The Animation Kobe (Japanese: アニメーション神戸) was an event established by Kobe in 1996 to promote anime and other visual media. The Animation Kobe Awards (アニメーション神戸賞) were given annually until 2015 by Kobe and the Organising Committee to creators and creations.

Animation Kobe was held annually in Kobe from 1996 to 2015. In addition to the awards ceremony, the event held talk shows and screenings of the prize winners. In 2006, the 11th event was carried live on the official website.

The examination was done mainly by a panel of chief editors of magazines covering anime, such as Newtype, Animedia and Animage. Usually, a city employee sent by Kobe City would also participate. The panel voted for one of its members to serve as chairman:

The committee chooses most of the winners. Only the Animation Kobe Theme Song Award is chosen by fans' votes in the first selection, though the decision is by the committee. Therefore, the tendency of the prize winners is a little different from other prizes by the fans' vote. (See: Animage Grand Prix)

The activities from September of the previous year to August of the event year become objects for the examination. Newcomers expected to have future prominence are noted.

* Watanabe, Okiura, Nagahama, Iso and Katō received the award for their first films as director.

Awards for individual(s) or group that contributed to Japanese anime during a long period.

In the first year, the Yomiuri Award was posthumously given to Fujiko F. Fujio who died two months before the event.