| Application Type | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Booths | July 10th | To Be Determined |
| Indie Artist Tables (Jury) | June 1st or reach 50 applications | July 5th |
| Fan Tables (Lotto) | April 5th or reach 1000 applications | May 5th |
| Art Contest (Jury) | March 25th | June 1st |
2024 Fan Artist Table Rate: $250+fees (6′ x 30″ Table) – 2024 Lottery Application Link will be posted on April 5th, 2024 at 10:00 PM.
New: 2024 Unlimited Corner Booths (3 6′ tables, U-Shape): $1000+fees. TO BE DETERMINED ON HOW THIS IS HANDLED. It opens on July 10th, and the time is announced on July 8th.
After Fan Art applications close the only possible way to enter was through our Art Contest. Please do not inquire about a wait list as we do not have one.
We do not maintain any signup mailing list reminders. Artists will need to place the signup date in their calendar when it has been posted.
Please note: we are not enacting a full Jury system for selected fan artist lottery applications. We are evaluating an artist based on adhering to the rules of having a Texas Sales Tax ID, the San Japan Artist Alley contract, and our fan art rules. We are not evaluating artists based on the quality of the artwork or products for sale within Artist Alley and then selecting them.
We also actively monitor groups like AANI Discord when we are informed about tracers, lifters, AI artists, or unauthorized reprinting sellers.
We will not answer why an artist’s table was not approved or selected. We listed above most of the reasons this may have happened, but we will uphold all decision processes by San Japan staff. We will not be listing the approved list anymore. We will only list the final list of artists on or by August 20th.
(2023 CONTRACTS – 2024 CONTRACTS UPDATED BY APRIL 5TH, 2024)
If you have questions about your Sales Tax ID beyond what is listed in the button above, you must contact the Texas Comptroller’s Office. We can not answer any further Sales Tax IDs questions since we are not the Comptroller’s Office.
This will be the only way for artists who want a fan art artist table who could not sign up or weren’t selected. We will be selecting three winners and 16 finalists. Art Contest winners will win a 12′ x 8′ corner booth (3 6′ Tables U-Shape Corner Booth Setup with extra space) within Artist Alley plus 4 Artist Badges, a $1000 value.
Our Indie Artists section is a new section to allow Original Art artists and Independent publishers a way to sell their products to our attendees. We are aware that at a general anime convention, it is tough to stand out with original artwork and publications. We want to shine a larger spotlight on these types.
We will have a section in Artist Alley with 10′ x 10′ Booths (1 8′ x 30″ table, no tablecloth) with pipe and drape. They will be $425, which will include 3 Artist Badges.
Applications will be juried in this part. We will ask for multiple media submissions in the application to verify that all artwork or publications are original creations.
Applications will open on June 2nd and end on July 5th or when we reach 50 applications.
We will be selling our corner table setups within our Artist Alley starting in 2024. There will be 15 for sale at $1000+fees. We will determine how this is handled later. They are a 12′ x 8′ booth (3 6′ Tables U-Shape Corner Booth Setup with extra space) within Artist Alley plus 4 Artist Badges.
There are no ‘upgrades’ from fan artists who’ve already acquired a table. We will conduct a spot-check jury review of all applications to ensure that the artist complies with our rules.
These corner booths will go on sale on July 10th, time to be announced by July 8th.
Please take the time to read over our exhaustive FAQ, which answers a vast majority of questions we’ve received over the years. We truly try to answer every question we’ve received by inquiry in this FAQ. It is searchable by key terms, too. The convention map is posted here to make sense of the locations listed. BELOW IS OUR 2024 FAQ.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How much are Artist Alley Tables? How many are available? When are they available? What Do I get? | San Japan 2024 Artist Alley Tables Information:
|
| Is there an art auction as an alternative? | We removed our art auction section in 2016. We have zero plans to bring it back due to tepid responses by our attendees in previous years. |
| Do you offer artist tables in the vendor / dealer room? | We only offer them to a select number of artists with 100% original artwork in their portfolio. We will have a section for Artist Alley for indie artists, which must go through a portfolio review to verify that they are independent and NO fan art. Applications will open on June 2nd. |
| When will I receive my badge? | Badges will be distributed when you check in at your table. The earliest check-in time is August 29th at 6:00 PM. You are not required to pick them up or check in on Thursday of the convention. Friday Check-In will begin at 8:00 AM. |
| How do I check-in my table? Who do I ask for? | The check-in station for Artist Alley will be shifted to the to the Hall 1 entrance. There will be signage noting its location. We have a new manager in place who will be heading the artist alley section this year. You must have your Texas Sales Tax ID to show proof that you are authorized to sell at your table. |
| Can I sit next to [Artist Name]? | We will have in the application form a place to write whom you'd like to sit next to so we can streamline requests. Requests will be available until August 5th. |
| I just signed up and noticed that the information was incorrect. What should I do? | It will be very important that artists review their submission entry which will be AUTOMATICALLY e-mailed upon completion. Artists must make sure their Tax ID is valid and the gallery link is correct. Artists will have up to 48 HOURS to send us corrections. After that, we will begin the process of validating all Sales Tax IDs and then review Gallery Links.
