2026 Sonic Expo: Atlanta - Artist Alley Application

Date & Location:

August 7-9, 2026

Cobb Galleria Center 

2 Galleria Pkwy SE, Atlanta, GA 30339

Application Timeline:

• Apps open: Friday, April 10th, 2026 
• Apps close: Friday, April 24th, 2026 @ 11:59PM CST
• Acceptance emails sent: Friday, May 1st, 2026 
• Table payment due: Friday, May 15th, 2026 (will be charged manually by staff on this date)
• Waitlist artists pulled: May 16th, 2026 and beyond as necessary

Table Information:

• Table fee: $225 USD 
• Included in package: one table, two chairs, two Sonic EXPO Atlanta 2026 artist badges
• Table size: 6 ft x 2.5 ft
• Additional helper badges can be purchased at a later date. You are allowed up to an 2 additional badges alongside the 2 provided; in other words: there is a 4 badge limit per table.

Submission Guidelines:

• Please provide a link to a portfolio that shows off your best work. 
• Acceptable portfolio links include: personal websites, carrd.co pages, Google Drive folder with share permissions turned ON, storefronts that will be open during the entire jurying process.
• Unacceptable portfolio links include: social media sites (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.), sites that require you to log into with an account to view, links with restricted access, closed storefronts, broken links. If we cannot access your portfolio link, we will decline your application.
• Ideally, your application should show merchadise photos and previous booth layouts. If you are new to tabling, digital mockups of your merch and table help the jury envision how you might fit into the con.
• Artist Alley tables are limited to selling products created by the artist. Reselling official merchandise is NOT permitted. (Transformative crafts upcycled from official merchandise such as fabric, toys, comics, etc. are allowed.)
• No bootleg, traced, AI generated, or stolen material.
• No explicit/NSFW material allowed.
• No double dipping applications. You are only allowed to apply for one type of space: either Artist Alley or Vendor. Any person caught applying for both will have both entries declined.

What Sonic EXPO is Looking For:

• Applicants should have art & merchandise examples in their portfolio or shop that are Sonic or SEGA themed.
• “Sonic” by this definition include official characters as featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog games, movies, comics, cartoons, or any other officially licensed media. 
• “SEGA” by this definition includes any property licensed and published by SEGA, ATLUS, Rovio, or any other company owned by SEGA Sammy Holdings. We also include Crypton Future Media in this list because of SEGA's significant involvement. 
• Any applications who do not include said IPs anywhere in their portfolio will be denied.
• Merch of other IPs are acceptable in a portfolio, and can be sold at Sonic EXPO.

Selection Process:

All applications will be juried by a small team of people, some of which are EXPO staff, some of which are outside staff to promote unbiased fairness and different perspectives in our selection process. Jurying is based on several criteria, which includes:

• The representation of Sonic and SEGA artwork present in your portfolio/shop.
• The uniqueness of art and merchandise you sell. Those who are selling rare products, hard to find characters, or have a unique art style have an advantage over typical merchadise.
• The categories of merchandise sold; making sure we have a good variety of things for attendees to buy amoungst the pool of chosen artists.
• Adherrence to all submission guidelines.
• We DO NOT jury based on previous con experience or follower counts. First time tablers welcome!

Table Sharing and Proxy:

• Artists can choose to table as a solo artist, or split the table with one other artist of their choosing when filling out the form.
• No more than two artists may split an AA table.
• If deciding to split with another artist, one person must be chosen as the "primary artist", which is where contact and payment invoice will be paid through if accepted.
• If you apply as a solo artist and decide after acceptance that you'd like to split a table, the secondary artist you onboard MUST have applied to Sonic EXPO Atlanta and MUST be of either waitlisted/accepted status, no exceptions. This is done out of fairness and to be sure we can properly screen all artists.
• We do not allow unvetted artists in our hall. If you are caught subletting your table to an artist who was not approved by Sonic EXPO staff, you will be barred from future events.
• Proxying is allowed at Sonic EXPO.

Artist Alley Display Rules:

• Artist alley setups MUST be confined to the table provided and the space behind the table.
• Additional tables or structures added to the front or sides such as coat racks, standees or shelves are NOT allowed. 
• Photostands and backdrops are fine so long as they are behind or clamped to the table.
• There is no official height restriction, but your setup MUST be made structurally sound and should be weighted/clamped to the table. Any tables deemed a potential hazard may be asked to change their setup. Any table setup 8 feet or taller (5 feet off the table) will be inspected by staff for safety.
• If you are interested in having more space and layout freedom, we recommend applying for the vendor hall.

Payment:

Table payment will be done through Eventeny. The first wave of acceptances will be given a two week grace period for payment. On May 15th, we will start charging whatever card you have on file. PLEASE be sure your payment info is correct, your card is not expired, and you have succifient funds attached to that card. Any application that has their card decline will sadly forfeit their spot at Sonic EXPO and the associated application will be moved to the very bottom of the waitlist.

Sales Tax:

All artists at Sonic EXPO Atlanta must have a Georgia Sales Tax ID to sell in the artist's alley. You do not need one at the time of application, but it must be completed in time for Sonic EXPO Atlanta should you be accepted. Creating one is easy and can be done so here: https://dor.georgia.gov/taxes/business-taxes/sales-use-tax/sales-and-use-tax-registration-faq 

Waitlist Info:

If you are ultimately not selected to have a table, there is an option to sign up for a waitlist in case of any potential dropouts. If space has opened up, you will be reached out by email if you are selected to fill. Please keep in mind: If accpeted off the waitlist, your Eventeny application will change its status to approved, and your card will be charged automatically.

Cancellation Policy:

In the event you are accepted but are no longer able to attend Sonic EXPO Atlanta, please let the staff know as soon as possible via Eventeny or by email. If you inform staff of cancellation by July 1st, 2026, we can refund your table payment. Unfortunately, we cannot issue any refunds beyond this date.

If you have any further questions regarding this application, feel free to contact us via email at vendors@chaoscreators.com 

Sonic EXPO staff reserve the right to decline any applications for any reason stated here or otherwise.