday observed in the U.S.

Animators can submit their shorts online by uploading them directly to the Aniboom website at www.aniboom.com/fox. The contest kicks off at 12:01 AM PT on May 27, 2009 and the deadline for submissions is at 11:59PM PT on August 31, 2009. Viewers can watch and comment on the videos as soon as they are posted. A voting period will take place from September 1 through September 30, in which viewers have the opportunity to rate their favorite submissions. FOX and Aniboom will reveal the five contest finalists on or about November 3, and then announce the grand prize winner in mid-November.

Each of the five finalists will receive a prize of $5,000. A panel comprised of FOX executives will select four of these finalists, while one “Viewer’s Choice” finalist will be chosen based upon the audience response on the contest’s website. The grand prize winner will receive the $5,000 plus an additional $10,000 and a FOX development deal, with the potential to air their winning work on FOX, FOX.com, and other FOX-affiliated websites.