We will no longer e-mail artists on incorrect information that we have received in the form. Since we will have hundreds of applications to review will just skip by applications who did not send us the correct valid information. We do not enforce if an address or DBA matches a Sales Tax ID but it will be flagged if there is a major discrepancy. We will no longer add a link to the artist portfolio as it must be in the application. |
| How big is San Japan? Will I make any money at the convention? | San Japan in 2023 had 24,047 overall attendees. This attendance count was from 'warm bodies', not from turnstile. Our turnstile count for the three-day convention was over 60,000. We try to limit our Artist Alley section to around 1 table per 100 attendees in expected overall attendance. We can not guarantee that your artist table will be profitable, but if you follow basic guides on how to sell your art, you will have a better chance to make a profit. |
| What time does artist alley open and close? When do I check in for my Artist Table? | Artist Alley Check-In Times:
Any artist tables not checked in by 10:00 AM Saturday will have their tables resold. Artists are not required to check in on Thursday. They can check in during check-in Friday at the listed times above and on Saturday morning. Artist Alley Hours:
|
| How will approved artists be invoiced?
| All artists will put a credit/debit card on file when signing up through Eventeny. They will be billed if they're approved. If the payment does not go through, artists will have up to 15 days to finish payment and be allowed to purchase a table. Artists who do not entirely pay on time will be invoiced an additional $100. If the invoice is not fully paid after that, then they will not be re-added, and they will have to re-apply next year. |
| What will invalidate my entry form? | If you are selected here is a list of items that will invalidate your Artist Alley entry:
|
| How will the Lottery process be handled by San Japan? | At our current convention size, we have come to realize that FCFS sales of all tables no longer work. We realize we need to do a thorough job in screening our artists who abide by our rules, try not to push the limits, and submit the correct information but at the same time, we need to make it so that it isn't a chaotic mess when all the tables sell out in 68 seconds (yes, that really did happen in 2017). The form will be on Eventeny starting in 2024. Gallery links must be to a DeviantArt gallery, Imgur gallery, Etsy, or any other photo link in which we will see your art or products for review. We will not accept photos of artist tables at other shows as we need to see a large sampling of products to be sold in San Japan. If we are not sent a Gallery link in the submission form or an invalid link, then it will be skipped. We will open the form up and allow up to 1000 entries. There will be a 3+ week window to signup. This will allow people to take the time to fill out the application without having to rush it. |
| If tables are already sold out then how do I acquire an artist table? | Once the table signup list has filled up or closed and the person does not wish to participate in trying for one in our Art Contest, then that's it for fan artist tables. We will not be releasing tables that are refunded back up for sale. The signup dates for fan tables 2024 will be April 5th to May 5th. We are permanently sticking with Lottery signup. We also have an art contest where we're giving away THREE (3) free Artist Booths (10 x 12') and a chance for up to 15 artists to purchase a table at a reduced rate if selected as a finalist. At signup time, links will be provided on the San Japan Artist Alley page. Please follow us on Facebook or Twitter for updates. We do not maintain an e-mail list for Artist Alley updates. |
| I already purchased a table, how do I acquire more Artist Alley badges after purchasing the table? How much will they be? How long are they available? | They will be $90 for an additional badge with a maximum of 3 additional badges up until August 1st, then go up to $100 online or onsite. If you purchase more than 3 badges you will be quietly blocked from being eligible in future artist alley purchases. |
