International Cluj Comics,
Illustration and Animation Festival

Regulations

Platforma BD - International Cluj Comics, Illustration and Animation Festival Edition I
November 7-10, 2024

I. Organizer, Objectives, Partners

Platforma BD - International Cluj Comics Illustration and Animation Festival is a competition festival initiated in Cluj-Napoca by the ArtiViStory Association and the ArtiViStory Collective. Since 2020, they have been expressing themselves through comics, sequential art, and animation, becoming active on Romania's cultural scene with various projects developed in partnership with significant national and international actors. Together, they aim to build a sustainable, inclusive, and organic ecosystem that supports, promotes, and creates new contexts for the development and improvement of young people's wellbeing through co-creation, visual communication, and cultural mediation.

ArtiViStory artists aim to strengthen a community dedicated to sequential art at both national and international levels, and Platforma BD represents a major project designed to provide a launching pad for young creators in the field. Artists, curators, and lovers of sequential art are invited to the festival to create an international dialogue across three creative directions: comics, illustration, and animation.

The theme of the first edition of the festival, "Thinking outside the box," encourages participants to explore new horizons and go beyond conventional boundaries through creativity and innovation, whether it's experimental techniques, unusual stories, audience interaction, novel characters, or a mix of techniques. We propose, through this theme, to initiate a dialogue about the meaning of creativity, about its (in)exhaustible sources of inspiration, and especially about the limitations and challenges faced by young artists in this field.

Partners: The University of Art and Design of Cluj-Napoca, The Art Museum in Cluj-Napoca, Cluj Youth Federation, Cluj Cultural Center, SC Propublic SRL - Signatura Publishing House.

The project is carried out with the financial support of the City Hall and the Local Council of Cluj-Napoca.

II. Categories

1. Comics: This category includes sequential art projects created in a succession of narrative panels / frames, original stories with or without text - dialogues of various genres and subgenres, created in analog and/or digital media in varied techniques, monochrome and/or polychrome.
1.1. One-page comic (see details in the Format section).
1.2. Comics between 8 - 24 pages (see details in the Format section).
1.3. Graphic novel between 24 - 56 pages (see details in the Format section).

2. Illustration: This category includes illustrated images and publications created in analog and/or digital media in varied techniques, monochrome and/or polychrome.
2.1. One-page illustration (see details in the Format section).
2.2. Illustration for publications (see details in the Format section).

3. Animation: This category includes films that fit the definition: "The art of animation is the creation of moving images through various techniques excluding direct filming methods." (ASIFA International Animation Film Association).
3.1. Short animated film (see details in the Format section).
3.2. Medium-length animated film (see details in the Format section)

III. Festival Period

Platforma BD - International Cluj Comics Illustration and Animation Festival will take place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, from November 7 to 10, 2024.

IV. Registration Deadline

The r egistration form can be completed online until July 13, 2024, at 11:59 PM (EEST) and can be found on the Artivistory website and on the ArtiViStory Collective's social media platforms.

V. Participants

The following categories of creators can register for the festival:
1. Students from higher education institutions with an artistic profile, both nationally and internationally;
2. Young artists aged 18 - 30;
3. Collectives of young artists aged 18 - 30.

VI. Competition Registration Rules

REGISTRATION FORM

General Requirements:

● Each section can include original projects created after January 1, 2020.
● All works / animated films must align with the festival's theme.
● The works / animated films must be original and claimed by the author / authors.
● Any style, medium, technique is accepted.
● Works submitted in the comics and illustration categories can contain texts written in Romanian, English, French, Italian, Spanish. All animated films with dialogues must have English subtitles.
● Works created using traditional / analog techniques must be scanned, digitally processed, and submitted in pdf format at registration and in print format for the exhibition, if selected for the festival.
● There is NO REGISTRATION FEE for the festival competition, regardless of the category.
● An author / collective of artists can submit a maximum of 3 projects / category.

Category Requirements:

Comics:
The author / authors of the comic who wish to enter the competition must complete the online form, upload the comic page and/or the entire comic (in pdf format with a maximum size of 25 MB and optimal resolution for web viewing), the front cover, and 1-2 representative pages of their choice in their own Google Drive folder with view access for anyone with the link.
The online form must include the Google Drive folder link.

Illustration:
The author/authors of the illustration who wish to enter the competition must complete the online form, upload the illustration and/or the entire illustrated book (in pdf format with a maximum size of 25 MB and optimal resolution for web viewing), the front cover, and 1-2 representative pages of their choice in their own Google Drive folder with view access for anyone with the link.
The online form must include the Google Drive folder link.

Animation:
The author/authors who wish to submit their film(s) must complete the online form, upload three frames (film stills of 1920x1080px with a maximum size of 25MB) in their own Google Drive folder with view access for anyone with the link, and add a private online link (YouTube/Vimeo) for selection. For films containing dialogues, English subtitles are required.

FORMAT:

1. Comics:
1.1. One-page comic (A3 portrait format, including the title and the author's name integrated into the comic page and composed in relation to the sequential frames).
1.2. Comics between 8 - 24 pages + front and back cover + front and back endpapers. The front cover and front endpaper must include the title and the author's name.
1.3. Graphic novel between 24 - 56 pages + front and back cover + front and back endpapers. The front cover and front endpaper must include the title and the author's name.

