Drawing contest for our promotional poster!

Artist submissions for a space in the Dealers Room may be over, but that does not mean you’re out of options to grab a table at our event! How, you ask? By participating in this very contest for our promotional poster for Nadeshicon 2018! The requirements remain fairly the same, with the exception of this edition’s theme. Thus, your drawing will need the following :
 
  • To star our two mascots, Nadeshiko and Saito.
  • To have one of the two characters wear a traditional japanese outfit, with the other wearing something more modern.
  • To follow this year’s theme of Canada-Japan relations. You will be required to feature our two countries’ cultures; we leave the specifics to your imagination.
  • To be suitable for a general audience.
  • While not required, we invite you to include our two new adorable mascots, Tsuki the fox robot, and Hoshi the Japanese buzzard, both of which live alongside Nadeshiko and Saito!
Of course, when talking about a contest, one has to mention the rewards. Following the same rules as last year, two winners will be selected, instead of one, although only the grand winner’s art will be used. As such, the second place winner will receive :
 
  • One (1) table in our Dealers’ Room, or $50, to their discretion.
The first place winner will be granted :
 
  • $50.
  • Two (2) tables in our Dealers’ Room, each tradeable for $50 instead, to their discretion.
The art of the grand winner will be used for promotional purposes, such as the poster and t-shirts, for which no additional royalties will be awarded. However, as per its uses, it is a great opportunity for visibility, so don’t forget to sign your art! So it can be used for thoses purposes, we also require the grand winner to submit us a high-res, colored version, a PDF version, as well as a vectorial, black/white lineart version for the t-shirts. While only the colored version is required to submit in the first place, we recommend preparing all three versions ahead of time, if not sending them all with your entry to simplify things afterward. Since the poster will be in 11×17 format, please make sure your drawing is of an adequate resolution.
 
Since we will be sharing the entries on our social medias, we encourage you to include in your email the name or nickname under which you wish to appear, and a link to your portfolio, be it Facebook, deviantArt or something else, so that we can credit you appropriately. You have until the end of the month of October to submit your art at [email protected]
 
You may find some reference pictures included in this post, on top of the designs of Tsuki and Hoshi, by Kunyue, linked before.
Also, as a last bit of news for artists who submitted for a space in the Dealers Room, winners will be selected shortly, so keep an eye on your emails throughout the week.
 
Best of luck to everyone!

We need you!

Autumn has arrived, and with it the promise of upcoming cold weather. However, before the needs arise to cover yourself in warm clothes, how about putting on some fancy ones?
 
The Maid Café is drawing near, and we are still looking for maids and butlers to make this event the best possible for everyone! Want in? Send us an email at [email protected]! You do need your own outfit, mind you 😉
 
Speaking of drawing near, the reservations for artist spaces in the Dealers Room are ending at the end of the month! Send in yours a.s.a.p.!

Maids and butlers still needed, and a few staff roles yet to fill!

The Maid Café is in just about one month, and, as such, we’re looking for more maids and butlers to brighten the day with their smiles! Looking for one more reason to dress fancy? Look no further! Send us your application at [email protected]! Please note that you need your own outfit.

While we’re talking about recruiting people, we’re also looking for just a few more people to complete our team! Here are the different roles left to fill:
-Marketing
-Dance night
-Photographers

While we do not ask for Wonder Guard, Swift Swim or even perfect IVs, there are a few requirements and responsibilities associated with each one of them. You may find them, in French, here.

See you at Animara Con in 10 days!

Details regarding the lottery, and definitions of merchants and artists!

Following the reactions to our latest post, we thought it would be a good idea to shed more light on the lottery system. While it is called that way, it does not revolve solely around luck; we will prioritize content related to the theme of our event, as well as diversity. This way, we will be able to offer you a unique and vibrant Dealers Room. We apologize for not clearing that up sooner.
 
