Artists' Area (Premium and Regular)

The links to the artist application forms are available in advance. We highly recommend bookmarking them for quicker access in case of high website traffic during application day. This year, we have separated applications according to the first letter of the applicant’s last name in order to reduce the traffic on each form.

Please fill only the form that applies to you. Multiple applications will result in an automatic rejection.

PREMIUM Artist Registration Form

Last name starting with: A-J | K-N | O-Z

REGULAR Artist Registration Form:

Last name starting with: A-D | E-K | L-O | P-Z

Please see section 2.3 Application Form and Portfolio Requirements for information regarding the application form and requirements for your portfolio submission as well as the following guide we have prepared:

PORTFOLIO PREPARATION GUIDE

A list of frequently asked questions regarding Otakuthon’s Artists’ Area application process is available here: Click here to access the Artists' Area FAQ.

1. Important Deadlines and Information for 2025

1.1. Dates and Deadlines

WHAT WHEN
Premium Artist Registration Launch April 12, 12:00 – April 15, 21:00
Regular Artist Registration Launch April 26, 12:00 – April 29, 21:00
Last day to receive partial reimbursement for table cancellation July 25, 2025, 23:59
Last day to add a secondary artist or helper July 25, 2025, 23:59
Table Assignments Release July 19, 2025
Last day to notify late arrival August 6, 2025, 23:59

1.2. Important Information for 2025

For verification purposes, all artists who use digital drawing software must submit a link to files (using, for example, Google Drive or YouTube) according to ONE of the following criteria:

Artists who make handcrafted merchandise are required to upload photos of their creations via link (for example using Google Drive, or on their portfolio). If these creations include digital graphics or drawings, you must comply with AI verification and submit one of the files mentioned in the previous section.

2. Artists' Area Application

2.1. Artists’ Area Table Rates

Table for the weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) Price
PREMIUM: 1 table (8 x 2.5 ft) and 2 chairs 425 CAD
REGULAR: 1 table (6 x 2.5 ft) and 2 chairs 250 CAD

Please note: The price includes 1 Artist Table and 1 badge. Additional badges for a secondary artist or helpers can be requested. A link with the payment will be sent by email. If a secondary artist or helper has already purchased their badge through the website registration, the main artist can ask for a badge change by emailing: artistsarea@otakuthon.com.

2.2. Table Application

Artists are no longer required to preregister or obtain an account ID before applying for an Artist Table. The account will be created once the table reservation has been finalized. The procedure will be explained via email.

Only persons 18 years and older may apply for a table in the Artists’ Area.

Artists may choose to apply for ONE Premium Artist Table and/or ONE Regular Artist Table. If they have been selected, artists will be contacted in the weeks following registration to confirm their reservation of either a Premium or Regular Artist Table.

Applications that do not contain any items relating to the themes of anime, manga, or Japanese culture will be rejected.

Artists applying for a Premium Artist Table are expected to carry enough merchandise to make use of at least 80% of the available space. They must be able to fully stock their table and properly use the wider table or area of 8 × 2.5 ft provided in the Premium section.

IMPORTANT: Artists who are found submitting multiple applications under their own name or different names will be immediately disqualified without warning.

After submitting your application, if any changes are necessary: please email the Artists’ Area staff, and we will gladly update your form.

2.3. Application Form and Portfolio Requirements

Please have the following information ready for your application:

*Artist portfolio or website link: Artists must provide a portfolio or valid website link in order to present the artwork or handcrafted merchandise they will be selling during the convention. Please see here for examples of what we are looking for: GUIDE FOR PORTFOLIO PREPARATION.

For verification purposes, all artists who use a digital drawing software must submit a link to files (for example, using Google Drive or YouTube) according to ONE of the following criteria:

Artists who make handcrafted merchandise are required to upload photos of their creations via link (for example using Google Drive, or on their portfolio). If these creations include digital graphics or drawings, you must comply with AI verification and submit one of the files mentioned in the above section.

2.4. Artist Groups and Helpers

2.4.1. Artist Group Composition

Artists may form an Artist Group and sign up for a table together. A maximum of three people are allowed in a Group, with up to two artists per table. For example:

The main artist will be the Artist Group leader and contact person for the Artists’ Area staff. It is the responsibility of the leader to transmit all information and documents to the rest of the Group.

