Apply to the Artisans’ Areas

This year, we have separate application forms for artisans and vendors. Please, read the instructions carefully and only fill in one application.

Due to the change previously covered in our blog (Bulletin: A change in the taxation of Tracon), VAT at 25,5% will be added to the prices of the sales spots. The entrepreneurs can deduct the input VAT when submitting their VAT returns.

For: entrepreneurs who are liable to pay VAT (e.g. artists selling their own works)

Days: 3 days (Fri – Sun)

Products: Self-designed products; handicrafts, art pieces.

Places of sale: The Park Hall, and the Kivikehä event cabins in the park next to the Tampere Hall.

Your products can be based on fanart or original art. They could be, for example, prints, books, zines, games, pins, jewelry, figures, photos, stuffed animals, 3D-printed characters, photos, or other creative works. 

Your distinctive personal style should be reflected in your products. However, you are allowed to order a product designed or illustrated by you from a manufacturer.

We expect high-quality productisation from the people applying to the Artisans’ Area.

The following products are not welcome in the Artisans’ areas

• Images/products generated partially or completely with AI
• Bootlegs (e.g. using logos or trademarks without permission)
• 3D printed or crocheted products that have been designed by third parties
• Traced or copied works, or ones that have been produced by directly copying a reference

The products sold at the convention must be safe. You must not deceive your customers. When doing business at Tracon, you should follow good manners and be transparent.

The application period begins: Sunday, April 5th, 2026 at 10.00 A.M. 

The application period ends: Sunday, April 26th, 2026 at 8 P.M.
A link to the application form: Click for application form
Application results: by the end of May.

N.B. The application form requires you to sign in with an existing Kompassi account. The application form has a time-out function, so please fill it in in time.

You can apply to the Artisans’ areas with an online form and a digital portfolio. Please, fill in your form carefully. The application form must be submitted within the application period.

N.B. The application form requires you to sign in with an existing Kompassi account. The application form has a time-out function, so please fill it in in time.

Artisan Introductions

As the event draws near, we will compile introductions of all the selected artisans on the Tracon official website. Please, include a brief description of your works and their themes, as well as an avatar image that either represents your art or serves as a logo for it, in your application form. Image size: 200 x 200 px.

Sharing a table

It is not possible to share a table/space with someone in the Artisans’ Areas. However, if you want to cooperate with another artisan, we can place you next to each other. In case you have such a wish, please state it in the additional information field of the application form. 

Contact person

We will direct all our messages to the individual stated as the table’s contact person in the application form. The contact person’s job is to communicate with us at Tracon.

The applicants’ portfolios will be judged by a jury formed by the manager of the Artisans’ Areas. The compilation of the jury changes every year. The portfolios will be judged by the following criteria:

• Liability to pay VAT
• Due to the change previously covered in our blog, entrepreneurs that are liable to pay VAT are only allowed to apply to the Artisans’ Areas. A 25,5% VAT will be added to the prices of the sales spots. The entrepreneurs can deduct the input VAT when submitting their VAT returns.

• Experience
  • We expect those applying to the Artisans’ Areas to be prepared for a weekend-long event. Their products should be of high quality. While you may be a first-time applicant at Tracon, you may have previous experience with selling your works in the Artist Alleys or Vendors’ Halls of other conventions. Presenting a photo of the display of a past table of yours will be of advantage to you.

• Technical skills
  • Your works are of the quality you would bring for sale at the event: finished, and well thought-out products.

• Creativity
  • The works should show their creator’s craftsmanship and distinctive personal style. They should not resemble or copy existing, licensed products. We expect to also see something new you want to bring to our visitors. You can highlight new pieces of art in the portfolio by, for example, labelling them as “new”, as well as by bringing up the year of completion of each piece.

• Suitability for the target audience of Tracon
  • Our target audience enjoys a wide selection of different shows, topics, and interests. Creators that are similar enough can be judged against each other by the criteria stated before. In your portfolio, you must state the source media with each image of a piece of art.

A portfolio is an informal PDF file, where you showcase your pieces of art/other works. The portfolio will only be viewed on a desktop.

Describe briefly what you do, what source materials and products can be found at your table, and what techniques you use for your art. You can also expand on your original works.

Each image should have a short caption; e.g. name of series, year of completion, technique.

Please, do not use social media (Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter)) or an art website or an online shop that features the complete body of your work, as a platform for your portfolio. Instead, you should use either a file or some other fitting platform on which you have purposely compiled your portfolio.

A lacking portfolio will result in a rejected application.

You may display all kinds of art in your portfolio. However, please include a content warning, if needed, so that a member of the jury can pass your portfolio on to another member if necessary.

How to build an accessible portfolio and other tips

• Number of images: about 8–15, you can include a few images of works-in-progress

• Check all your links to make sure that they work.
• Do not make us download any extra files. Google Drive, for example, has a preview function.
• No password-protected portfolios
• Make sure that your portfolio is stored online, not on your PC.

