2023 Artist Table Rate: $225 (6′ x 30′ Table) – March 5th – March 25th 2023 Application Date
2022 Indie Artist Booth: $400 (10′ x 10′ Booth) – May 15th – July 5th 2023 Application Date
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.
- Includes: (1) 6′ x 30″ Table in a 6′ x 3′ space + (1) 3-Day Artist Badge + 2 Chairs.
- Additional Artist Badges: $70 (April 20th – June 1st) – $85 (June 2nd – July 25th). Max 3 additional badges – must be purchased by July 25th, 2023, At-Con Rate is $95.
- There will be at least 5 feet behind the table.
- Table/Badge is good for all 3 days of the convention.
- An Artist Badge is valid for the entire convention just like a regular attendee badge.
- 2023 Fan Artist Form Date: March 5th, 8:00 PM Central. The fan art application will be closed on March 25th at 11:59PM CENTRAL. It will not reopen.
- The forms for requested table assignment requests, additional artist badges and table splits will open on April 20th, 2023, with additional badges closing on July 25th, 2023 and the other 2 forms on August 5th. The links will be posted on this page.
- Table requests do not guarantee a preferred placement. We will not guarantee placement for any reason whatsoever.
- Requests for a refund of up to 100% must be in by June 15th. A 50% reimbursement will be given if a refund is requested between June 16th and July 25th. We will not issue any rollover for our 2023 convention. We will not allow table transfers.
- The assignment list, layouts, and final lists of artists will be going public by August 20th, 2023. Do not inquire about your location or layout before these dates.
- On Sales Tax ID: All we need is the TEXAS Sales Tax number. We don’t require the actual document for the application. When you apply you will be issued a Tax ID which can be applied to the application. A Texas Comptroller agent was on-site for the past three years and we are expecting the agent to be on-site once again. We do not accept Federal EIN AT ALL.
Lottery Signup
- Links to the sign-up form will be posted on this page and on our social channels.
- There is no cost to sign-up.
- There will be a max cap of 1000 entries for the general form.
- If we do not reach 1000 entries then the form will close at a future announced date.
- After the form has closed we will be spending several days screening all applications to remove duplicates or entries that got in multiple times under false pretenses. We will be checking the IP addresses of the applications.
- Entries will be privately selected 48 hours later after the application form has closed via blind lottery based on their application entry number. We will be using a program that randomly selects the entries. A percentage of primarily 2D artists and primarily 3D artists will be selected. A certain number of applications total will be selected. We are not disclosing to the public how many entries of each type we are selecting.
- We will be screening all randomly selected entries to ensure that the application passes our Rules & Guidelines (click on the button at the bottom of this page as this is also the contract) and have an active Sales Tax ID at the time of application. All applicants will still be required to have their Texas Sales Tax ID active at signup. All applicants will still be required to submit a gallery of their artwork or products for sale.
- Accepted artists will be contacted and invoiced within two weeks after Fan Art tables signups have closed. Approved artists will have 15 days to pay for their invoices or they will be removed. We will send out a mass e-mail to applicants who did not make it in. We will not ‘reconsider’ an applicant who did not make it in even if the application acceptance e-mail or Paypal invoice goes to your Spam filter. Berating the staff will have an effect on all future applications.
Additional Lottery Information
- There is no waiting list at all after signup has closed. We will have more than enough entries to go through. We must frequently reiterate this due to constant inquiries to be placed on a waitlist. Please put in your notes that San Japan does not maintain a waitlist.
- There is no mailing list at all for Artist Alley applications or reminders. We will have the date posted on this page months prior to when it opens. It is on the artist to mark it on their calendar to sign up on time.
- All applications must submit a Gallery Link and VALID Texas Sales Tax ID Number. We do NOT accept Federal EIN AT ALL.
- We will not e-mail artists if there are issues with a submission. All artists will need to look over their application for errors that are seen in the auto-response form. After that, we will begin the lottery process. After 48 hours, the information submitted is what we will be using on all publications. We will not fix any errors on misspelled artist names, placing your phone number in your artist name if you use autofill, or incorrect URLs to galleries after 48 hours that the applications have closed. It is the responsibility of the artist applicant to check over the auto-response form for errors.
