What is closing and what will remain
The Tokyo Anime Award Festival office says the event ended on September 4, when online screenings for the 2026 competition concluded. The in-person edition had run in Tokyo from March 13 through March 16. TAAF's official X account, YouTube channel and public inquiry form are scheduled to close on September 30, but its current website will shift into an archive of past events and activities. The announcement therefore ends future festival operations while preserving an accessible record, rather than taking every official resource offline at once.
The institution that reached its thirteenth edition
TAAF began as an independent international festival in 2014 after developing from the Tokyo Anime Award, which had been part of the Tokyo International Anime Fair from 2002 to 2013. Its programme linked three different functions: a competition for animation not yet commercially released in Japan, Anime of the Year recognition for work already released or broadcast in Japan, and achievement honours for people who contributed to animation history and craft. Screenings, exhibitions, talks, workshops and educational programmes gave audiences and creators points of contact beyond the awards themselves.
What the closure does not explain
The festival's statement thanks entrants, juries, creators, audiences and staff and refers generally to a changing environment around animation. It does not say that finances, attendance, sponsorship or organizational conflict caused the decision, so none of those explanations can be treated as established. It also names no replacement event and makes no promise that the competition or honours will continue elsewhere. The archive plan matters because it should preserve award histories and programme documentation, but its long-term scope and stewardship after the September transition remain to be seen.