MiniComi 2023 Registration

Registrations opened Friday, Jan 20, 2023 and will close on Sunday, Feb 12, 2023.

Register

❗ Starting this year, we will be selecting registrations via a partial lottery and partial jury basis.
We will be retiring our first-come first-serve system. Please see our FAQ (below) and blog post for more detail.

Time & Location

Date: Saturday, July 8th, 2023
Time: 11am market open – 6pm market close
Location: The Pipe Shop Venue (115 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver)

Table Price

Full Table (~ 6ft x 2.5 ft)*: $75 CAD + $5 non-refundable membership fee = $80 CAD total

Those who already have a valid annual membership to VSCIA will not be charged the membership fee at registration. See the “VSCIA Membership” section below.

We will not be offering a half table option this year.

Registration Process

  1. Interested artists should read and agree to our Contract and Waiver (linked below), then fill out a registration form.
  2. If you are are selected for a table space, you will be notified via email and sent an online invoice for the table fee through Square.
  3. Upon confirming full payment, you will be considered officially accepted for MiniComi.
  4. If this is not completed within the specified deadline, your application will be forfeited.
  • Please allow us a few weeks after registration closes to process and email applicants on their status. Contact us if you do not hear back after several weeks, or if you do not receive an email after we announce that acceptances have been sent out. Be sure to check your spam inbox.
    • Our official emails are info[at]minicomivancouver.org, or minicomivancouver[at]gmail.com.
  • We only accept online payments.  We do not accept in-person cash/cheque payments.
  • Cancellations within thirty (30) days of the event will not be refunded. Please contact us ASAP if you can no longer attend the event.

Rules & Guidelines

Registration:

  • Maximum of one (1) table per artist.
  • Artists may share a table with other selling artists. Sharing will be limited to 2-3 artists per table maximum.

Goods and artwork:

  • Goods sold must be created by the artist(s) in some way, and the artist(s) must have the right to sell them. We will allow a few select exceptions, but please email us to inquire about them. Artists may not re-sell commercial / officially licensed goods nor plagiarized / stolen artwork.
  • AI-generated artwork is not permitted to be sold at the event.
  • Artists may be asked at any time to provide proof of original work.

COVID Guidelines:

  • We will be enforcing rules at the event according to the government requirements in effect during that time, which may include mandatory masking and proof of vaccination.
  • Individuals who do not meet the criteria required at the time (e.g. incomplete vaccination status), may not be allowed to attend.
  • The latest provincial / regional restrictions can be found here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restrictions

Please keep in mind:

  • We will be providing a maximum of two (2) chairs per table.
  • We are an all-ages event. Adult material should not be on public display, but you may have a sign to indicate that this is available. Nothing inappropriate should be shown on the signs.
  • Table display heights are restricted to a limit of 2m (6.5ft) from the ground. The artist must be able to reach the top with their bare hands while standing on the ground.
  • We cannot guarantee that the tables will be sized as precisely as stated. Please design your displays accordingly.
  • Pets are not allowed in the venue, with the exception of licensed assistance animals.

More detailed event guidelines and details will be sent closer to the event.

VSCIA Membership

As of 2019, all table registrations will include a membership to the Vancouver Society of the Creation of Independent Art (VSCIA) for the registering artist upon full payment. (Others sharing the table with the registering artist will not receive membership.) Membership allows you to influence decisions regarding future MiniComi events by allowing you to vote at VSCIA meetings and opt in to meeting emails. Meeting attendance and email opt-in are completely optional, but you must have membership to claim your registered table.

This membership is valid for the year, until our next Annual General Meeting.

For more details please see our Society Bylaws and contract below.

Documents

Please read the following documents before filling out the registration form.
By registering, you agree to the terms set in the contract and liability waiver.

Minors (under the age of 19) will need a parent or legal guardian read and agree to the contract and liability waiver.

Read the Contract
Read the Liability Waiver

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

1 . What should I prepare for registration?
Applicants will be required to fill in some personal information, such as name and contact information. We will also need some information about your artist identities and the goods you plan to sell, including portfolio links. Have this ready to go to make your registration smoother!

2. How does the selection system work?
For MiniComi 2023, we will be running a lottery-jury system.

Lottery: approx. 75% of eligible applicants will be selected through a random lottery draw.
Jury: Eligible applicants who did not get drawn via the lottery, and have opted into the jury process, will be juried by the VSCIA board to fill the remaining 25% of tables. Please see this blog post for more details.

3. How can I share a table?
Everyone who will be selling should register together as a single submission, with each artist’s portfolios. All selling artists are required to read and agree to our waiver and contract. We are limiting sharing to between 2-3 people maximum. Please do not apply again if you have already submitted a registration with a group.

4. Can I send you / update my information later?
We ask that you submit your information as accurately as possible during registration. However, small details (e.g. artist names, profile blurbs) can be changed later if necessary – just send us an email.

5. I can’t make it to the event anymore! Can I transfer my spot to my friend?
No, sorry – in order to ensure fairness, we will offer any available spaces to those on our waitlist. Please let us know ASAP if you can no longer make it so that we have time to search for a new artist.

We will not be accommodating table partner swaps this year. Please alert us if one of your table partners will no longer be attending.

6. Can I ask to be placed close to a friend’s table?
Yes, just specify under “special requests” in the registration form. We won’t be able to guarantee that you will get what you asked for, but we will try our best! You can let us know by email if anything changes.

7. Is the venue wheelchair-accessible?
Yes. If you or someone else at your table will be in a wheelchair, let us know and we will try to ensure easy accessibility to your table.