2.4.2. Helpers

Artist helpers must be 16 years or older. If any artist within the Group is selling mature content, helpers must be 18 years or older as well.

2.4.3. Adding Group Members

Artists who are selected for a table will be asked if they wish to add a secondary artist or helpers.

If you wish to add a secondary artist or helpers to your table at a later date, please send an email with the following information to artistsarea@otakuthon.com:

IMPORTANT: All individuals operating behind a table in the Artists’ Area MUST be registered with Artists’ Area staff. Artists and helpers must wear and keep their Artist badge visible for the duration of the convention. No person without an artist badge may be present behind the table.

2.5.Waitlist and Firesale List

A number of artists who were not selected for a table will be picked for the Waitlist and Firesale list, if they have selected the latter option.

If a table frees up, the next person on the Waitlist will be contacted. An artist who has a table in one area but obtains a table in the other area through the Waitlist may opt to switch. In this situation, the released table will go to the next person in that area’s Waitlist.

The Firesale list is for artists who wish to be contacted last minute in the case of no-shows on the first day of the convention. 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 in case of an opening.

Please note that the Firesale list is separate from the Waitlist.

2.6. Payment

After table reservation is confirmed, artists will receive a link to their invoice.

The main artist will receive an email with a link to complete their payment. If a secondary artist or helper is added later, the main artist will receive a new link to complete payment for the extra badge (see section 2.4 Artist Groups and Helpers).

We are no longer accepting payments in person at the Otakuthon office.

2.7. Proxy

Artists who wish to sell at Otakuthon must be present physically at the convention. The sales of merchandise through a proxy is not permitted this year. Artists found proxying will be removed from the convention premises without compensation or refund.

2.8. Refunds and Cancellations

If you can no longer attend Otakuthon or do not wish to keep your table, please contact the Artists’ Area staff (artistsarea@otakuthon.com) as soon as possible to make alternate arrangements. A refund of 50% will be issued for any cancellations made before July 25, 2025, 23:59. Any cancellation after this date is non-refundable. In the event an artist is found to be infringing on Artists’ Area rules after they have completed table payment, their table may be revoked without any refund.

Artist tables are non-transferable. Artists may not resell their table to a friend or another artist. If an artist forfeits their table, it will go to the next person on the Waitlist. Any artist found reselling their table will be blacklisted in future event applications.

3. Rules and Regulations 2025

3.1. Displays

Backdrops and freestanding structures are permitted if they do not block exits or interfere with neighbouring areas or traffic within the Artists’ Area. They must be constructed in a safe manner.

PREMIUM: The maximum height of all stands and structures must not exceed 8 ft in height above the table (approx. 10.5 ft from the ground).

REGULAR: The maximum height of all stands and structures must not exceed 5 ft in height above the table (approx. 7.5 ft from the ground).

IMPORTANT: Per the fire marshall’s instructions, a 2-foot-wide corridor must be maintained at all times between artists for fire safety reasons.

No article may be taped or otherwise hung on any walls anywhere in the Palais des congrès de Montréal.

3.2. Three-Strike Rule

All artists must adhere to the rules and regulations of the Exhibition Hall. Failure to do so may result in expulsion from the convention premises without compensation or refund.

If an artist or helper commits an offence, they will receive a warning and must rectify the issue within a set time. A second offence will be treated in the same manner. The third and final offence will result in the expulsion of the artist and their Group for the current year as well as subsequent years. Strikes will be considered in future applications depending on the severity of the misconduct.

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:

  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, tables or chairs which are not assigned to them, even if they are not in use.
  2. Artists may not block or interfere with any other artist, dealer or exhibitor.
  3. Harassment of or derogatory remarks towards Otakuthon staff members or volunteers will not be tolerated.
  4. Harassment of or bullying of artists will not be tolerated. Please report any such incidents to an Otakuthon staff member.
  5. The Artist Group leader is responsible for their secondary artist and 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. The Artist Group may be removed from the Artists’ Area without compensation or refund.
  6. 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 cleaning charges billed back to the respective participants.

