Artist Market

Artist Market

Every year we welcome hundreds of artists from all over to our Artist Market - SMASH!’s pride and joy! Whether you’re a hobbyist or a professional artist, the SMASH! Artist Market is a great place to exhibit, sell, and showcase your talent and creativity.

 

Based on feedback from artists and attendees, we will be continuing with a juried system for the SMASH! 2022 Artist Market. All submitted applications will be evaluated with final judgments based on a set criteria that is fair for all. Early submission of an application will not guarantee a table spot.

We believe in being open about the criteria of our juried selection process. The most important factors in the evaluation of applications include:

  • Adherence to SMASH! Artist Market Rules and Guidelines, with removal of any incomplete or duplicate applications.
  • Diversity of product offerings, merchandise, and mediums. We believe a variety of media within the population of artists will benefit both attendees and artists. 
  • Professionalism. Your application should exhibit a level of care that assures the jurors that you will bring quality content to SMASH!
  • Relevance to SMASH! as a family-friendly anime and manga convention. Rather than relevance to our theme for the year, it is regarding relevance to our target audience.
  • Quality of portfolio. This does not refer to having a unique artistic style but rather the clarity and completedness of your portfolio. Jurors are looking to see if your art meets the minimum technical skill for selling in a professional arena.

Applications for the SMASH! 2022 Artist Market will be open from Tuesday 15th March 2022 to Thursday 7rd April 2022 at 11:59pm (AEST). It is the applicant's responsibility to take time in filling out the form and ensure it is submitted in the most complete and error-free manner possible. Careful attention should be paid to the email and social media fields to make sure there are no misspellings.

Once the application period is closed, applicants can expect to receive table offers or waiting list notifications via email by May 2022.

For any questions, please email us at artists@smash.org.au.

 

All applicants must provide an online portfolio of at least 10 recent and completed artworks via a personal website, Pixiv, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram OR ArtStation. Please do not include unnecessary materials (e.g. works in progress, personal photos, blog posts, rough sketches or doodles) in your portfolio. Photos of booths and tables at prior events are also appreciated.

Please do not use your Facebook, Twitter, Etsy as your online portfolio as it will be disregarded.


  Please see the Artist Market Terms & Conditions for full breakdown of rules and regulations.  

To keep our Artist Market community safe while delivering SMASH!, only Full Tables packages will be offered for 2022. The Full Table package ($350) comes with two passes included, one for the Artist and one for a Helper or second Artist (if sharing the table).

 

Frequently asked Questions

Artist Market - General

What is the SMASH! Artist Market?

The SMASH! Artist Market is a space for artists from across Australia and from around the world to sell, exhibit, and showcase their unique talents and creativity.

What am I allowed and not allowed to sell?

You are allowed to sell your own fanart or original art. You are not permitted to sell mass-produced merchandise or official anime merchandise. We also have strict policies against selling copy-paste work and stolen artworks.

What is the price?

The cost of a Full Table package is $350 AUD.

What do I get with the table?

A Full Table package includes two (2) passes, two (2) chairs, one (1) black table cloth and a backing wall.

What is the size of the table?

A Full Table is 1.8m x 0.75m.

Can I get extra passes for a helper?

The Full Table package comes with two (2) Artist Passes

Additional Artist Passes cost $55 each, with a maximum of three (3) Artist Passes per full table.

How will applications be handled this year? What is the process?

We will be continuing with a juried system for the SMASH! 2022 Artist Market. All submitted applications will be evaluated with final judgments based on a set criteria that is fair for all. Early submission of an application will not guarantee a table spot.

We believe in being open about the criteria of our juried selection process. The most important factors in the evaluation of applications include:

  • Adherence to SMASH! Artist Market Rules and Guidelines, with removal of any incomplete or duplicate applications.
  • Diversity of product offerings, merchandise, and mediums. We believe a variety of media within the population of artists will benefit both attendees and artists.
  • Professionalism. Your application should exhibit a level of care that assures the jurors that you will bring quality content to SMASH!
  • Relevance to SMASH! as a family-friendly anime and manga convention. Rather than relevance to our theme for the year, it is regarding relevance to our target audience.
  • Quality of portfolio. This does not refer to having a unique artistic style but rather the clarity and completeness of your portfolio. Jurors are looking to see if your art meets the minimum technical skill for selling in a professional arena.

Applications will be taken from Tuesday 15 March 2022 at 10 am (AEST) to Thursday 7th April 2022 at 11:59 pm (AEST). It is the applicant’s responsibility to take time in filling out the form and ensure it is submitted in the most complete and error-free manner possible. Careful attention should be paid to the email and social media fields to make sure there are no misspellings.

How and when will I know if I am successful?

