Stockholm – Feb 22, 2026
Swedish animator Alli Sadegiani has received the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation for his work on the critically acclaimed series Win or Lose. The award represents a rare international achievement for a Swedish animator and marks a significant recognition at the highest level of the animation industry.
Watch the acceptance speech and the awards ceremony here:
Win or Lose is the first original series from Pixar Animation Studios created for Disney+. The eight-episode series follows the same pivotal week in the life of a middle-school softball team, with each episode told from a different character’s perspective. This narrative approach creates a multifaceted and emotionally rich portrayal of both the children’s and adults’ inner conflicts.
The series has been widely praised for its innovative visual style and its subtle, grounded exploration of themes such as expectations, relationships, and identity.
“Being recognized by the Annie Awards is incredibly humbling. It’s an acknowledgment not only of my own work, but of the entire team’s dedication and the trust we were given to bring these characters to life,” says Alli Sadegiani.
The Annie Awards are presented by ASIFA-Hollywood and are widely regarded as the animation industry’s equivalent of the Academy Awards. This year’s ceremony took place on February 21, 2026, at Royce Hall, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in Los Angeles.
Alli Sadegiani is an Iranian-born Swedish animator and director working in international film and television production. His work focuses on directing and character animation, and he has contributed to major animated productions for global distribution. The Annie Award nomination and win recognize work produced for Pixar Animation Studios.
Win or Lose is written and directed by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates and produced by David Lally.
To learn more and for full list of nominees and winners visit https://annieawards.org