- Strong Warning: Do NOT contact us after sign-up has closed on the status of your application. If you do inquire about the status of the application once the lottery has begun and when we are invoicing artists then we will have your application removed. Everyone will be contacted, accepted, AND rejected, within two weeks of Fan Art applications closed. We need to spend a lot of time sorting through the hundreds of applications so we cannot spend time answering status questions.
- An artist’s entry number on the list will be based on the timestamp from the server.
- Selected applications will still be screened and removed for the following reasons:
- Don’t review their application for errors (Don’t Autofill. It is not a race to submit your application).
- Invalid Texas Sales Tax ID.
- Inactive Texas Sales Tax ID – It must be listed as ACTIVE on the Texas Comptroller Office website at the time of application. No exceptions.
- No Texas Sales Tax ID. If you do not have a valid Texas Sales Tax ID your application will be thrown out. We do not accept a Federal Tax ID Number. This is stressed as we receive dozens of applications every year that only put in their Federal EIN.
- Gallery links to Tumblr pages. Gallery links must be to Imgur, DeviantArt, or another photo format that allows us to see your art or products for sale. Etsy stores will be accepted. We will not accept photos of prior Artist Alley table setups as we need to see detailed pics of products to be potentially for sale. We do not need to see all art or future artwork pieces, just a sizable sampling of what to anticipate in San Japan.
- Artists who show heavy disregard to copyright logos, trademarks, infringing products, “splatter art”, use official artwork without artistic deviation, AI-Generated Artwork or disregard fandoms that have requested to not sell fan art in Artist Alley.
Please note: we are not enacting a full Jury system for selected fan artist applications. We are evaluating an artist based on adhering to the rules of having a Texas Sales Tax ID, adhering to the San Japan Artist Alley contract, and adhering to our fan art rules. We are not evaluating artists based on the quality of the artwork or products for sale to be within Artist Alley and then selecting them.
We are also actively watching groups like AANI when we are informed on tracers, lifters, or unauthorized reprinting sellers.
We will not be answering any questions on why an artist table was not approved or wasn’t selected. We listed above a majority 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 be listing the final list of artists on or by August 20th.
Click This Button For The Artist Alley Rules / Regulation (and Contract).
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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.
Let us remind you again.
We do not have a waitlist.
Our yearly Art Contest will reopen on March 15th and close on June 1st.
This will be the only way for artists who want to get a fan art artist table who were unable to signup. We will be selecting 4 winners and 15 finalists. Art Contest winners will win a 12′ x 10′ booth (3 6′ Tables U-Shape Corner Booth Setup with extra space) within Artist Alley plus 4 Artist Badges, a $1100 value. The booth arrangement will not be for sale to the general public.
Our Indie Artist section will open May 15th
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 located in Artist Alley with 10′ x 10′ Booths (1 8′ x 30′ table, no tablecloth) with pipe and drape. They will be $400 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 May 15th and end on July 5th or when we reach 100 applications.
