Organizer Information
Treviso Comic Book Festival (TCBF) is an international festival dedicated to comics, illustration, and contemporary visual storytelling, held annually in Treviso, Italy. The festival brings together emerging and established comic artists, illustrators, publishers, cultural organizations, and audiences through exhibitions, awards, workshops, talks, and other events. The festival is organized by Associazione Fumetti in Treviso, which promotes comics culture and supports artists and authors through cultural programming and opportunities for professional and creative development.
The 2026 edition marks the 23rd edition of the Treviso Comic Book Festival. As part of the festival programme, Associazione Fumetti in Treviso, in collaboration with Banca Prealpi San Biagio Credito Cooperativo, is organizing the International Competition for New Authors/Autrices TCBF 2026. The competition is specifically designed to give emerging, non-professional comic artists and writers an opportunity to test their skills by creating a short original comic story.
The competition is international and accepts both Italian and foreign participants. It is particularly relevant to students of comic schools, self-published artists, fanzine contributors, and other emerging creators who have not yet entered the professional publishing market.
Title & Description
International Competition for New Authors/Autrices TCBF 2026 — “RELATIONS”
The International Competition for New Authors/Autrices TCBF 2026 invites emerging comic artists and creative teams to produce a short, original comic based on the theme “RELATIONS.”
The interpretation of the theme is deliberately open. Participants may explore relationships between people, communities, families, societies, environments, ideas, or fictional characters. Stories may be inspired by real people or events or may be entirely fictional. The organizers place no restrictions on drawing technique or coloring style, allowing artists to respond to the theme through their own visual language.
Each submission must consist of a complete comic story of 2 to 4 pages, presented as a single PDF. Works may be produced in black and white or in color, and the text must be written in Italian or English.
The competition can be entered individually or as a collaborative team. Teams may combine different creative roles, such as a writer, artist, and colorist, provided that every member meets the competition's eligibility requirements.
A central condition is that the submitted story and characters must be entirely original and previously unpublished. Participants may not reproduce or trace existing works, and the use of artificial intelligence is expressly prohibited. Only one work may be submitted by each individual author or team.
The competition is free to enter. Selected winners will be announced and awarded during the Premio Carlo Boscarato 2026 ceremony on September 27, 2026, as part of the Treviso Comic Book Festival programme.
Categories
- Comics
- Comic Art
- Illustration
- Sequential Art
- Visual Storytelling
- Graphic Narrative
- Writing / Comic Script
- Collaborative Comic Projects
Eligibility
- Italian and international applicants
- Emerging and first-time/non-professional comic authors
- Individual artists or collaborative teams
- Applicants who are 18 years old or older as of September 1, 2026
- Students attending comic schools
- Artists who contribute to fanzines or self-published projects
- Participants from previous editions of the TCBF New Authors competition
To qualify as an emerging/non-professional author, applicants must not:
- Have or have previously had an employment contract involving comic drawing or comic writing
- Have published with national or international publishers
- Have authored or co-authored books carrying an ISBN
- Have published in newspapers or magazines
For collaborative projects, every member of the team must meet these eligibility conditions.
Program Benefits & Awards
The competition provides both financial prizes and promotional exposure through the Treviso Comic Book Festival.
Financial Awards
- First Prize: €500
- Second Prize: €300
- Third Prize: €200
If a prize is awarded to a team, the members of the team are responsible for deciding how the prize money will be divided among themselves.
Promotion
- Publication and promotion through the Treviso Comic Book Festival's social media channels
- Public recognition during the Premio Carlo Boscarato 2026 ceremony
- Online publication of information about the winners through the TCBF website
The jury may also award special mentions. Mentioned works will be published through the TCBF channels alongside the winning entries.
The competition therefore offers emerging artists an opportunity not only to compete for a cash prize but also to gain visibility within an established international comics festival.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 1 September 2026
- Winner announcement and award ceremony: 27 September 2026
Location
Treviso, Italy
Additional Details
The 2026 competition theme is “RELATIONS.” Artists have complete freedom in interpreting the theme and may work in any drawing and coloring technique. Both black-and-white and color submissions are accepted.
The submitted story must be unpublished and original. Tracing or reproducing existing works is prohibited, as is the use of AI-generated or AI-assisted work. These restrictions are important eligibility conditions and violations may result in disqualification.
Only one submission per author or group is permitted.
The jury has exclusive authority over the acceptance, selection, and awarding of prizes. Its decisions are described in the regulations as final and not subject to appeal.
The 2026 jury includes professionals working across international comics and publishing, including Stefano Cardoselli, associated with Heavy Metal Magazine, 2000 AD, Mad Cave Studios, Sergio Bonelli Editore, and Linkin Park; Anna Dietzel, author associated with BeccoGiallo and Centro Fumetto Andrea Pazienza; Claudia Giuliani, illustrator and colorist whose work includes Nickelodeon, Abrams, Silver Dolphin, Panini, and Sergio Bonelli Editore; Alessandro Lise, screenwriter associated with Coconino and BeccoGiallo; Riccardo Zanini, editorial director of Diabolo; and Camilla Fassina, secretary of TCBF.
By entering, artists retain ownership of their work. However, they grant Associazione Fumetti in Treviso a non-exclusive right for five years to reproduce and distribute the submitted works through print and/or other communication media for promotional purposes connected with the competition, without additional remuneration. The association undertakes to credit the respective authors.
Artists should therefore ensure that their submission complies with the originality, publication, technical, privacy, and intellectual-property requirements before submitting.