The results are in for our 2018 OVA-ies TV Animation Awards! After 11,700 votes cast (!) and deliberations from our expert panels, the winners in five categories have been determined. Listen to the attached podcast to hear us announce the winners and analyze the results.

Steven Universe was the big winner of the night, sweeping the two biggest categories: Best Show and Best Episode. Miraculous Ladybug won best main character for Marinette and Voltron: Legendary Defender won supporting character for Lotor while also having high voting turnout. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power won best new show while also being competitive in the other categories.

How the results were calculated: an average ranking was determined by averaging the placement in the Open Vote and what the Expert Panel ranked the order of the nominees. The specific percentage in the Open Vote did not factor in, only what place it finished (1st, 2nd, etc.) in the category’s vote. The Expert Panels were made up of people in our internal community who watch each show nominated in the specific category, and was factored into the final result to mitigate the popularity contest element.

Best Animated Show of 2018

Winner: Steven Universe

Show Average Rank Open Vote Expert Panel 1st: Steven Universe 1.5 2 (29%) 1 2nd: Voltron: Legendary Defender 2 1 (34%) 3 T-3rd: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 3.5 3 (23%) 4 T-3rd: BoJack Horseman 3.5 5 (6.7%) 2 5th: RWBY 5 4 (6.8%) 6 6th: Mysticons 5.5 6 (1%) 5

Best Animation Episode of 2018

Winner:  “A Single Pale Rose”, Steven Universe

Episode Average Rank Open Vote Expert Panel 1st: “A Single Pale Rose”, Steven Universe 1.5 2 (23%) 1 T-2nd: “Come Along With Me”, Adventure Time 3 3 (16%) 3 T-2nd: “The Black Paladins”, Voltron: Legendary Defender 3 1 (41%) 5 4th: “Free Churro”, BoJack Horseman 3.5 5 (3%) 2 5th: “Promise”, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 4 4 (15%) 4 6th: “The Princess and the Pirate”, Mysticons 6 6 (1%) 6

Best Animation Main Character of 2018

Winner: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Miraculous Ladybug

Character Average Rank Open Vote Expert Panel 1st: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Miraculous Ladybug 1.5 1 (28.4%) 2 T-2nd: Pearl, Steven Universe 3.5 3 (26%) 4 T-2nd: Catra, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 3.5 2 (28.3%) 5 T-2nd: Zarya Moonwolf, Mysticons 3.5 6 (1%) 1 5th: BoJack Horseman, BoJack Horseman 4 5 (8%) 3 6th: Star Butterfly, Star vs. the Forces of Evil 5 4 (9%) 6

 

Best Animation Supporting Character of 2018

Winner: Lotor, Voltron: Legendary Defender

Character Average Rank Open Vote Expert Panel 1st: Lotor, Voltron: Legendary Defender 1 1 (43%) 1 2nd: Lapis, Steven Universe 3 2 (20%) 4 T-3rd: Hawk Moth, Miraculous Ladybug 3.5 4 (12%) 3 T-3rd: Eclipsa, Star vs. the Forces of Evil 3.5 5 (11%) 2 5th: Scorpia, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 4 3 (14%) 5 6th: Kitty Boon, Mysticons 6 6 (1%) 6

Best New Animated Show of 2018

Winner: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Show Average Rank Open Vote Expert Panel 1st: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 2 1 (40%) 3 2nd: Bloom Into You 3 5 (5%) 1 T-3rd: Craig of the Creek 4 6 (5%) 2 T-3rd: Final Space 4 4 (6%) 4 T-3rd: Hilda 4 3 (13%) 5 T-3rd: The Dragon Prince 4 2 (31%) 6

Dylan Hysen, Delaney Stovall, Sam Quattro, & Michelle Anderer look back on the ups and downs of portrays of queer characters and romance in 2018 animation, including Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Voltron: Legendary Defender, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Mysticons, BoJack Horseman, OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes, Craig of the Creek, Super Drags, Miraculous Ladybug, RWBY, Big Mouth, Summer Camp Island, Bloom Into You, & Zombie Land Saga.

Dylan Hysen, Delaney Stovall, Justin Cummings, & Alex Bonilla break down their thoughts on the final season of Voltron: Legendary Defender.

Here are the nominees for the 2018 OVA-ies Awards, celebrating the best in television animation from the year. Listen to the nominations announcement podcast accompanying this post and check out the nominations below!

Vote for your favorites in 5 categories. Winners are chosen 50% by an open vote weighed by shows watched, 50% from internal “expert” committees. Nominees were chosen internally by our patrons & staff, and you can see the nominations below! Winners will be revealed in a podcast at the end of December.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Steven Universe, & Mysticons lead with nominations in every category they were eligible for. Followed by BoJack Horseman and Voltron: Legendary Defender with nominations in all but one eligible category.

Vote Here Now!

Voting closes at noon on Friday December 28th. Google sign-in is required for voting. Voting is anonymous, the sign-in is just required to restrict voting to 1 per person.

Best Animated Show of 2018

• BoJack Horseman
• Mysticons
• RWBY
• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
• Steven Universe
• Voltron: Legendary Defender

Best Animation Episode of 2018

• “A Single Pale Rose”, Steven Universe
• “The Black Paladins”, Voltron: Legendary Defender
• “Come Along With Me”, Adventure Time
• “Free Churro”, BoJack Horseman
• “The Princess and the Pirate”, Mysticons
• “Promise”, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Best Animation Main Character of 2018

• BoJack Horseman, BoJack Horseman
• Catra, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
• Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Miraculous Ladybug
• Pearl, Steven Universe
• Star Butterfly, Star vs. the Forces of Evil
• Zarya Moonwolf, Mysticons

Best Animation Supporting Character of 2018

• Eclipsa, Star vs. the Forces of Evil
• Hawk Moth, Miraculous Ladybug
• Kitty Boon, Mysticons
• Lapis, Steven Universe
• Lotor, Voltron: Legendary Defender
• Scorpia, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Best New Animated Show of 2018

• Bloom Into You
• Craig of the Creek
• The Dragon Prince
• Final Space
• Hilda
• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Dylan Hysen, Hayley Nabuurs, Jeff Anderson, & Andy Potter give their reactions and thoughts about the entire final season of Voltron: Legendary Defender!

Dylan Hysen, Hayley Nabuurs, Justin Cummings, & Steve Zec recap all of Season 7 of Voltron: Legendary Defender. Spoilers for the entire Season 7!

Dylan Hysen, Delaney Stovall, Andy Potter, & Alex Bonilla give their reactions to all of Season 7 of Voltron: Legendary Defender. Spoilers for the entire Season 7!

Dylan Hysen & Alex Bonilla break down all the Animation news from this year’s 2018 San Diego Comic-Con.

Dylan Hysen, Hayley Nabuurs, Justin Cummings, & Alex Bonilla recap the finale of Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 6, “Defender of All Universes”.

Song featured: “Crazy Words, Mustache” by The Shake Ups. Find them here: http://www.theshakeups.net/

Dylan Hysen, Hayley Nabuurs, Andy Potter, & Steve Zec recap episodes 5 and 6 of Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 6, “The Black Paladins” & “All Good Things”.

Song featured: “Hey, Shiro!” by The Shake Ups. Find them here: http://www.theshakeups.net/

Dylan Hysen, Hayley Nabuurs, Jeff Anderson, & Andy Potter recap episodes 3 and 4 of Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 6, “Monsters & Mana” & “The Colony”.

Song featured: “I’m a Leg” by The Shake Ups. Find them here: http://www.theshakeups.net/