What is the Artist Alley at Polymanga in Switzerland?

For over 20 years (since 2005), Polymanga has been providing all illustrators and artists with booths and the necessary infrastructure in the Artist Alley. In 20 years, it has offered stands to over 2,000 artists. Polymanga welcomes over 50,000 visitors per year.

At Polymanga, the Artist Alley booths are free!

This unique initiative allows cartoonists/illustrators to freely showcase and sell their work, meet their audience, and connect with other enthusiasts — all free of charge.

110 free booths allocated through selection!

Since spaces are limited to 110, artists are selected based on their portfolio by submitting their 3 best original illustrations of the year through the contact form available here. Every year, Polymanga receives several hundred applications from professionals or highly talented amateurs from all over the world. The styles are diverse: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Illustration, Children’s art…
There is no stylistic preference.

Each artist must register individually.

Each application is individual: group registrations are not accepted. The selection is based solely on the three illustrations provided by the artist, created entirely by them and never previously submitted to the Polymanga organization.

No AI-generated artwork, no fan art.

AI-generated artworks and fan art are strictly prohibited in the application portfolio. The only exception: at the festival, up to 10% of fan art is allowed per booth. The Polymanga audience comes for original creations. The fact that you can draw a Naruto doesn’t interest us.

No erotic or pornographic artwork.

There are many minors at the festival, so erotic or pornographic drawings are prohibited. Artistic nudity is subject to the organizer’s discretion. “Shame binders” containing categories banned from the festival (AI, fan art, erotic, etc.) are not allowed.

MaBulle @ Polymanga: one of Europe’s largest drawing competitions.

Only previously selected artists participate in MaBulle @ Polymanga, a major annual art contest held on social media. Cash prizes are awarded to winners based on both public and jury votes. Last year, the contest generated over a million views and received more than 80,000 votes. It provides a significant boost to the visibility of the participating artists and the event as a whole. Artists retain ownership of the illustrations created for Polymanga and are free to print and sell them; Polymanga uses the artwork solely for promotional purposes or within the context of Polymanga exhibitions.

MaBulle @ Polymanga…suite

Each artist already selected for the festival must create a square-format artwork on a theme chosen by the organizers. This digital contest, shared on Instagram, allows the public to vote for their favorite creations. The illustrations must be made entirely by the artist, without any external assistance or use of artificial intelligence. In addition to the jury and public awards, the artists who receive the most votes will be granted the most coveted booth locations at the event.

Exponential growth of the Artists’ alley.

The Art to Play festival in Nantes was co-founded six years after Polymanga by the organizers of Polymanga and Exponantes. It enabled the development of an artists’ village and an art contest under the same terms as those at Polymanga. This partnership between Polymanga and Art to Play allows 330 artists each year to secure a free booth and make a living from their art. The combined “MaBulle” contest—spanning both Polymanga and Art to Play—has become the largest art competition in Europe, garnering over 3.5 million views and 200,000 votes.

1,200 artist applications are processed each year for Polymanga and Art to Play.