Artists' Area (Premium and Regular)

The Artists' Area is a place where amateur and professional artists showcase their unique, custom-made pieces of art. Located right next to the Industry and Dealer's Area, artists offer a variety of handmade creations for sale such as artwork, prints, crafts, clothing, comics, and commission work. Some of the artists even take commissions! Whether you want to find your favorite artists' table or just browse the Artists' Area, it is the best place to see talent and the creative anime fan art community.

Premium artist table registration will be open on May 7, 2022, at 3 PM EDT. Please click here to register.

Regular artist table registration will be open on May 14, 2022, at 3 PM EDT. Please click here to register.

Please have the following information on hand when ready to register: artist’s full name, account ID, birthday, email, and artist portfolio/website links (see below for detailed information). If two artists are sharing a table, please provide all the information above for both artists.

Stay tuned and thank you for your interest!

Otakuthon has compiled a list of frequently asked questions regarding the Artists' Area and its application process.
Click here to access the Artists' Area FAQ.

1. Important Deadlines and Information for 2022

1.1. Dates and Deadlines

1.2. Important Information for 2022

• Premium and Regular Artist registration: Half of premium and regular tables will be assigned on a first come first serve basis and the other half will be randomly assigned. 
• Artist Portfolio/Website Link: Artists will need to provide a valid portfolio or website link that showcases the art and craft that will be sold at the convention for copyright screening purposes prior to table reservations. The staff reserves the right to decline any application lacking a portfolio link or if there appears to be copyright infringement.
• Artist table number limits: Due to COVID precautions, an Artist table is limited to 2 people only (see below for details).
• Double booking: An artist is not permitted to apply for an artist table and a dealer’s space. Any artists found doing so will have their application refused without warning. Please contact the staff of Artists’ Area or Dealer’s Area before registration launch if you are unsure which table/space to book. 

2. Artists' Area Application

2.1. Artists’ Area Table Rates

Please note: Badge NOT INCLUDED.

2.2. Artist Account and Badges

Artists are to create a preregistration account through the attendee registration system before they may apply for an artist table. This step is to obtain an account ID number. In the Artist Table Registration Form, you will be asked to provide this account ID so that your badge and table can be linked together. Please note that creating a preregistration account does not mean you need to pay for the badge right away. You may wait to receive the confirmation email for the table and then pay for your badge afterwards. If choosing to pay for the badge via Paypal, you must exit the Paypal payment request page to not pay immediately. Please note that badges are non-refundable so Artists may not request for a badge refund if they do not receive an artist table later on. Please consult the registration page for additional information about the badge payment, and Artists may contact the registration team at registration@otakuthon.com if they have any issues with the account preregistration.

All Artists, including the helpers, must wear their respective artist badge for the duration of the convention to operate behind the artist table.

2.3. Table Application

During the table registration launch, artists may choose to apply for ONE premium artist table and/or ONE regular artist table. Artists will be contacted in following weeks to confirm their reservation for either the premium or regular artist table.

DISCLAIMER: Artists are NOT permitted to submit multiple applications for each table category, and anyone found doing so under different names will be immediately disqualified without warning.

If there are any changes to be made in the application form, please send an email to the Artists’ Area staff about the changes and the team will update their form.

2.4. Waitlist and Firesale List

Artists who were not selected for a table in the first round will be automatically placed on the waitlist and on the firesale list if they have selected this option in their application form. If a table frees up, the next person on the waitlist based on time of application will be contacted. If the Artist on the Premium table waitlist was contacted and has agreed to take the Premium table, their spot on the Regular table waitlist will be forfeited and vice versa.

The Firesale list is a separate list for Artists who wish to be contacted last-minute in the case of no-show Artists on the first day of the convention (Friday). Therefore, these Artists must be ready to set up their table on short notice for the remainder of the convention. Artists who select this option may need to provide an additional contact method (phone number) to be reached quickly so that they can arrive at the convention and set up as soon as possible.

Please note requesting to be placed on the Firesale list does not affect the Artist’s position on the waitlist.

2.5. Payment

All payments shall be made payable to “Otakuthon”. The following methods of payment are accepted for artist table reservations (all prices are in Canadian dollars [CAD]):

• Paypal;
• Cash payment in person at the Otakuthon Office on June 4, 2022, from 2PM to 6PM.

If Artists wish to pay in person, they must have specified this in the Agreement Contract or contact the Artists’ Area team at artistsarea@otakuthon.com to make changes to their payment method. Cash payments will only be accepted at the Otakuthon Office (205-5115 Avenue Trans Island, Montréal, Quebec). If Artists request to pay in-person and fail to show up without making alternate arrangements, their reservation will be automatically cancelled. If they cannot be present on this date, request to modify their payment type before June 4, 2022, or make sure to arrange for someone to pay on their behalf.

2.6. Artists Groups and Helpers

Artists who wish to sign up together for an artist table may register as an Artist Group.