| Am I required to get a sales/business tax license permit? If so, why? | Yes, you are required to have an ACTIVE Texas sales tax ID permit upon purchasing your table. This is a requirement by the state of Texas as you are a business selling items, even if you are just an individual. This must be active online as of March 5th of this year. We also want to ensure we are fully compliant with San Japan, which can get in major trouble if the Comptroller's Office decides to stop by, which has happened to other conventions in the state. (FYI: A Comptroller representative has been in San Japan every year since 2016). You can acquire one from Texas, which is entirely free, but you will still have to pay taxes back to the state of Texas based on your total sales. We are not trying to be harsh as this is the law when selling to people, as you are a business in the eyes of the law. You can apply for one on the Texas Comptroller's Website. We are not trying to be the bad guys on this rule, as we're just enforcing a rule that's always been in every one of our Artist Alley contracts. You must have your paperwork sorted with the Comptroller's Office before signup, as we will not accept any applications from applicants who do not have their TX Sales Tax ID. All prior Texas Sales Tax IDs must be active as of Feb. 25th of this year. If you ask for an exception before the release of the tables, the answer will be no. All INACTIVE Sales Tax IDs will be skipped. We will not inform you if your Sales Tax ID is inactive. There will be a section on the form where you can enter your Sales Tax ID. We must see the certificate in person to set it up, as we will no longer accept a filed return through Webfile. We will no longer e-mail artists if their sales tax ID is invalid or inactive. ALL invalid or inactive Sales Tax ID will have their entry form skipped. We highly recommend applying for your Texas Sales Tax ID by March 1st. If you need to reactivate your Sales Tax ID, you must do so immediately.
We will not accept any of the following:
|
| Where do we load-in and unload? Can we use the loading dock on I37? | The loading docks are reserved for San Japan staff, decorators, 3rd party contractors, and dealer vendors ONLY. There are not enough space or loading docks for the dozens of people who are trying to get into the Convention Center as we will have a very limited time to get in and out of our contracted space. You will need to park in the back behind the Exhibit Hall loading docks or around the convention area. |
| How large are the tables and where is my table located? | Tables will be a standard 6 feet by 30 inches. All Artist Alley tables will be located in HALL 1 of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Tables will be assigned in prior years. There will not be any space to place an additional table. The assignments will be posted several weeks before the convention. We will try to accommodate requests (all requests must be in by August 5th through the application form). There is absolutely no guarantee of preferred placement even if you have a condition that you believe requires a specific placement within Artist Alley. |
| When will be the earliest we can start selling at the convention? | You may begin selling on Friday at 11:00 AM of the convention year. The Exhibit Hall, where Artist Alley will be located, will be open to the public starting at 11:00 AM. You will only be allowed to set up your table on Thursday of the convention. You are not required to be on-site by Thursday, as you may check in on Friday of the convention year during Check-In Times of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We will open the doors to the public at 10:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday. |
| What if an artist doesn't make it to San Japan, can I purchase a table at the convention? | If an artist is a no-show after Saturday, August 31st, at 10:00 AM and tables are available, you may purchase a table at the convention for $175 at the Artist Alley check-in table. An Artist Alley badge is not included with the purchase, and a badge is required to sell at your table. |
| What about electricity? Is Wi-Fi available? What do you recommend for phone service to take credit cards? | At this moment, electricity will not be offered inside the Exhibit Hall due to the exorbitant cost that Freeman is allowed to charge us (Nearly $500 per outlet) which is well beyond what artists are willing to pay.
SmartCity, who is the only Authorized Wi-Fi provider at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center who are allowed to charge $80+tax PER DAY to use Wi-Fi inside the Exhibit Hall for 1.5MB Access. (And no, there is nothing that San Japan can do about this.) We heavily recommend making prior arrangements with your cell phone service before arriving in San Japan if data is required and planning to take credit cards. We have learned that those who have Verizon 5G / LTE and AT&T 5G / LTE has the best reception at the HBG Convention Center. Prepaid hotspots generally go for around $40-$80 for a 5G / LTE hotspot and $20-$50 for data plans that will accommodate credit card purchases.
If your cell phone provider is T-Mobile we can not stress about using another provider for a hotspot. Make sure that providers are using AT&T or Verizon towers.