Artist Alley FAQ
Please take the time to read over our exhaustive FAQ which answers a vast majority of questions that we’ve received over the years. We truly try to answer every single question that 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.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 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 much are Artist Alley Tables? How many are available? When are they available? What Do I get? | San Japan 2023 Artist Alley Tables Information:
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| 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. |
| When will be the earliest we can start selling at the convention? | You may begin selling on Friday morning at 10:00 AM of the convention year. The Exhibit Hall where Artist Alley will be located will be open to the public starting at 10:00 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. |
| 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, September 2nd, at 10:00 AM and tables are available then you may purchase a table at the convention for $150 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. |
| 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 table request form). There is absolutely no guarantee of preferred placement even if you have a condition that you believe requires a certain placement within Artist Alley. |
| 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 show to be active online as of March 5th of this year. We also want to ensure we are fully compliant with San Japan 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 was in San Japan every year since 2016). You can acquire one from the state of Texas which is completely 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 already sorted already with the Comptroller's Office prior to signup as we will not accept any applications 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 prior to 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 was inactive. There will be a section on the form to enter your Sales Tax ID. We must see the actual certificate in person in order 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 heavily recommend applying for your Texas Sales Tax ID by March 1st. If you need to reactivate your Sales Tax ID then you need to do so immediately.We will not accept any of the following:
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| 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? | We will be posting a link to the sale of additional Artist Tables Badges after April 20th to allow artists to purchase additional badges and close on July 25th. They will be $70 - $85 for an additional badge with a maximum of 3 additional badges. The price will determine when you purchase the badges as they will go up in price after June 1st. If you purchase more than 3 badges you will be quietly blocked from being eligible in future artist lottery. |
| 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 does not wish to participate in trying for one in our Art Contest then that's it. We will not be releasing tables that are refunded back up for sale. The sign-up dates for fan tables in 2023 will be March 5th to the 25th. 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. Links will be provided on the San Japan Artist Alley page at the time of sign-up. Please follow us on Facebook or on Twitter for updates. We do not maintain an e-mail list for Artist Alley updates. |
| 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 the same as in the past. 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. |
| What will invalidate my entry form? | If you are selected here is a list of items that will invalidate your Artist Alley entry:
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| How will approved artists be invoiced? | We will be sending out Paypal invoices to ALL approved artists. Invoices will begin going to approve artists by April 2nd. If you received an e-mail that you were approved but you never saw an invoice in your inbox then login into your Paypal account. All invoices are sent to the Paypal e-mail address listed in your application. If you mistyped or put the wrong e-mail address we will not make any exceptions if you do not inform us by March 27th needing it sent to a certain e-mail address. |
| 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:
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| How big is San Japan? Will I make any money at the convention? | San Japan in 2022 was 21,149 overall attendees. This attendance count was from 'warm bodies', not from turnstile. Our turnstile count for the 3-day convention was over 55,000. We try to limit our Artist Alley section to having 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. |
| 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. |
| Can I sit next to [Artist Name]? | We will try to accommodate when requested but there is no guarantee you will be assigned to sit next to a requested person. We will be posting a form after April 20th to streamline requests so artists do not have to e-mail us their sitting requests. Requests will be up until August 5th. We will not accept any more requests after August 5th. |
| 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. |
| When will I receive my badge? | Badges will be distributed when you check in at your table. The earliest check-in time is August 31st 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. |
| Do you offer artist tables in the vendor / dealer room? | We only offer them to a very selective number of artists who have 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 May 15th. |
| 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 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 of personal items left at tables. It is recommended you take any items of value from your table when you shut down for the day. The responsibility is on the artist to make 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 will only be allowed to sell fan-created and original artwork, handmade crafts, and items created at the table. We will not allow non-arts or non-crafts '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 being 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 then the artist will be asked to leave San Japan and then barred from returning. We will also be enforcing Funimation 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 for an item to be removed must be done 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 2023. You may request a full refund up to June 15th. A partial refund of 50% is issued if requested between June 15th and July 25th. This is to deter artists who wait until the last minute to ask for 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 is including 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 artistalley(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. Payment will be expected via Paypal. Credit Cards 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 1 day to 5 days late. If not 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 on to sign 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 on this at all, ever. We do pre-screen all applications prior to the lottery process for invalid applications. We remove all applications and place them in the rejections if the sales tax ID is not valid 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/group 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? | You may contact us so that we decide if a partial refund will be given. 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 just be a signup list. It will be timestamp by when the server receives the form which is how we will screen entries. |