Due to COVID precautions, an Artist Group is limited to a maximum of two people:

• One artist and one helper

OR

• Two artists sharing a table (one primary artist, one secondary artist), NO helper.

The primary artist will become the Artist Group leader whom the Artists’ Area team will be contacting with. It is the responsibility of the leader to transmit all information and documents to the remainder of their Artist Group. The Artist Group leaders must be 18 years or older. All helpers must be 16 years or older. If any Artist within the group decides to sell mature content, the helper must then be 18 years or older.

IMPORTANT: All individuals operating behind a table in the Artists' Area MUST be registered; this includes the helpers.

If you wish to add a helper after you have already registered for a table and you have yet to exceed the number limit for the Artist Group, please email the Artists' Area team at artistsarea@otakuthon.com with the following information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of birth:
Account ID:

Please note: If you wish to have someone watch your table, they must be signed up in your Artist Group.

2.7. Proxy

Artists who are unable to attend the convention may request a Proxy Form from the Artists’ Area staff to allow another person to sell their art on their behalf. This form must be submitted before the date listed in the Important Deadlines section. Proxies must purchase their own badge with registration.

2.8. Refunds and Cancellations

If you cannot attend Otakuthon or do not wish to keep your table, please contact the Artists' Area Director at artistsarea@otakuthon.com as soon as possible to make alternate arrangements. A refund of 50% will be provided for any cancellations made before July 3, 2022. Any cancellation made after this deadline is non-refundable. However, if an Artist fails to meet the requirements of the Artists’ Area after they have made their table payment, they may be fully refunded for that price.

Please note: refunds are processed after the convention.

3. Rules and Regulations 2022

3.1. Displays

Backdrops and freestanding structures are permitted if they do not interfere with neighbouring areas or the traffic inside the Artists' Area. These must be constructed and presented in a safe manner.

PREMIUM: All structures, including stands and structures fastened above tables, must not exceed 8 feet in height above the table (equivalent to approximately 10.5 ft. from the ground).

REGULAR: All structures, including stands and structures fastened above tables, must not exceed 5 feet in height above the table (equivalent to approximately 7.5 ft. from the ground).

Please note: no article may be taped or otherwise posted on any walls anywhere in the Palais des congrès de Montréal.

3.2. Three Strike Rule

During the convention, all artists must follow the rules and regulations of the Exhibition Hall. Failure to follow such policies may result in an Artist being removed from the convention premises with no compensation or refund of any fees.

If an Artist or their helpers commit an offence, they will receive a warning, and will be given a period to correct the issue. A second offence will be treated in the same fashion. A third offence will result in the expulsion of the Artist for the following years. Artists’ strikes will be considered for future applications depending on the severity of the offences.

3.3. General Conduct

All artists must follow the Artist Application Contract, Artist Guide and Otakuthon’s general policies. Please refer to the Rules and Policies section on the website for more information. The following rules will be enforced during the convention:

3.3.1   Artists may only use the one (1) Artist Table assigned to them. Artists may not use or display artwork in areas not assigned to them. Artists may not borrow other spaces or chairs which are not assigned to them even if they are not in use.

3.3.2   Artists may not block or interfere with any other Artists, Dealers or Exhibitors.

3.3.3   Harassment of or derogatory remarks towards Otakuthon staff members or volunteers will not be tolerated.

3.3.4   The Artist Group leader is responsible for their helpers. If a group member commits an infraction, the Artist Group leader will be held accountable and will be subject to the Three Strike Rule and may be removed from the Artists' Area with their group without compensation or refund.

3.3.5   Artists can eat within the Artists' Area if they keep their space clean. Any allocated spaces found to be excessively dirty at the end of the convention will have the cleaning charges billed back to the respective participants.

3.4. Merchandise

3.4.1   Artists must own the copyright for all artworks sold at their table, meaning all merchandise sold must be created entirely by the selling artist.

3.4.2   If Artists are selling on behalf of another artist, a proxy form must be completed and submitted by the deadline.

3.4.3   Manipulated images and images deliberately copied from official artwork are not permitted.

3.4.4   Replicas of existing merchandise may not be sold in the Artists' Area. This includes but is not limited to logos and emblems from series such as Attack on Titan, Pokémon Go, etc.

3.4.5   Food may not be sold or distributed in the Artists' Area.

3.4.6   All materials displayed must be suitable for a general audience (within the guidelines of the PG film rating). Materials depicting nudity or sexual acts, or other forms of adult material are permitted but must not be displayed unless they are covered sufficiently or hidden from the view of minors.

3.4.7   Adult materials may only be shown and sold to individuals of age 18 and above who show proof of age through photo identification. IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO SHOW PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL TO MINORS.

3.4.8   Artists and their helpers who sell adult materials must be of age 18 and above. The acceptability of materials is at the discretion of the Artists' Area Team who may request the removal of any offending pieces.

If you have any questions or feedback about Artists' Area, contact us at artistsarea@otakuthon.com.