The Balkans Throughout History – by Comics Alliance Networking for Balkans

The Comics Alliance Network for Balkans is a cross-border cultural network, enabling cooperation between artists and professionals from the world of comics in the Western Balkans and European Union.

This project is financed through the programme “Creative Europe” by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) – Bruxelles, as part of the call “Strengthening cultural cooperation with and competiveness of cultural and creative industries in the Western Balkans” (EACEA 39/2019).

Theme

The Balkans Throughout History

“CAN for Balkans” means the convergence between HISTORY, ART and PROPAGANDA. However given its call to the worldwide artists “CAN for Balkans” will create a comics legacy of the History and Art without Propaganda.

The resulting works portfolio will stand for an intercultural “dialogue” on Balkan history and will constitute the basis for both the exhibition and the catalogue design.

The new, original and historically themed comic strip concept should be about what brings together the Balkan world and not about what divides it, about positive examples in the shared history, about unity in diversity. The comic strips should be genuine reconciliatory artistical messages meant for peace and trust consolidation, for tolerance and respect.

This is why we invite you, dear artists, to contradict the negative clichés as well as the cultural and social stereotypes on and from the Balkan world.

The exhibition opens in Brasov, on the 14th of October 2022, during the International History Comics Festival 2022 and will be toured to Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Belgium.

Participation terms

WHAT?

Your project must absolutely be a comic strip and should embrace the above-mentioned theme. It may approach any historical period, from prehistorical times and antiquity until contemporary period. It may choose as subject a famous historic character or anonymous persons. It may focus on heroic acts, as well as on traditions cultural, economic, sporting or social events. It may be anything as long as it is a history comic strip and centers on the Balkan history and “contradicts” boldly the negative clichés as well as the cultural and social stereotypes of the Balkan area.

We encourage you to approach the Balkan area history issues trying to focus on what brings together the Balkan world and not about what divides it.

WHO?

The project “CAN for BALKANS – Comics Alliance Networking for Balkans” addresses artists anywhere in the world.

The applicants have to be at least 18 years of age.

The project is open to the creators regardless if they have been published or not.

Each applicant may submit maximum two comic strips.

HOW?

The work with the subject based on the theme “The Balkans throughout history” will be A3 format – (copy) board, minimum resolution: 300 dpi to allow printing on A2 format. The chosen topic may be approached in a work containing two up to nine boards.

The requestor must submit the application in the dedicated section on our website: https://www.canforbalkans.eu

The application will contain the work (scanned copy with min 300 dpi resolution) and the form filled with the following information:

• details on the work;
• the reason for choosing the subject;
• new historical information; (Optional)
• documentary sources used;
• whether the work has/has not been published already or if it is part of a previously published/about to be published paper, because only unpublished works are selected for participation in the contest;
• short personal biography (studies, exhibitions, links to/images for own works, etc).

The works will be in English or one of the languages of the project partners (Albanian, French, Macedonian, Romanian, Serbian) and will follow the theme of the call.

The catalogue will be published in English language.

The selected artists who made the works in the languages of the partners, agree, by sending the work, also to carry out the comic strips in English, within 10 working days after receiving the translated text from the organizer.

WHEN?

The application has to be sent exclusively in electronic format until 17 July 2022 (inclusive).

Benefits for the artists

If selected, the artist benefits of:

• the publishing of the work in the online platform of the project;
• the publishing of the work in the project catalogue;
• the display of the work in the international touring exhibition, during at least October 2022
• March 2023: Romania (Brasov International History Comics Festival), Albania (Albania national Museum – Tirana), Belgium (Comics Art Museum – Brussels), Serbia (School of Comics – Leskovac), the Republic of Macedonia (Comic Centre of Macedonia – Veles).

Awarded prizes:

2022 edition awarded prizes:

The Big prize: 1000 eur – gross amount

The First prize: 800 eur – gross amount

The Second prize: 500 eur – gross amount

The Third prize: 300 eur – gross amount

Five winners will be handed mention awards in value of 200 eur – gross amount per each prize: each partner country gives a mention award to one of their participant artists who did not receive any prize but won the highest score among the artists from that respective country.

The selected comic strips will be presented during the project, in the online platform, in the catalogue and will be displayed in the traveling exhibition in Romania, Serbia, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Belgium during October 2022 – March 2023.

A prize supplier agreement will be closed among the project leader and the prize winners and the mention awarded participants respectively. The winners will send the original works for display purpose in the main section of the project exhibition, which must include original boards.