Please take this in serious advisement in the decade that we've been using the HBG Convention Center unless you're okay with losing hundreds of dollars in lost sales. A lot of attendees prefer to pay with a card or their phone. The exhibit halls in the HBG Convention Center are surrounded by concrete. T-Mobile does not work well there at this current time. |
| Do you verify the Sales Tax ID to name match or address match my application? | We only verify if the supplied Sales Tax ID is VALID and ACTIVE. We do not flag your application if your company name, Sales Tax name, or address matches. |
| Do I need to take my stuff when I shut down for the day? | San Japan will not be providing security for personal items left at tables. You should take any items of value from your table when you shut down for the day. The artist is responsible for making preparations before the convention to store your supplies each night. |
| Will chairs be provided with my artist table? | Two Chairs will be placed at each table. If you need additional chairs, you can ask for them when you've checked in at the convention. There will only be two chairs guaranteed per table. If you purchase additional badges then you may request an additional chair per extra badge. |
| What are we allowed to sell at the convention? | Artists can only sell fan-created and original artwork, handmade crafts, and items created at the table. We will not allow non-arts or non-craft 'services' to be sold in San Japan. We will be stricter on modified crafts, as they can no longer be from licensed items that would normally be found in the dealer room. We will be taking a heavy look at this when it is considered through our review application system. Retail items nor food will not be allowed for sale at Artist tables and will be strictly enforced. We will not allow you to sell items that have blatant copyright or trademarked logos, even if engraved or printed on items. A written warning will be issued if such items are made available for sale, and if multiple warnings are issued, the artist will be asked to leave San Japan and then barred from returning. We will also enforce industry rules that show titles can not be listed with products for sale. For a link on their stance on Artist Alley, here is their announcement on Anime News Network. Any vetted industry representative who requests an item be removed must do so by the artist, or they will be removed from the convention. |
| Will San Japan be providing any storage area? | San Japan will not be providing a storage area for artists. Artists will need to arrange an area to safely store their items when they shut down their table for the night (ie Hotel Room, Vehicle). |
| Will San Japan be providing any dollies or carts? | San Japan will not be providing any dollies or carts to carry items to the artist's table. Dollies & Hand Carts can be purchased from Wal-Mart or Office Depot for around $40-$70 or at Sam's Club/Costco for around $40-$100. Our recommendation is the 3-Way Cosco Hand Truck sold only at Costco for $110+tax for its durability. For a lower cost option which doesn't require a club membership we recommend Northern Tools. |
| What if I can't make it to San Japan after purchasing a table? | Refunds are only offered for tables purchased in 2024. All refunds must be in by July 25th. This is to deter artists from waiting until the last minute to request a refund, as this has become problematic. No refund will be given after July 25th for any exception whatsoever. Artists who put in a chargeback will receive a lifetime ban from San Japan. This includes medical or catastrophic reasons. We will no longer allow table transfers since we're moving to Lottery. We must approve all artists who have gone through our screening process after commencing the Lottery. You need to forward the confirmation e-mail that you received after made the payment along with your request for an AA refund to info(at)san-japan.org. Do not e-mail artist(at)san-japan.org for a refund as they can not process refunds. |
| May I play music at my table? | You may play music at a moderate reasonable level but only with the intention of not being bored and not attracting customers to the table. If we receive a complaint that the music was too loud San Japan reserves the right to turn it off and it will be permanent for the rest of the convention. A second time to the table due to a music complaint will be when we ask the artist to leave the convention without a refund. |
| Am I required to have an Artist Alley badge in order to sell at my table? Can my friend who doesn't have an Artist Alley badge sell at my table? | The person behind the table must have purchased a badge from the convention. You are not required to have an Artist Alley badge in order to sell at your table. It can be a pre-registration badge, 3-day or even a 1-day badge. The only main requirement is that the table is purchased from the convention. If we catch someone 'stealing' a table, if they do not immediately reimburse the convention, then they will be badge-pulled with no refund and kicked out of the convention. If we spot someone selling items outside of the Artist Alley area that is not authorized to sell stuff then they will be asked to shut down or risk expulsion from the convention. |
| I'm applying for Texas Sales Tax ID and when I try to put in San Japan's date, it says you can't apply for more than 90 days ahead. What do I do? | The best advisement we can give is to set it for 90 days ahead of when you apply. When you file your quarterly report through Webfile, just mark it as 0 in sales prior to San Japan. You must contact the Comptroller for further questions as we are not this Government Office. |
| When I sign-up for a table, must I pay immediately or can I send in a check? | Payment invoices will be sent out if you're approved and make the list. Credit Cards and ACH will be accepted. We no longer accept checks. Artists will have FIFTEEN (15) days to pay the invoice. Any extensions will have $100 tacked onto the invoice for being one day to five days late. If payment is not received in full after that, then the artist will lose their table and be removed from the list. This will be listed in the contract, which must be signed and agreed upon before signing up for an application. |