| 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. |
| I am planning to have a person / group share my table. What should I know about this? | To answer a litany of questions about this here is a list on this. APPLICATION SIGNUP: You do not have to list the group or person that you're planning to share a table within the application process. The person who is signing up for the table is the only person who will be listed in all publications. SALES TAX ID: Every individual artist if the gross sales are independent of each other that is sharing a table must have a Sales Tax ID. If you are selling under one Studio or Group then each person does not need a Tax ID but all sales made by the table must be reported as one group. |
| What is proxy sales? What is your stance on it? | Proxy Sales is selling multiple artists' artwork when the artist or people that purchased the table is selling it for others. 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. |
| 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 along with our host hotels. The only date available for us without being in conflict with other regional fandom conventions is Labor Day Weekend. We don't foresee moving back to a summer date. We are already contracted with our venues on Labor Day Weekend through 2026. |
| Why did San Japan select Lottery instead of keeping with FCFS or Full Jury? | We decided to no longer use FCFS (First Come/First Serve) after multiple years of stressful crush in getting in the applications. In 2017, after a form meltdown, everything still managed to sell out in 68 seconds and a lot of furious artists unhappy on how things were run. The reason Full Jury isn't selected is that it takes a lot of time to screen hundreds of applications. This brings accusations of bias too if someone isn't selected. A lottery style was selected as it will not be biased as its randomly selected, 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. |
| I need some more info about Proxy Selling. Can I send an assistant on my behalf or am I required to be there? How would that person check-in? What are the rules? | Tables may have a proxy assistant/helper on their behalf selling for their artwork at San Japan. When checking in they must have a copy of your Sales Tax ID that matches the artist table application info. If the helper/assistant is helping on the behalf of the original applications they are banned from selling their own artwork as they can only sell the applicants original artwork. We will scrutinize when we notice that multiple art styles are for sale that is not a table split at a table as we will classify the seller as a proxy seller which at that time by our rules will be allowed to shut them down. |
| 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. |
| What about Table Splits? Do I have to contact Artist Alley about it? | To mitigate the e-mails about Table Splits we will have a form starting after April 20th that will make it much easier to send in the information along with their Sales Tax ID. We will be e-mailing the original artist applicant so they're aware of the table split. If someone attempts to lie about a table split and is caught they will be banned forever from San Japan Artist Alley. The form for Table Splits will open on April 20th and will be allowed up until August 5th. After August 5th they will be closed after we've posted the final artist-assigned list in Mid-August. |
| I want to share my table with someone. Is that okay? How many people can share a table? | Once you purchase a table you may subdivide it for one other 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 that can be behind any single table at one time is four (4). The form is to inform us who you're splitting the table with will be posted on here on April 16th. |
| 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 or on table splits 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 the application / table split / assignment request form. How do I know that you received it? | All forms will send an automatic reply confirming that the entry was received. Every single form will generate this. If you do not receive that reply then that will 100% be the case for us too. Do not presume that we received it if you did not receive the automatic reply generated by Jotform. We do not send a manual follow-up emails at all to any application. |
| What will the COVID-19 and mask policy be in 2023? | We are reverting to a mask-optional policy in 2023. We will not require a vaccine check. We are monitoring CDC guidelines to decide if these policies will change prior to our convention. |
| What is the indie booths? How do I qualify? When is the application date? | The Artist Indie Booth section will be a new section to give independent artists, writers, publishers, and other independent creators a chance to sell their products. Instead of a 6'x3' table, it will be a 10'x10' setup with pipe and drape. It will include an 8' table and 3 artist alley badges. We will be requiring a portfolio to review the application to ensure that your artwork is 100% original. Any fan art spotted in the portfolio will have the application thrown out. We will have applications open starting on May 15th and ending on July 5th or when we reach 100 applications. We will have 15 spaces in 2023. This will be juried selected. |
| I applied but I never heard back. | ALL applicants are sent an acceptance and rejection email after up to 3 weeks after applications closed. We put them through our mailing list software. Please be sure to check your spam box to ensure it wasn't sent there. If you did not receive an update email or even a Paypal invoice and it's been over 30 days since applications have closed then you did not get into San Japan. |
| I found stolen artwork in Artist Alley. What should I do? | If you find stolen 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 that is infringing. |
| What is San Japan ruling on AI art? | San Japan prohibits the sale of any artwork or media created by the means of Artificial Intelligence in our Artist Alley and any other function space of our convention. Any entity found to be selling any AI-generated media (as determined by San Japan staff) will be asked to remove the offending items for sale at their booth. If a vendor or artist is found to be in further violation of this policy by continuing to sell works believed to be created by Artificial Intelligence they will be asked to vacate their vendor space. San Japan reserves the right to make decisions about the eligibility of any items to be sold at the convention and will make all rulings determining if a work is believed to be created by the means of Artificial Intelligence. |
| 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. |
