Apply to the Artist Alley and the Art Trail

The Artist Alley and the Art Trail of Tracon are places for artists and craftspeople to showcase and sell their works. We are looking for a wide variety of creators with different skills and expertises. The spots in both the Artist Alley and the Art Trail are applied for with the same form. The spots in the Art Trail are for one day, while the spots in the Artist Alley are for either one or multiple days.

The Art Trail is in a large tent located in the park next to the Tampere Hall. As usual, the Artist Alley can be found on the third floor of the Tampere Hall.

Due to the change previously covered in our blog (Bulletin: A change in the taxation of Tracon), from now on, entrepreneurs that are liable to pay VAT can only apply to the Resellers’ Areas and the Artisans’ Areas. 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.

The prices listed for the Artist Alley and the Art Trail include 25,5% VAT.

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.

The following products are not welcome in the Artist Alley or the Art Trail

• 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

After submitting your application form, you can view your responses on the new version of Kompassi.

Application results: by June

You can apply to the Artist Alley or the Art Trail 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.

Artist Introductions

As the event draws near, we will compile introductions of all the selected artists 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

In case you are applying as a group or with a friend, please fill in the form together, and only send one application and one joint portfolio. We recommend no more than three artists per table. To keep the artists’ spaces pleasant and not too crowded, collectives that are larger than three should arrange their representation so that not all members are seated at their table at the same time during the event.

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 relay the information to their group/pair, and communicate with us at Tracon.

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

• First-timers
  • Every year, our aim is to attract new artists to participate in the Artist Alley and the Art Trail. However, first-time applicants are also required to submit a portfolio that shows they have the skills required to participate. All applicants who have not participated in the Artist Alley or the Art Trail as artists count as first-timers, even if they have experience with selling their works at the Artist Alleys of other conventions. In case of a tie, we will also take into consideration if a participant has not participated in the Tracon Artist Alley for more than 5 years.

• Technical skills
  • Your works are of the quality you would bring for sale at the event: finished, and well thought-out products. While you do not need to include photos of the finished product, mere sketches do not necessarily give us a realistic view of it. However, you can show us a few photos of the work-in-progress if you want to.

• Creativity
  • The works should show their creator’s craftsmanship and distinctive personal style. They should not resemble or copy existing, licensed products. In case you are an experienced creator who has been to the Tracon Artist Alley in the past few years, we expect to also see something new you want to bring to our visitors. Thus, you should include some of your more recent works in your portfolio. 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.

When applying with a friend or as a group/collective, your portfolio must be one (1) shared file.

Please, do not use social media (Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter)) or an art website 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.

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.
• Those who wish to obtain a spot for several days should include a photo of the display of a past  Artist Alley table. A drawing or a 3D model of a table’s intended display will not do.

Equipment: Light 50 cm x 150 cm, Medium 75 cm x 125 cm or Maximum 80 cm x 180 cm* + 2 chairs.

Days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

*The size of your table is dependent on your choice of day(s) and the location of the table. The tables will be assigned to vendors as a part of the selection process. We prefer to assign the biggest tables to those who have demonstrated their know-how on how to efficiently utilize the space of a large table.

Structures

In the Artist Alley, 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. You can build sturdy structures on the table. No additional dimensions (of more than a few centimeters) 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. Your luggage and bags must fit under your table. You must not attach anything on the pillars, walls, or other surfaces of the Tampere Hall. There are no electrical outlets in the area.

Location and conditions

The Artist Alley is located indoors on the third floor of the Artist Alley. The price of a table in the Artist Alley does not include a ticket to the event. Your tickets will be added to the bill of your Artist Alley table. These tickets will only be sold to the artists. You cannot access your Artist Alley table at the event without a ticket.

Equipment: 153 cm x 75 cm + 2 chairs.

Days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Structures

You can build sturdy structures on your table in the Art Trail. No additional dimensions (of more than a few centimeters) 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. Your luggage and bags must fit under your table. There are no electrical outlets in the area.

Location and conditions

The Art Trail is located in the park next to the Tampere Hall. The space is a large tent that has a roof, walls, and a floor. The tent is heated and lit. You can bring additional lights (battery-powered etc.) with you to the Art Trail if you wish to. Regarding clothing, you should prepare for cool mornings and evenings, but also for the heat of the day. In the tent, it is good to be prepared for moisture, and protect all works made of paper accordingly.

Since the park next to the Tampere Hall has free entry during the convention, you do not need to buy a ticket for the event to access your table in the Art Trail. However, if you wish to go inside the Tampere Hall to visit the convention, you may purchase a ticket when receiving your table in the Art Trail.

The prices listed for the Artist Alley and the Art Trail include 25,5% VAT.

Ticket Prices for the artists of the Artist Alley:

• Friday: 25 € 
• Saturday: 40 € 
• Sunday: 35 € 
• (Entire) weekend: 50 € 

The prices include VAT (13,5%).

The artists of the Art Trail may also purchase tickets for the prices listed above.

Otherwise, we will follow the general terms and conditions of the Tracon ticket sales.

All the artists selected will be listed on our website (logo and a link to home page).

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

Artist Alley

• Friday: 16:00 – 21:00 
• Saturday: 10:00 – 20:00 
• Sunday: 10:00 – 16:30 

Art Trail

• Friday: 13:00 – 21:00 
• Saturday: 10:00 – 21:00 
• Sunday: 10:00 – 17:00 

It’s not possible to make changes to table statistics after the end of the application period. Please, notify us of any cancellations as soon as possible. You must not give your table away, share it or resell it. You cannot sell products made by a person who has either been rejected in the application process or hasn’t applied at all from your table at the convention.

We will make a record of all no-shows who do not notify us of their absences. Failing to show up will free up your table to be used by other artists of the Artist Alley/Art Trail for the rest of the day.

We expect the participants of the Artist Alley and the Art Trail to be present during the opening hours of the areas. The preliminary opening hours are out by the beginning of the application period, so, please take them into account when deciding to apply.

We will not release a separate waitlist. However, you may let us know in your application form if you would be willing to fill in a spot that has been freed up even on a short notice as the event draws near.

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.

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.

If you have any questions or inquiries for us, please email us at: taidekuja[at]tracon.fi.