| The room where Artist Alley is located is HUGE. Why doesn't San Japan just fill the Exhibit Hall with artist tables so everyone who wants to buy one can have one | Artist Alley is a service to the anime community but we also want to ensure that artists who have a table at San Japan walk away with making a reasonable profit. We have a lot of artists who come out from different states and even outside of the US for our convention. The more tables located in Artist Alley means the less money that'll go around. We put a limit so that there is a reasonable ratio of artists to the number of anticipated attendees. |
| What is the policy on using tape for signs and signage? | You may not tape up any signs on any pillars. You must bring a stand or an easel to display your sign. We will be forced to have you take the sign down if you violate this policy. You may use tape on your table to display your sign. |
| I've been told it can get pretty cold in the Exhibit Hall. Is this true? Any other tips you'd like to share? | Artists have told us in the years that have been in Exhibit Halls that it gets pretty cold. While it might seem odd to pack a coat or blanket for a convention in the summer, we recommend it or some kind of layered clothing. If you are assigned to a table which has cold air blowing on your table then let us know as we can ask them to turn them off. We recommend bringing snacks or sandwiches if you plan to sell all day and night. There will be a food stand set up inside the Exhibit Hall but the food will have a high markup. There is a coffee stand located by the Exhibit Hall. We also recommend bringing a water bottle and filling up at the water fountains located around the convention prior to when the doors open to the public. A San Japan staffer will try to stop by at times to see how you're doing. |
| I do not have a Texas Sales Tax ID when applying. Should I even try to apply? | If you apply for our Artist Alley deciding to put in, 'PENDING', or 'I will apply for one if selected', then your application will be removed before we even begin the lottery process. We will not accept any application that does have a valid active Texas Sales ID listed on it. There are absolutely no exceptions given to this at all. We do pre-screen all applications before the lottery process for invalid applications. We remove all applications and place them in the rejections if the sales tax ID is invalid, which will be a 9 or 11-digit number. Up to 20% of applications are rejected from being invalid or having an inactive sales tax ID. |
| With an Artist Alley badge, can I see the rest of the convention or am I restricted to the Exhibit Hall where Artist Alley is located? | An Artist Alley badge is like any other attendee badge. You will be able to attend all panels, events, and the dealer's room as long as the room/area hasn't hit max capacity. |
| If we want to transfer our table to another person then what should we do? | We do not allow a table transfer at all, ever. |
| I am not happy with my table assignment. Can I get reassigned? | All Artist Alley table assignments are final once they have been posted online. If you wish to move to another table you may track down a particular artist and request for a table swap. We can not give you an artist's contact information. Please remember that your table assignment will be posted in all materials. |
| Can I contact San Japan on the status of my application? | NO. If you contact asking us about your status we will just go ahead in not approving your application. We can not spend weeks answering inquiries on the status of their application. You will be contacted if you are approved. We will send out a mass email to those who were not approved. We will be listing who has paid their invoices. |
| Will tables be put up for sale from those who got a refund? | No, we will not be putting up refunded tables for sale. |
| It is past the deadline for a refund. What should I do? | There are no refunds after July 25th for any reason whatsoever. We will not transfer the table to next year. |
| Will I be forced to pay for my table during sign-up? | No. The form will be a signup list. It will be timestamped by the server receiving the form, which is how we will screen entries. You will have to put a credit card on file and will be charged if approved. We do not check if the charge will go through during signup. |
| Does everything have to be on the table? Can I place anything in front or next to my table? What if the table next to me is empty? | Artists must keep all items for sale within their 6' table space. We will allow backdrops behind the table but they may not use neighbor tables or empty tables to extend their booth. We will consider backdrops who go to a 2nd table to be a double table set up and will be forced to be taken down or risk being booted. Placing items in front are not allowed. In the past, we have been a bit lax but we will not be issuing warning and bans due to artists who have been pushing the limits on this. |
| Does San Japan provide any services for Artists who need a break? | San Japan Artist Alley staff will provide a short break of a MAX 10 minutes if staffing is available and you do not have any helpers. This is strictly for the restroom, snack or water breaks only. San Japan staff will not watch past that amount of time nor make any sales. After 10 minutes the staff will leave your table. Artists in the past have tried to have staff watch their table for an hour or more which is now prohibited by contract. |
| What is proxy sales? What is your stance on it? Can I get some clarification? What about an assistant selling on my behalf, what are the rules? | Proxy Sales sells multiple artists' artwork when the artist or people who purchased the table sell it for others on their behalf. We view it as detrimental to the artist community to allow proxy sales as it isn't fair to the hundreds of artists who want an artist space.