2. Illustration:
2.1. One-page illustration - format of choice with a maximum size of A2.
2.2. Illustration for publications (illustrated books, editorials, zines, or illustration books) - format of choice with a maximum size of A3, including the front and back cover and front and back endpapers. The front cover and front endpaper must include the title and the author's name.

3. Animation:
3.1. Short animated film (less than 3 minutes): recommended digital format with the following characteristics for the image: mov/mp4 encoder h264 max. 20000 kbps constant bit rate, ideal resolution 1080p (1920x1080), and sound: AAC 48kHz/16bit.
3.2. Medium-length animated film (over 3 minutes): recommended digital format with the following characteristics for the image: mov/mp4 encoder h264 max. 20000 kbps constant bit rate, ideal resolution 1080p (1920x1080), and sound: AAC 48kHz/16bit.

After selection, participants admitted to the festival will be informed by email about the format in which they need to submit the animated film for screening.

VII. Selection, Announcement of Results, and Submission of Works

● The selection committee of Platforma BD - International Cluj Comics, Illustration and Animation Festival selects the comic, illustration, and animation works that will participate in all three categories of the festival and makes the final decision.

● The selection results will be communicated directly to the selected participants via email by August 5, 2024.

● The selected works in the comics and illustration categories will be sent by the participants in physical format to arrive in Cluj-Napoca between September 1 - 15, 2024. The delivery address will be communicated via email to the participants selected for the competition. ONLY PRINT format works are accepted, regardless of whether they were initially created using traditional / analog techniques. These must be scanned at a minimum resolution of 300 DPI, digitally processed, printed on quality paper, and sent to the address mentioned in the selection confirmation email.

● The selected works in the animation category will be submitted between September 1 - 15, 2024, in the format requested in the selection confirmation email.

● Shipping costs are borne by the participants. Platforma BD - International Cluj Comics, Illustration and Animation Festival will provide each participant with details about the submission formalities of the works.

● The festival is not responsible for works that arrive after the deadline. To ensure the smooth running of the event, the organizers reserve the right to cancel the screening of films and the exhibition of works that arrive too late.

● The festival does not commit to returning the printed works submitted for exhibition. The comics, illustration, and animation works will be kept in the festival archive and will be exhibited, with the consent of the parties, in other contexts. The works will not be sold or transferred by the Platforma BD team.

VIII. Festival Events

1. Exhibitions
The selected works in the Illustration and comics categories will be exhibited at the Cluj-Napoca Art Museum and other connected spaces. A series of collateral exhibitions will be organized in Cluj-Napoca.

2. Video Screenings
The selected animated films will be screened during the festival, and Platforma BD - International Cluj Comics, Illustration and Animation Festival commits to seeking permission from the author/authors if additional screenings outside the festival are needed.

3. Art Book Fair
During the festival, a specialized fair will be organized, encompassing creators and producers of fanzines, comic books, illustrations, graphic novels, and prints.

4. Artist Talks
During the fair, meetings with artists (artist talks) and other types of cultural events will be organized.

5. Creative Workshops
A series of creative workshops will be organized within the Festival, connected to the festival's theme and the three artistic expression directions.

6. Cluj Schools Comics Competition
In parallel with the festival, the Cluj Schools Comics competition dedicated to students from Cluj schools will be organized.

IX. Awards

In 2024, the films and works selected for the various categories of the official competition will be judged by juries designated by Artivistory. The jury will award the following Platforma BD prizes:

● Comics: One Page Wonder, Short Comic Prize, Novel Prize
● Illustration: One Page Wonder, Picture Book Prize
● Animation: The Quick Frames, The Endless Frames Prizes
● Cluj Schools Comics Awards: Comic Tronc Prizes

X. Copyright

By registering for the festival, the participants agree to the following:

● The organizers have the right to exhibit and promote the works submitted to the festival in both print and digital formats.
● The participants retain the moral and patrimonial rights of their works. The organizers commit to promoting the authors' names and the titles of their works in any dissemination material.
● The participants declare that the submitted works are original, and in the case of any legal issues related to copyright infringement, the responsibility lies with the participants.

XI. Final Provisions

The decisions of the jury are final and cannot be contested.

● The organizers reserve the right to modify the present regulations if necessary, and the participants will be notified of any changes in due time.
● For any additional information or clarification, participants can contact the organizers at the email address: platformabd@gmail.com

XII. Jurisdiction

Participation in the festival implies acceptance of the aforementioned rules. In case of any disputes, they will be resolved in accordance with Romanian legislation. The organizer of the Platforma BD - International Cluj Comics, Illustration and Animation Festival, ArtiViStory Association, reserves the right to invoke force majeure as defined in Romanian legislation.

We look forward to your participation and wish you success in your creative endeavors!

CONTACT

Platforma BD - International Cluj Comics, Illustration and Animation Festival,
Piața Unirii 31, 400098
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Email: platformabd@gmail.com

Apply now

International Cluj Comics, Illustration and Animation Festival