When and where will the Nib & Ink Festival be?
The Cartoonist Cooperative’s Nib and Ink Festival will be held from May 1st, 2026 12 pm EDT to 12 am EDT on June 1st, 2026. NIF takes place entirely online- you don’t need to go anywhere! The marketplace will be available 24/7 every day with the panels and events broadcasted on the weekends throughout the month of May.
Why NIF?
In an era where an internet connection can be found in every country, there’s a significant lack of international, online-first comic events. Sometimes festivals stream panels, but it isn’t consistent and doesn’t allow for readers to participate in a more significant way.
Nothing can quite match the feeling of being at a real-life event, but we can certainly try! A few reasons as to why NIF was put together are:
✒️ The desire to host work from amazing authors worldwide without them being hindered by travel or printing costs.
✒️ A lack of proper airborne illness protocols at comics festivals can force our most vulnerable community members into isolation; they deserve to be present at events too.
✒️ The ability to host a more relaxed, stable atmosphere for panelists and artists alike; spacing everything out across a month makes it less stressful than selling and talking for 14 hours a day for multiple days straight
Who runs this?
NIF is run by a committee of 19 members of The Cartoonist Cooperative volunteering their time! We’re split into multiple teams that handle submissions, promotions, events, funds, and the website. This way the work of running a festival doesn’t fall all on one individual- we’re stronger together!
To learn more about the NIF Committee, please see our full Committee page.
Who can apply to exhibit?
Current members of the Co-op who have memberships at least three months old as of their submission application may apply to exhibit their comics in NIF. If you have been a Co-op member for less than three months, you can still submit your comics for NIF if you commit to volunteer in some capacity within the following year (such as on a committee).
When are the exhibit deadlines?
We will only have one round of submissions for NIF this year and moving forward, so please keep those submission deadlines in mind!
Submissions for the Marketplace (including the Webcomics Sampler and Oops All Comics! zine) and for Event Programming will open on Sept 1st at 12am ET and close on to Oct 1st at 2:59PM ET.
Please also note that our review period for comics and event proposals is expected to be between October to November. Depending on the number of submissions we receive, though, this may be adjusted slightly, but rest assured that you will receive an email notifying you of your acceptance or rejection once the reading period is complete!
As this is a digital space rather than a physical one, there is technically no limit to how many exhibitors (providing they are Co-op members!) can apply. Submissions are not first come first served and are juried.
Who can apply for panels/events?
As long as at least one Co-op member is involved, anyone can! Some examples are:
✒️ Four cartoonists want to talk about their experiences getting graphic novels published. One cartoonist is a member of the Co-op and fills out the events form. The other three are not members. ✅
✒️ Four cartoonists want to talk about looking for agents, but none of them are in the Co-op. Even if they apply during the submission period, their panel will not be accepted. ❌
✒️ One artist wants to stream their inking process for attendees to watch. This artist has been a member of the Co-op for over three months. ✅
✒️ One artist wants to stream brush making. They are not currently a member of the Co-op, but had a friend in the Co-op submit their form. ❌
✒️ Four cartoonists want to talk about their different book printing experiences. The cartoonist filling out the form is not a co-op member, but at least one of the artists involved is a co-op member. ✅
When are the panel/event deadlines?
Panel/event programming deadlines are the exhibit submissions. Event submissions are open from Sept 1st 12am ET to Oct 1st 2:59PM ET.
Is there a fee for exhibitors or attendees?
No! The event is entirely free.
Is there a fee for comics sold in the store?
There is a small credit card processing fee, but otherwise 100% of the sale goes to the creators. If the comic is free, no CC fee is applied. If the comic is PWYW, the CC fee scales appropriately.
Are there any limitations on comics submitted to the NIF store?
All comics go through a review process involving multiple members of the submissions team.
✒️ Work that is cliched, bigoted, or in poor taste will not be accepted.
✒️ Webcomics that are incomplete and haven’t updated in over a year may be rejected from the sampler.
✒️ Comics for sale need to be 8 pages or 64 panels at minimum.
Comics made for adults or that deal with sensitive subjects are, of course, very welcome! Let us know in the submission form.