Tables may have an assistant/helper selling their artwork in San Japan. When checking in, they must have a copy of their Texas Sales Tax ID that matches the artist's table application info.
|
| Why is San Japan on Labor Day Weekend? Why can't the convention be on a summer date? | We do not have much of a choice to be on this weekend as when booking our dates for our multi-year contracts, we have to sync with the convention center and our host hotels. Labor Day Weekend is the only date available for us without conflict with other regional fandom conventions. We don't foresee moving back to a summer date. We are already contracted with our venues on Labor Day Weekend through 2030. |
| Why did San Japan select Lottery instead of keeping with FCFS or Full Jury? | We decided to stop using FCFS (First Come/First Serve) for fan artist tables was from multiple years of stressful crushes in getting out the applications. In 2017, after a form meltdown, everything sold out in 68 seconds, and many furious artists were unhappy with how things were run. Full Jury isn't selected because it takes a lot of time to screen hundreds of applications. This brings accusations of bias, too, if someone isn't set. A lottery style was selected as it will not be biased as its chosen randomly, we can process the applications much faster (days instead of months), and it takes a few days to select the entries. We will continue this for the foreseeable future. |
| Will artists be allowed to have a bag or luggage in the Alley? | Artists can bring what they need but they can not obstruct walkways (both in front of and behind the tables) or emergency exits. Artists will be solely responsible for your own property. There will be at least 5 feet behind them. |
| I want to share my table with someone. Is that okay? How many people can share a table? What are some other details? | Once you purchase a table, you may subdivide it for another artist group. Even when divided, we will only provide 2 chairs. We will only link to one website per table from the Artist Alley page. The maximum number of people behind any single table at one time is four (4). The table split is now part of the general application. You may update your application even after you've been accepted. The deadline for splits will be August 5th, and then we will close the form. SALES TAX ID: If the gross sales are independent of each other sharing a table, every artist must have a Sales Tax ID. If you are selling under one Studio, then each person does not need a Tax ID, but all sales made by the table must be reported as one group. |
| If I run an independent video game studio or a photography studio is this where I apply? | We have a separate section for indie gaming studios. If you are a photographer we do not allow photo booths to be set up in Artist Alley. Indie Gaming groups who apply through Artist Alley will have their applications discarded. Indie Gaming groups must apply through the correct form. |
| I missed the lottery date. Is there any kind of wait list at all for drop outs / refunds / open spaces. | We do not have a wait list at all. We will never have one, nor maintain one, or make it available. If you contact us about a wait list you will be reminded once again that we don't have a wait list. The only way you can get into San Japan is through the lottery system or the art contest. Once the lottery closes that will be it. This will be our permanent system. We don't mess with wait lists as we have more than enough already selected and from the art contest to fill in all tables that we arrange for the San Japan Artist Alley. |
| I was late on my application, invoice, table split, and assignment requests. Do you give any kind of exception at all? | Due to an excessive number of artists who push for an exception when missing a date that is posted and reminded multiple times we are going to add an exception rule. If you inquire about an exception for missing the due date on an invoice or not filling out a form on time then you will be invoiced for $100 for pushing for an exception. If you do not agree to make payment then the decision will be final to not fulfill any request. The exception rule will add 5 days to the invoice date. After that, the invoice will be revoked. |
| I filled out an assignment / table split in my application. How do I know that you received it? | We will review it in Eventeny. Do not presume that we received it if you did not receive the automatic reply generated. We do not send manual follow-up emails at all to any application. |
| What will the COVID-19 and mask policy? | We are reverting to a mask-optional policy. We will not require a vaccine check. We monitor CDC guidelines to decide if these policies will change before our convention. |
