The open call

©Maria Surducan

Now into it’s second year, the Comic Art Europe project is preparing to launch a second call for “comics” projects, again the only constraint is the use of the comics medium.

The theme

Living Together.

Diversity enhances society. Learning about other cultures, being exposed to different values and influences is an enriching experience that broadens the mind and promotes tolerance and the appreciation of difference.

This year, Comic Art Europe is asking comics artists to reflect in their own way on “Living Together” in the modern world. Through true stories or fictional creations, comic book artists are invited to present projects that illustrate their interpretation of “Living Together” today.

Selection and conditions

5 projects will be selected by a jury comprising comic strip experts and representatives of each of the 5 cultural organisations participating in the Comic Art Europe project. Each selected artist will be awarded a 5000€ grant and a two-week residency in one of the 4 partner cities of the project (Lyon in France, Brussels in Belgium, Barcelona in Spain and Kendal in England). The winning artists will also have the opportunity to present their work at festivals and events proposed by the project partners in 2023.

Authors will have from 15 October 2021 until 15 December 2021 to apply.

Click here to apply.

News

New open call for project is open!

You are a professional comic artist? Submit now your application for our new open call for project!

Read more

Meet the open call winners

We are keen to present to you each of the comics creatives who won one of the 5 artist residencies.

Read more

And the winners are…

We are glad to announce the winners of our first Open Call!

Read more

A successful first open call!

We received no less than 200 applications from 32 countries. It is a great success for the Comic Art Europe project’s first steps.

Read more

And the jury members are…

It is now time to present to you the eight jury members in charge of examining the 200 applications received after our Open Call for comics projects.

Read more

FAQ

Applications from the following countries of residence and/or nationality are accepted:
• UE countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
• Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom

You can submit a project as a duo, but the amount of Comic Art Europe’s support remains the same:

  • 5000 € grant per project
  • one artist in residence per project (the arrival of the other member of the duo will not be covered – you can also imagine that the person will be on video-conference during your residency): the return journey, food and accommodation expenses for one person
  • the attendance of an artist during certain events of the project where he will present his work (the arrival of the other member of the duo is welcome but will not be covered).

What we called “a high level overview of the project in 5 lines” is a kind of synopsis in 5 lines, an intention note.

You do not have to show us a finished comic but the idea of a comic and ideally, footages/ insights of this project if you have some.

The jury will need to have an idea of your project and insights of your work (generally) to be able to know whether if they will select you or not.

What we call “a proposal for an output format” is related to your attendance to our events afterwards. The more infos you give us, the better.

A few examples:

  • if you have in mind to draw a 48-pages-comic, you do not need to have finished this 48-pages-comic for our festivals but you need to think of a way to show your work at our festivals: it could be an exhibition, a leaflet, …
  • if you have in mind to do a show mixing comics and music (i.e. drawn concert), it would be better for it to be ready for our festivals so we show it full, but you can also think of an extract you would like to show during the festivals.

Also, keep in mind that the two-week residencies are more about meeting people who will help you move forward in your work than being times completely dedicated to creation. You will not have to “deliver” your project immediately at the end of the two-week residency and will have time to work on your project afterwards. The first presentations will take place in 2022.

We do not know yet when the two-weeks residencies are going to take place, it will depend on their location, the partner and the artist’s schedule. But they might be between April and October 2022 the latest.

We do not ask for a finished project for the application. Please translate everything we would need to understand your project and intention. We might get back to you after your application if it is not clear enough.

Partners

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, England

Escola Joso, Spain

Lyon BD, France

The Belgian Comic Strip Center, Belgium

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