Once the application period is closed, applicants can expect to receive table offers or waiting list notifications via email by May 2022.

Why was I not accepted?

There are many reasons why an application may have not been accepted (or waitlisted). This includes (but is not limited to) incomplete applications, misspelled emails, but more than anything a large number of qualified applicants. Unfortunately, table spots are limited and no decision is ever personal. Staff members evaluating Artist Market applications will recuse themselves for any applications of family or friends with close ties to ensure the fairest decisions and best experience.

If accepted, what should I expect?

Before the convention:
Make sure to pay for your table and passes to receive your tickets!

On the Friday before the convention:
Artists can arrive on Friday to begin setting up their table. Artists can also begin setting up their table on Saturday morning before the event if they wish. All artists should be wearing their own supplied High Visibility vests during both set up and pack up.

For enquiries or assistance on the day please contact a member of the SMASH! Exhibitor and Sponsors team.

On the Sunday Night of the convention:
After the event ends at 5pm on Sunday all artists should immediately begin packing up their tables and exiting the venue. Please bear in mind only individuals with Artist Passes will be permitted to remain in the venue during pack-up hours. Those with regular Attendee Passes will be asked to leave the venue.

Are there any other ways I can promote my work?

Artists may donate artwork as a prize to one of the numerous events and activities running at SMASH! 2022 (e.g, trivia competition). Artists can also apply to host their own workshop or panel discussion in our panel rooms. These are just some of the various options, please ask us for more details when applying so that we can cater to you!

What table packages are you offering this year?

As part of keeping our Artist Market community safe at SMASH! and to offer a fair opportunity for all, only Full Table packages will be available this year. We will not be offering Half Table packages or Double Table packages for 2022.

Artist Market - Portfolio Advice

What kind of artworks should I put in my online portfolio?

We want to see at least 10 completed and recent examples of your work – ideally examples of work that you intend to sell at SMASH! or make you unique as an artist. Whether you decide to populate your online portfolio with fan art or original art is completely up to you, as long as it is relevant to SMASH!. If you are intent on selling non-digital work (e.g. handmade items, accessories, clothing), please take large, high quality photos and submit those in your online portfolio.

If you have photos of artist tables from previous SMASH! years or other conventions, you are also allowed to submit those in your online portfolio.

What kind of artworks should I NOT put in my online portfolio?

Please do not include unnecessary or incomplete materials in your online portfolio. This includes but is not limited to: works in progress, blog posts, personal photos, rough sketches/doodles. We want to see your examples in a way that requires the least amount of clicking and sifting through content. Traced art from official or non-official sources is strictly not allowed.

What if I want to share a table with another artist?

You may submit multiple online portfolio links so please make sure each portfolio supplied showcases only one artist’s art. Do not have one portfolio link showcasing the artworks of multiple artists.

If there are multiple artists sharing one table, please ensure portfolio links and social media links are available for all artists sharing the table. Multiple links for a particular field can be separated by a comma (,).

I’m an artist of a less common type of art (e.g. cosplayer selling cosplay prints.)

We may make exceptions for artists intent on exhibiting with less common forms of art. Please email us at artists@smash.org.au before submitting your application.

For artists selling their own cosplay prints, the standard rules and guidelines apply. Please ensure that your online portfolio is populated with large, high quality photographs of your work, photo books, and/or prior tables.

Can I use Facebook, Etsy, or Twitter as my portfolio link?

Please do not submit these social media links as your portfolio link. We want to see a concise portfolio of your best work examples and products you might sell. If you do not currently have your own website, Deviantart, Pixiv, Tumblr, Instagram or ArtStation, you can easily create one for free.

Why do you need my Facebook, Instagram, Etsy, or Twitter?

Your social media links will be used for verification purposes as well as supplementary material for your application, if it is deemed necessary.

Any strict requirements that I should know about?

If your portfolio does not meet these requirements, your application will be rejected.

  • Ensure that each artist’s online portfolio link supplied is working and available throughout the period you are being considered for a table. If we attempt to visit your online portfolio and the link is broken, your application will be rejected.
  • Your portfolio must consist of at least 10 examples of your artwork. These should demonstrate your best work and should be indicative of what you want to display or sell at your table. Please do not include sketches or incomplete works.
  • All the artwork presented in your portfolio should be your own. The SMASH! Artist Market is strictly against traced or reproduced art.
  • Each artist’s portfolio link should be available at a single URL leading to ONE of the following: your own website, Deviantart, Pixiv, Tumblr OR Deviantart. If you do not currently have such a page, you can easily create one for free.

My question isn’t on here!

If you have a question which is not available on the FAQ, please email us at artists@smash.org.au and the Artist Market team will try to get back to you ASAP.

     
Artist market applications for 2022 SMASH! are now closed!