| What is the indie booths? How do I qualify? When is the application date? | The "Artist Indie Booth" section is an initiative that aims to provide independent artists, writers, publishers, and creators with an opportunity to sell their products. Unlike the typical 6'x3' table setup, this section will feature a 10'x10' setup with pipe and drape, an 8' table, and three artist alley badges. We require a portfolio to review the application to ensure the artwork's authenticity. Any application with any fan art, even if one piece is spotted in the portfolio, will be disqualified. The application process will be open from June 2nd to July 5th, or until we receive 50 applications. In 2024, we will have 12 spaces available through a juried selection process. |
| I applied but I never heard back. | ALL applicants are sent an acceptance and rejection email after up to 3 weeks after applications closed. Artists will be contacted through Eventeny. Please check your spam box to ensure it wasn't sent there. If you did not receive an update email then you did not get accepted into San Japan. |
| What is San Japan ruling on AI and stolen art? What should I do if I spot AI or stolen artwork? | San Japan prohibits the sale of artwork or media created by Artificial Intelligence in Artist Alley and any other function space of our convention. Any entity found to be selling AI-generated items, even if only one piece in their portfolio, will be removed from the convention. Stolen artwork will be subject to a zero-tolerance policy. If you find stolen or AI-generated artwork in our Artist Alley please bring references and take photos. We will handle it. We will not tolerate this. We would greatly appreciate the artist's name and location on the map, which is infringing. |
| Am I allowed to sign up for the Fan Art lottery and Indie Artist Booths? | Yes, but only if you are not selected in the Fan Art table lottery. We will only invalidate your Indie Artist application if you've been selected and you purchased a table. You can not have a fan art table and an indie artist booth within our convention. |
| I'm trying to purchase additional artist badges but I'm having issues. | Online purchases for discount badges are through the application, where you can add more badges. They will be available to purchase at the discount rate of $90 up until August 1st. This is restricted to three passes in total due to past artists abusing the discount form and purchasing up to 10 passes, which ruin it for everyone else who is making additional purchases. No exceptions will be given if asked to make additional online purchases. |
| Do you allow tattoo artists at San Japan in the artist alley section? | We do not accept any tattoo artists. This includes temporary or henna artists. |
| The assignments are live, and my info is incorrect. Will you fix it? | We will not individually update artist information that has changed between their application and the current one. The artist must ensure that their info is up-to-date on their Eventeny form. This includes an artist name change. |
| What isn't allowed to be fore sale at San Japan Artist Alley? | Artists may only be allowed to sell original fan/artwork or similar art services to the public. Fan art must not be an exact replication of a drawing, sculpture, plushie, etc., from a published anime, drawing, promotional material, digital media, manga, video game, or another form of licensed media. Stickers, buttons, engraved items, and any other tangible item sold with infringing company logos, trademarked symbols, signature pose, character recreation without evident artist deviation, and copyright icons will not be tolerated in the Artist Alley. Due to heavy disregard for tracing, poor modification, and lifting, pearler art, copyright cut-outs, and the splatter art style are barred within San Japan. Replica/duplicate of character design with pearler sprite art will be considered tracing which is not allowed. Artists are prohibited from selling retail and food items. This includes retail items that have been modified by less than 80%. Items may be inspected on-site by the Artist Alley department to ensure they comply with reasonable modifications. Modifications can not include removing, cutting, or reprinting a product directly from copyrighted printed media to place it on tangible sellable items. |
| The application is asking for a credit/debit card. What's the deal about this? | In moving over to Eventeny all applicants will be able to select their table and the number of badges that they'd like to purchase. The form will ask for their credit/debit card. They will not be billed upon form submission. They will only be billed if they are approved. The billed payment will be in full. All applicants that are not approved will not be billed. |
| Do you allow group submissions? | We do not allow or approve group submissions. All artists must individually apply for a table. We will not allow groups to sell at one table as this breaks our rules about proxy sales of multiple artists who are not approved to sell at San Japan. |