3.4. Merchandise

  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.
  2. Manipulated images, traced images, and images deliberately copied from official artwork are not permitted.
  3. Replicas of existing merchandise may not be sold in the Artists’ Area. This includes (but is not limited to) logos and emblems from anime and game series such as Attack on Titan, Pokémon Go or Final Fantasy.
  4. Food may not be sold or distributed in the Artists’ Area.
  5. All materials displayed must be suitable for a general audience (within the guidelines of the PG film rating). Materials depicting nudity, 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. Artists who do not follow this rule may be asked to remove the offending material. The artist will receive a strike for violating the Rules for Adult Content in accordance with the Three-Strike Rule (see section 3.5 Rules for Adult Content).
  6. 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.
  7. Pirated, “bootleg”, unlicensed or illegal materials may not be sold on the convention premises. It is the responsibility of the artist to find out what items and products are bootleg or not. For more information on bootleg, please contact the Dealers’ Area Director at dealers@otakuthon.com. Otakuthon staff will ask the artist to remove any item violating the bootleg policy. The artist will receive a strike for violating the bootleg policy in accordance with the Three-Strike Rule. If the artist repeats the offence, said items will be confiscated by Otakuthon staff for the rest of the convention and returned to the artist afterwards.
  8. It is strictly forbidden to do any lottery or luck-based transactions that would require a permit from the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux du Québec
  9. Stamp rallies are permitted only if they are free. Artists cannot require participants to purchase merchandise in exchange for participation in a stamp rally, to obtain a stamp at a checkpoint, or to collect any prize. Please refer to the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux du Québec.
  10. All artwork must follow the fan art policy (see 4. References for more information).
  11. In the Dealers’ Area and Artists’ Area, there will be no on-site printing of any kind of art on fabric or object that can be done in mass production. Automated or self-serve art printing booths will be banned.

3.5. Rules for Adult Content (18+)

  1. Artists who wish to sell 18+/NSFW merchandise must submit images of their products in advance for approval from the Artists’ Area staff.
  2. Adult materials may only be shown and sold to individuals of age 18 and above who show proof of age through photo identification. SHOWING PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL TO MINORS IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE.
  3. Nudity in any type of 18+/NSFW merchandise must be fully covered in order to be displayed. Post-it notes are not enough, and censoring must be done in a way that minors are unable to access materials that are not age-appropriate.
  4. If the artwork depicts a character in a suggestive pose, the entirety of the image must be covered so that attendees cannot guess the contents.
  5. NSFW merchandise or catalogues must be stored in a discreet manner and hidden from the view of attendees. If an attendee wishes to view any NSFW content, the artist must provide an environment where the catalogue or merchandise will not be in full view of other attendees.
  6. Artists who do not follow these rules may be asked to remove the offending material. The artist will receive a strike for violating the Rules for Adult Content in accordance with the Three-Strike Rule.
  7. Artists who sell 18+/NSFW merchandise must comply with any recommendations or requests made by Artists’ Area staff.
  8. In case of doubt, questions or concerns, please contact the Artists’ Area staff. Any decision made by Artists’ Area staff in relation to adult content is final.

3.6. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Generated Content

AI-generated content is made through programs that use images from the Internet using prompts. These images are taken without permission from other creators’ websites and media sites to create AI imagery. Due to controversies caused by such content, Otakuthon has prohibited the sale of AI-generated content within the Exhibition Hall.

  1. An artist is a human (person) while AI is not. It therefore does not meet the requirement to be in the Artists’ Area.
  2. A programmer who programs AI is not considered an artist, as art requires effort, energy and passion in the artwork creation process.
  3. For verification purposes, all artists who use digital drawing software must submit a link to files (for example using Google Drive or YouTube). See section 2.3 Application Form and Portfolio Requirements for guidelines.
  4. AI assistance tools such as “AI Generation” from Photoshop or “Colourize” from Clip Studio are tolerated, as long as they do not constitute more than 20% of the drawing. AI assistance tools are defined as tools that optimize or assist an artist, as long as they do not constitute a majority of the final work.

3.7. Use of the French language

  1. According to the Office québécoise de la langue française, artists must comply with the Charter of the French language during the festival.
  2. Any main banners, posters or labels must contain French.
  3. If several languages ​​are displayed, French must be given priority above all.
  4. For more information about the Charter of the French Language, please refer to this link.

References

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