• The images must be clear and of decent size (not too small).
• While the portfolio can be distinctive, it must be readable. Loud contrasts and flashy special effects can make your portfolio harder to read through. No moving images or videos.
• You are allowed to include collages of products (a single image featuring, e.g. several products that fall under the same series or theme) in your portfolio.

*25,5% VAT will be added to the 0% VAT prices.

**Art booth 2 includes an extra space for a small clothes rack.

The vendor ticket wristband will not grant you entrance to the Evening party or the Green Room. A free coffee and tea stall for vendors will be available in the Vendors’ Hall during the event.

N.B. We reserve the right to change the opening hours.

Vendors’ Hall

• Friday, September 4th, 4 P.M. – 8. P.M.
• Saturday, September 5th, 10 A.M. – 8. P.M.
• Sunday, September 6th, 10 A.M. – 4 P.M.

Cabins (in the Park)

• Friday, September 4th, 1 P.M. – 9 P.M.
• Saturday, September 5th, 10 A.M. – 9 P.M.
• Sunday, September 6th, 10 A.M. – 4 P.M.

It’s not possible to make changes to the assembly of the areas after the end of the application period. You must not give your table away, share it or resell it. You cannot use your spot to sell products by a person/business who has either been rejected in the application process or hasn’t applied at all.

We expect the participants of the Artisans’ Areas to be present during the opening hours. The preliminary opening hours are out by the beginning of the application period, so, please take them into account when deciding to apply.

All of the Tampere Hall’s conference facilities and public areas, except for the men’s changing room (on floor 0), are wheelchair-accessible.

The convention has an optional accessibility badge you can use to communicate your special needs to others. You can read more about the accessibility badge in our article All about the accessibility badge.

Do you have specific needs for accessibility that make you wonder whether you can apply for this role? Do not hesitate to ask us about them! We want to create a good convention experience for you.

Learn about the accessibility of the Tampere Hall.

In principle, an Artisan cannot make changes to their contract after it has been signed. If an Artisan wants to make changes to or cancel their contract, they must submit a written request to Tracon ry. These requests will be processed case-by-case. In case of cancellations, refund requests will also be processed on a case-by-case basis. However, if your cancellation takes place less than three weeks before the Tracon 2026 event, you will not be eligible for a refund.

We will not release a separate waitlist.

Tracon is an event for visitors of all ages. Thus, you should keep this in mind while putting your art/products on display at the convention. Sexually suggestive or otherwise NSFW art must be displayed in a way that prevents visitors from being exposed to it without their consent. A good way to limit the exposure of this kind of art is to use folders or other methods of covering. These folders etc. should have clear labels stating the nature of their contents. As an artist, you should also pay attention to the people browsing through your works, and direct them to more age-appropriate materials, if needed. You must not sell age-restricted works to minors. In case you are unsure of whether your art is appropriate to put on display without any restrictions. Art that is exceptionally gory or sexual is not necessarily a good fit for our target audience, so, please consider if your works are really appropriate for Tracon or whether your intended products have artistic value.

You may display all kinds of art in your portfolio. However, please include a content warning, if needed, so that a member of the jury can pass your portfolio on to another member if necessary.

Basic instructions

• In addition to the old wooden tables, we also have new tables for use. The size of the tables is circa 180 cm x 80 cm.
• Closed roof structures are not allowed.
• Your luggage and bags must fit under your table.

ART booths 1 & 2

• There may be a backdrop behind the table. Its width must be no more than the width of your table, and it must not project sharp parts towards visitors or other vendors. 
• You can build sturdy display structures on the table. No additional dimensions may be added to the front, sides, or back of the table.
• As a rule, all the displays on the table should be directed towards the front of the table and the customers, not towards the sides of the table and the neighbouring tables. 
• You must not bring shelves or racks to the front or the side of the tables. The ART BOOTH 2 tables are the only exception to this rule, for they include an extra space for a small clothes rack.

Vendor Areas /m2

• Your vendor area includes X pcs of tables depending on the size of the area. You do not have to use all the tables and you are allowed to bring as many chairs and tables of your own as you like.
• All your furniture etc. must fit inside the marked area.
• All activities related to your business must take place within the marked area.
• While planning the positions of your tables, you must reserve yourself an escape route. Please, do not barricade yourself in the middle of your area with no easy way out in case of emergency.

Cabin

• You are free to furnish the cabin as you like. The cabin has some built-in shelves and a worktop. Visit the Event cabins and containers website for more info on Type C cabins.
• You can bring one table or rack to place in front or to the side of your cabin. Since the event cabins are outdoors, any table or rack must be sturdy and able to withstand Finnish weather, including storms.
• Please prepare for the weather.

Electricity is not included in the prices. Electricity can be ordered via the Tampere Hall, and we will release further information about it during the summer.

Questions and inquiries: myyjat[at]tracon.fi.