Fumetto International Comic Competition 2027: Blubb

Fumetto, the comic festival in Lucerne, Switzerland, runs one of the longest-standing international comic competitions in Europe. For 2027 the theme is "Blubb", an onomatopoeia open to any interpretation: cheerful shoals of fish, air bubbles or property bubbles, a deep-sea dive or melting glaciers. Entrants submit one comic of up to four pages, and entry is free. The deadline is 1 December 2026.

Forty-five shortlisted comics will be shown as originals at the Fumetto Comic Festival Lucerne, from 6 to 14 March 2027, in the Glacier Garden Lucerne.

Age Categories

• Category 1: 18 and over
• Category 2: 13 to 17
• Category 3: up to 12

Age is counted on the deadline day. School classes are welcome to take part as a group, with each work judged individually.

Who Can Enter the Fumetto Competition?

Anyone, from any country, can enter one comic. It suits:

• Comic artists and graphic novelists
• Illustrators who want to try sequential storytelling
• Art and illustration students
• Young comic fans and school classes

Last year's winners can enter again and reach the shortlist, but cannot win a prize.

Entry Fee

There is no entry fee.

Prizes

• Adults: CHF 1,111 (first), CHF 888 (second) and CHF 666 (third)
• Best scenario: CHF 444, chosen from the shortlist
• Younger categories: three prizes in kind each
• Audience award: voted by festival visitors, a prize in kind

Submission Requirements

Upload your comic as JPG files of at least 3,000 pixels via the online competition platform. Only comics, meaning stories told in several images, are accepted, with a maximum of four pages in A4 or A3 (no in-between sizes), portrait or landscape. Analogue and digital comics are both allowed, but the use of AI is excluded. Shortlisted artists must post their originals to Lucerne for the exhibition, at their own shipping cost; works are returned after the festival.

The Exhibition

A jury selects 45 works for the shortlist, shown as originals during the festival; works not selected are included digitally in the exhibition. The setting, the historic Swiss House in the Glacier Garden with its curious collection of objects, makes the show one of the festival's most visited venues.

Tips for Entering

Four pages is short, so build your story around one clear idea and a strong ending. Sound words are part of the theme, so think about lettering as a visual element. Surprise the jury: obvious takes on bubbles and fish will be common, while an unexpected angle, such as economic bubbles or climate change, stands out.

About the Festival

Fumetto is one of the most important comic festivals in Europe, held every spring in Lucerne. Alongside the competition, it presents exhibitions by international comic artists and illustrators, a small press fair and events across the city. Being shortlisted means your original pages are seen by thousands of visitors, publishers and fellow artists.

Planning Your Four Pages

Sketch the whole story in thumbnails before drawing anything final. Decide where the turning point falls and keep the last panel for the payoff. Make sure the pages still read clearly when shown as a JPG on screen, since judging starts digitally, and leave enough time to scan or export at the required size.

Things to Consider

• Free entry, one comic per person.
• Originals must be posted if shortlisted.
• No AI.
• Deadline: 1 December 2026.

Enter the Competition

Ready to draw your "Blubb" story?

Enter the Fumetto Comic Competition

The call for entries and the upload platform are on the Fumetto website.

Looking for more open calls? Browse all competitions and opportunities on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: November 2, 2026