MOMI and Crunchyroll Celebrate Ten Years of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards

On Saturday, May 23, MoMI to host free live watch party of the Tenth Annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards in the Museum's Redstone Theater

Astoria, New York, May 13, 2026 — Museum of the Moving Image and Crunchyroll, the global brand fueling anime fandom, together are celebrating the 10th edition of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, with a gallery screening program on view from May 15–October 12, and a free live watch party of the 2026 Anime Awards in the Museum's grand Redstone Theater on Saturday, May 23.

This screening program, titled Anime's Ascendant Decade, presented in the Museum's Jane Henson Amphitheater, will feature full episodes from Crunchyroll Anime Awards–nominated and -winning series spanning 2017 to the present.. Each episode will play on continuous loop in the gallery for a two-week period. The selected episodes (to be announced on the Museum's website) reflect the range of contemporary anime: intimate character drama, fantasy, action, romance, science fiction, and inventive storytelling. Together, they offer a snapshot of anime's growing global reach  and cultural influence and impact.

Also in the Jane Henson Amphitheater, the Museum will present a mural-size artwork by Japanese manga artist Acky Bright.

The Crunchyroll Anime Awards is the leading annual awards program honoring the creators, musicians, and performances powering the global love of anime,will take place in Tokyo on Saturday, May 23 and be livestreamed worldwide. In conjunction with the ceremony the Museum will host a free live watch party for New York audiences, bringing anime's biggest night to the big screen in the Museum's Redstone Theater.

The pre-show begins at 4:00 a.m. (New York time), followed by the main event at 5:00a.m. Doors will open by 3:00 a.m., for fans to view the gallery program, enjoy refreshments, and take photos in cosplay before the livestream begins. The event will be free and open to the public, with MoMI and Crunchyroll members offered priority RSVP access to the event. Other details will soon be announced. 

“We're thrilled to partner with Crunchyroll to celebrate anime's rise as a global phenomenon, and create a space for fans to experience genre-defining episodes together,” said Barbara Miller, MoMI's Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs.

“The Museum of the Moving Image has long played an important role in elevating screen-based storytelling, making it a natural collaborator as anime continues to grow in reach and cultural influence. The Crunchyroll Anime Awards recognize the creators and stories driving the medium forward, and we're proud to work with MoMI to showcase these defining works and create a shared, in-person experience around anime's biggest night,” said Gita Rebbapragada, Chief Operating Officer at Crunchyroll.