THE APPLICATION HAS ENDED
Zine Fest is part of the Helsinki Comics Festival. Zine Fest Helsinki will take place in Kaapelitehtaalla (Kaapeliaukio 3, 00180 Helsinki) 31th August – 1th September 2024. At Zine Fest those creating small press and self-publishing work, readers of such work and others interested in counterculture can sell their creations and meet people with the same interests.
Zine Fest is primarily meant for artist and artist collectives.
To apply for Zine Fest, you’re required to have at least one zine or other self-published album that you’re going to sell at Zine Fest. Your zine can be a comic or other kind of art zine. If there are a lot of applicants, we will prioritize comics over non-comic zines. You’re also welcome to sell other kinds of products than zines, as long as you have at least one.
This year the tables are 183 X 76 cm in size. Available as a whole table or half a table 91,5 X 76cm.
The application period ends April 30st.
The selected applicants will be informed by e-mail no later than May 30th.
If you have any questions about Zine Fest you can contact us by email at helsinkizinefest@gmail.com
Follow us: Instagram/Twitter @zinefesthki
Portfolio instructions and criteria
Making the portfolio
- Have around 5–15 pictures in the portfolio.
- You can export the portfolio to one pdf or as separate pictures and download it/them to, for example, Google Drive and then add the link to the portfolio to the application. Please remember to check that the sharing option for the links is enabled! You can also use a gallery or website of your choice as long as it’s clear which pictures are for your Zine Fest portfolio.
- Name your portfolio as “Portfolio Your Name”, whether you use a folder or a pdf. Please make sure that your link sharing options are correct and your portfolio can be accessed. Applications without a working portfolio link can’t be considered.
- If you are applying as a group you can make one shared portfolio. If you are applying as two independent applicants you can link one portfolio per applicant to the application.
- You can combine your pictures into a collage. The collage can, for example, show the cover, back cover and a couple of spread pages of your zine. A collage will be counted as one picture. However please take note that if the collage combines too many pictures they might get too small to be properly evaluated.
- Add your portfolio pictures that are good in quality. Grainy photos taken in poor lighting will make evaluating them hard.
- Put a variety of different kinds of pictures in your portfolio that depict your repertoire well. Seven different kinds of pictures are better than seven similar pictures.
- Restrain from using services like WeTransfer where the links disappear after a certain amount of time. It might take weeks until we are able to browse through the links.
Please make sure that the link sharing works. If you have any problems please contact us at helsinkizinefest@gmail.com
For first timers
- Don’t be afraid to make a portfolio! You are good enough to apply! Zine Fest is a place for all kinds of artists from any walk of their careers. We hope that first timers will also bravely apply for Zine Fest.
- Zine Fest has a quota for first timer tables, meaning that every year new people will get their chance at Zine Fest.
Criteria
Zine Fest is an event focusing on comics, self-publishing, zines and small magazines. Here’s a list of different criteria we use to evaluate a portfolio:
- The artistic quality of the pictures in the portfolio, is their presentation clear and does the link work (naturally we can’t evaluate the portfolio if the link doesn’t work).
- Each applicant needs to have at least one zine/comic on their portfolio.
- If there are a lot of applicants, we’ll prioritize comics over art zines.
- Other merchandise is also welcome alongside comics.
- We prioritize first time Zine Fest exhibitors.
- Does the applicant have enough to sell when considering the size of their table? If the applicant has only a couple of zines they should consider sharing the table with another artist or maybe getting a half of a table instead of a whole table.
- Collectives, clubs and groups are prioritized. More artists get to exhibit if the table is shared by a group.
- We evaluate the artistic expression of the applicants and try to find people with varying styles. We’re not here to judge your skills!
- We prioritize diversity and want to bring forward creators with various backgrounds.
- We refuse to give tables to applicants whose work promotes sexism, racism, homophobia or transphobia or other intolerant attitudes. Individuals and collectives chosen to be exhibitors are responsible for the contents of their table.
Tabling
This year we have few tables available for the whole weekend. We recommend choosing a one day table, since there are a very limited number of the whole weekend tables.
There are two table sizes:
- Big table size is 183 cm x 76 cm
- Price: 20€ for Saturday, 18€ for Sunday, 30€ for whole weekend
- Small table size is 91,5 cm x 76 cm
- Price: 10 for Saturday, 9€ for Sunday, 15€ for whole weekend
- We have tables reserved for first timers.
- There’s not much space, so we recommend building your table upwards (keep it reasonable though)
- When the artists have been chosen, we will email you. You must answer the email within 2 weeks or the table will be given to the next person in the waiting list.
Other things to note
- Applications without working portfolio links, will be automatically disqualified
- Some tables are in the same space as the stage.
- We have a lot of applicants. We can’t give feedback for your application.
- If the event is moved or cancelled, we will email you. People who got the table this year will automatically get a table in next year’s Zine Fest if they so wish.
- Remember to be proper in your applications. Applications with vulgar or hateful language will be automatically disqualified.
- Zine Fest forbids the selling of AI art and other material generated in part or whole by artificial intelligence. Currently, the majority of AI image generators are based on non-consensual usage of visual art, and we don’t allow selling stolen material at the event or on our platforms.
Good luck in applying!