Artist Alley Application Season: a first-timer's deadline checklist

• Why application season sneaks up on you
• 1. Track every deadline in one place
• 2. Track the money before you apply
• 3. Prepare your application kit once
• 4. Avoid the last-minute crunch
• 5. Turn acceptances into a restock plan
• Links

Disclosure: I’m Leon, the seller behind LB3Trackers. This guide and the sheets linked below were made with AI help. Links to my own products are included.

Start here (free): the 2027 Artist Alley Application Deadlines sheet — 29 conventions, dates checked on each official page on Oct 29, 2026. Payhip: https://payhip.com/b/1MBo3 · No-signup page: https://rising-mill-fhxm.here.now/artist-alley-deadlines-2027/ . Deadlines change, so check the official page before you apply.

§Why application season sneaks up on you

Most artist alleys take applications months before the show. Spring 2027 cons are taking applications right now. Some upcoming windows from the sheet: MomoCon opens Nov 3 and closes Nov 17, 2026; Triad Anime Con closes Nov 22; Tora-Con closes Dec 1; AnimagiC closes Dec 31; C2E2 closes Jan 8, 2027 at 5 PM CT. Many others show “not published yet” — those are the ones to watch.

§1. Track every deadline in one place

For each con, write down: application open date, close date (with time zone), notification date, payment due date, and the link to the official page. Sort by close date. A “days left” column is the single most useful thing you can add — it turns a vague “sometime in November” into “12 days.”

§2. Track the money before you apply

Note the table fee, any jury or application fee, whether payment is due at acceptance, and your rough travel and hotel cost. If you apply to five cons and get into three, can you pay all three table fees in the same month? Decide your yes-list before the acceptance emails arrive.

§3. Prepare your application kit once

Most applications ask for the same things. Build a folder now:

• Photos: 3-6 clear shots of your actual work and, if you have one, your past table setup. Good light, plain background.
• Portfolio link: one page that’s up to date.
• Table layout: a simple sketch of your table size, displays, and where prints, stickers and charms go.
• Inventory list: what you’ll bring and how many of each. Juries want to see original work; this list also becomes your restock plan.
• Budget: table fee + travel + stock costs, so you know your break-even number.
• Short bio and product description: two or three sentences you can paste anywhere.

§4. Avoid the last-minute crunch

• Set two reminders per con: one week before close and two days before.
• Submit early when it’s first-come or a lottery that closes when full.
• Read the rules for fan art, AI-art policies, and sharing tables before you apply.
• After you submit, log the date and screenshot the confirmation.
• When results come in, mark accepted, waitlisted or declined, and move the payment date into your calendar right away.

§5. Turn acceptances into a restock plan

Once you’re in, count backward from the show: when must prints and merch be ordered to arrive in time? Put supplier lead times next to each con date.

§Links

• FREE 2027 deadlines sheet: https://payhip.com/b/1MBo3 (page: https://rising-mill-fhxm.here.now/artist-alley-deadlines-2027/)
• FREE Booth Tally Sheet: https://payhip.com/b/NobLP
• Artist Alley Application & Restock Planner ($5): https://payhip.com/b/OdiDt — code ANIME20 takes 20% off store-wide on Payhip through Dec 31, 2026.
• Follow me on X: https://x.com/TheLeonBrownIII

Dates were checked Oct 29, 2026. Always confirm on the convention’s official page before applying.