Crunchyroll and MoMI Celebrate 10 Years of the Anime Awards

New York City’s Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) and Crunchyroll are teaming up to celebrate 10 years of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The museum will host a free live watch party of the 2026 Anime Awards as well as a gallery screening program of contemporary anime.

The gallery screening program, which is called “Anime’s Ascendant Decade” and will be presented in the Jane Henson Amphitheater, will feature full episodes from Crunchyroll Anime Awards-nominated and -winning series. The program begins May 15 and runs through October 12, extended just long enough to hopefully attract some of the fans attending this year’s New York Comic Con. Each episode from the featured series (which will be announced on the museum’s website, the first featured episode is from Mob Psycho 100) will play on a continuous loop in the amphitheater for a two-week period.

The selected series are intended to highlight the diverse range of anime from the last decade, pulling titles from a variety of genres: romance, action, fantasy, science fiction, drama, etc. It is hoped that the screening program will offer a snapshot of anime’s growing global popularity and cultural influence.

A mural-size artwork by Japanese manga artist Acky Bright will also be displayed in the amphitheater.

“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.

The 10th annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards will be held Saturday, May 23 in Tokyo, Japan, and livestreamed worldwide as part of Ani-May. Presenters at the ceremony include The Weeknd, RZA, Winston Duke, hannah bahng, and DANNA, among others, with musical performances from Dean Fujioka (Yuri!!! on ICE), Pornograffiti (My Hero Academia), Asian Kung-Fu Generation (Naruto), and Yoko Takahashi (Neon Genesis Evangelion). In conjunction with the ceremony, MoMI will host a live watch party for fans in its own Redstone Theater. The event is free and open to the public, although MoMI and Crunchyroll members will be given priority RSVP access. Drinks and light bites will be provided.

Given the time difference between NYC and Japan, I hope you’re ready for an early morning (or late night!). Doors open at 3AM ET, to give attendees the chance to check out the gallery screening program, enjoy some refreshments, or take photos before the event begins. Pre-show starts at 4AM ET, and the ceremony begins at 5AM ET. Additional details will be announced soon.

If you live in the area and have never been, or are planning a visit to New York City at some point, you should definitely check out MoMI – even outside of the anime exhibition. Located in Astoria, Queens, this is one of my favorite museums in the city, chronicling the history of film as a medium and its impact on culture. Personally, I love the Jim Henson exhibit, which includes several prominent and well-known Muppets.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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