The TCBF 2026 International Contest for New Comic Authors is part of the 23rd Treviso Comic Book Festival and is organized by Associazione Fumetti in Treviso in collaboration with Banca Prealpi San Biagio Credito Cooperativo. The 2026 call centers on a short comic story inspired by the theme “Relationships,” with stories and characters permitted to be fictional or based on real people and events.
Each submission must be a complete comic story of two to four pages, combined into a single PDF. Creators have full freedom in interpreting the theme and choosing drawing techniques and coloring styles, with both black-and-white and color work accepted; any text used in the comic must be in Italian or English.
The competition places original short-form comic storytelling within the Treviso Comic Book Festival program and has submissions assessed by an appointed jury that includes comic artists and writers, an editorial director, and TCBF staff. Its open-ended interpretation of “Relationships” gives creators room to develop a distinctive narrative and visual approach while working to a concise professional brief.
Entry fee: Free to enter; no entry fee is required for individual or group submissions.
Eligibility
Open to Italian and international beginner comic authors aged 18 or older by September 1, 2026, entering individually or in groups whose members all qualify as beginners, meaning they have never had employment contracts in comic drawing or writing, have never published ISBN-associated works with national or international publishers, and have never published in newspapers or magazines; comic-school students, contributors to fanzines or self-published projects, and previous TCBF contest participants are permitted, while each author or group may submit only one entirely unpublished and original comic, with tracing, reproduction of existing works and AI use prohibited and no part of the comic allowed to be published before September 27, 2026.
Prize
First prize is €500, second prize €300, and third prize €200; if a prize is awarded to a group, the group decides how to divide it. Winning entries receive featuring and promotion on TCBF’s social media accounts. Any special mentions will be announced during the September 27, 2026 award ceremony, and specially mentioned works will be published on TCBF channels alongside the winning entries.
