Artist Alley application fee follow-up

Posted February 17, 2026

Hello Kumoricon followers,

We would like to provide additional context and address questions that have come up regarding our recently announced Artist Alley application fee. As previously shared, there is now a $5 non-refundable application fee, plus a $0.14 card processing fee, required to be considered for Artist Alley. This fee is intended to discourage duplicate submissions from the same studio, automated bot entries, and bad-faith applications, including individuals applying under multiple names or business identities to increase their chances of acceptance. It also serves as a financial buffer to help offset continually rising venue and operational costs, reducing the need to further increase Artist Alley booth prices.

We want to be absolutely clear that this fee does not go to any Kumoricon staff member. Per our by-laws Kumoricon is a 100% volunteer-run event. No one on our staff, including our executive team or board of directors, is paid. Every hour spent organizing, planning and running the event is done by volunteers.

Our Artist Alley jury team generously donates their time to carefully review every portfolio for quality and policy compliance, including intellectual property violations, tracing, AI-generated or modified artwork, and stolen art. While all KumoriMarket applications are reviewed individually, Exhibitor and Creators’ Column submissions are received in smaller, more staggered quantities, making those review processes more manageable.

Last year, applications were open for only one hour and more than 1,000 submissions were received. This year applications will remain open for 24 hours, and we anticipate a significant increase in volume, which will naturally extend processing times. We are hoping to have a manageable amount for our staff to jury in a reasonable time to give artists time to plan and book travel if accepted.

We know this approach won’t benefit everyone, and it won’t solve every challenge. Our goal is to keep the event fair, affordable, and running strong for the long term. If you have any further questions, please direct them to artists@kumoricon.org. Thanks for being part of Kumoricon’s community and for continuing to grow with us. We appreciate you more than you know.