A few times lately, we have been asked about the differences between merchants and artists. These inquiries made us realize such definitions were not readily available. But no more! On top of being in the merchants contract which will be made available tomorrow, here they are now, so you may no longer be astray:
 
Considered as MERCHANTS are:
  • Enterprises or individuals who are selling official goods, used or new, produced by manufactures
  • Enterprises that sells unofficial or homemade goods and that are registered as a business at the Registraire des entreprises du Québec or Canada.
Considered as ARTISTS are:
  • Enterprises or individuals who are selling unofficial or homemade goods and that may or may not be registered as a business at the Registraire des entreprises du Québec or Canada
With that being said, we would like to thank you for your feedback. Every year, we work tirelessly to make this the best, most fun event possible, and we’re now working on our 8th official edition thanks to you. Until then, see you at the Maid Café!

Changes to the procedure to rent a space in the Dealers Room, and reservations starting on September 1st!

Your voices were heard! Starting this year, reservations to rent a space in the Dealers Room will be done online! PDF forms are so 2016 anyway.
 
But that’s not all! To further remedy the problems artists were experiencing due to our increasing popularity, the procedure to rent an artist space will no longer follow the “first come, first served” basis. Instead, artists will be selected using a lottery held one month after the start of reservations. No more waiting list an hour after reservations open! That way, if your teacher decides to keep you the full 3 hours on the first week of class, on a Friday no less, or if your kid suddenly starts thinking crayons look delicious, you won’t run the risk of missing the chance to get your own space. That being said, this change won’t affect merchant spaces, which will still follow the “first come, first served” rule.
 
Reservations start in 3 days! We look forward to seeing your marvelous creations and merchandise in the Dealers Room!

Appointment of directors, and roles yet to fill!

We are happy to welcome the directors of the 2018 edition to the team:
 
  • Technical and TI: Benoît-Pierre Guay
  • Volunteers: Alexandre Belzile
  • Masquerade: Kimberly Bouchard
  • Cosplay guests: Fabienne Marquis
  • Projections: François Vézina
  • Idol: Manuella Coulombe
  • Security team: Marc-André Lamothe, Patrick Beauchesne and Catherine LaRue-thebault
  • Video Games Room: Jean-Christophe Morin
  • Graphist: Kunyue
  • Dealers room: Charles Beauparlant
  • Flea market: Pierre Courtemanche
  • Karaoke: Marie-Ève rigali and Philippe Belleau
  • Fashion show: Ichabod Pride
  • Marketing and media: Marie-Pier Touzin
Welcome to the team, and looking forward to making Festival Nadeshicon 2018 an amazing event with you!
 
That being said, some spots have yet to be filled. To that end, we are extending the applications period to June 18 for the following positions:
  • Panels
  • Guests (excluding cosplay guests)
  • Dance night
  • Marketing and medias (more specifically relating to sponsors)
  • Photography
If one of these positions tickle your fancy, please send us your application at [email protected]. Bear in mind that these positions require autonomy, wits, initiative and a sense of responsibility. Some also require you to recruit one or multiple assistants, or a team in some cases. Unless otherwise specified, the mandate of directors extends until the post-mortem, which will take place a few weeks after Festival Nadeshicon 2018.
 
In your e-mail, in lieu of a C.V., we invite you to share with us your motivations and experiences related to the desired position.
 
Who knows, maybe you will the next one to join the team!

Post-mortem of the 2017 edition!

Taking on the form of a exhaustive review of all the different aspects of the festival, the post-mortem meeting for the 2017 edition will be taking place on April 30th, starting at noon, in room 3105 of Pavillon Desjardins-Pollack on the Université Laval campus. If you would like to join us in giving us your comments and suggestions, we will be there for several hours, so you are welcome to do so!
 
Speaking of the 2017 edition, we received word concerning the final count of attendees! We were approximately 2300 in Pavillon Desjardins-Pollack during that weekend, discovering and spreading the love for Japanese culture and its various aspects! Thank you so very much!

Final hour

And so the 7th official edition, which was on the theme of luck, comes to a close! So many activities, guests, shows, screenings and panels all more memorable than the next.
 
The comments and suggestions panel has started. Be it bad, be it good, let it all out and let us know what you think of the festival. If you feel so inclined you may also make suggestions for the future for us to consider. The closing ceremony has also ended, marking the official end to this year’s amazing festival. A big thank you to all the guests, panelists, volunteers, medias, merchants, artists, and, of course, attendees for coming around and making this festival a success! We will see you all again next year for our 8th edition, but also in various events and conventions before that throughout the year!