Brussels Comic Artist Residency Program 2026

Comic Maker Residency for WA Artists

The Perth Comic Arts Festival, in association with the Musée de la Bande Dessinée, is very proud to present the first comics-artist residency in Brussels available to Western Australian artists.
Between October and December 2026, for three weeks, the Museum is hosting Belgian and international comic artists in Brussels for an artistic residency. This residency, with the support of PCAF, is available to a Western Australian comics-maker. The residency will bring together artists to share, explore, and inspire one another.

Important dates

Applications open: 26th of July, 2026
Applications close: 14th of August, 2026
Applicants notified: 31st of August, 2026
Residency Period: 3 continuous weeks, between the 10th of October and 15th of December (to be decided in consultation with PCAF and the Museum).

Video: Official Presentation of the Musée de la Bande Dessinée

Maison Marc Sleen
Image: Michel wal, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

About the Residency

The goal of the residency is for an artist to work on their own current artistic project, during the defined period, in a shared workspace. The Western Australian artist will not be required to complete their project during the residency, but will dedicate the residency to focused work on their project.

With the help and advice from the Museum, the residency will allow the Artist to:

Meet professionals who can help them in their work
Dedicate time to creation in an inspiring location
Develop their international professional network
Take part in activities and events with the support of one of the world’s leading comics institutions.

The Museum will provide the Artist with a workspace for the period of the residency. The workspace is located at Maison Marc Sleen, rue des Sables 33, 1000 Brussels (opposite the Museum). The Museum undertakes to organize the residency with the Artist to enable them to work optimally on their project, following the Artist for the duration of the residency and doing its best to:

Provide help and advice on their work
Share professional contacts and facilitate meetings
Invite the Artist to public or networking events that would happen during its stay
Include the Artist in the Museum activities, if the programming allows it
The Museum will also provide the artist with 50€ per diem for up to 21 days

PCAF will support the artist by:

Assisting the artist with finding accommodation in Brussels for the duration of the residency
Provide $3000 AUD towards accommodation costs for the duration of the residency
Provide $2000 AUD towards return flight costs to Brussels from Perth

About the Musée de la Bande Dessinée

The Musée de la Bande Dessinée, also known as the Belgium Comic Strip Center and the Comic Art Museum Brussels, is an incredible museum dedicated to Belgium Comics. Established in 1984, the museum is housed in a beautiful Art Nouveau building designed by Victor Horta.

The Belgian Comic Strip Center’s aims are twofold: to promote the comic strip as a valuable cultural medium and to maintain the architectural masterpiece which it is housed in.

PCAF is delighted to be collaborating with this institution of international comics culture for the first time.

For more information, visit their website here.

Video: Musée de la Bande Dessinée discussing their 35th anniversary & new exhibition

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility

Who can apply?
Comic artists meeting all of the following criteria:

A practicing comics artist based in Western Australia with a graphic novel or long-form comic currently in process
An Australian citizen or Permanent Resident with an up-to-date passport
At least 18 years of age

Who can’t apply?
The following are ineligible for this opportunity:

Applicants under 18 years of age
Applicants bringing a comic script project (i.e. a written comic with no art).
Applicants using generative AI for any part of their comics project or residency application.

Applicants will be asked to confirm their eligibility as part of the application process.

Residency Cost & Financial Support

PCAF will support flights to and from the residency to the value of $2000 AUD, and accommodation to the value of $3000 AUD. The Musée de la Bande Dessinée will support the residency with a 50€ per diem for up to 21 days.

Insurance

The successful applicant will be responsible for organising and covering the cost of their own travel insurance.

The Residency

Location:
PCAF will assist the applicant with finding suitable accommodation for the duration of the residency.

Workshop:
Musée de la Bande Dessinée will provide a workshop space for the duration of the residency. The workshop is located at Maison Marc Sleen, rue des Sables 33, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.

feedback

PCAF is unable to provide individualised feedback on unsuccessful applications.

Further Enquiries

Any questions about the 2026 Brussels Residency Application should be directed to Stuart Medley (stuart@pcaf.org.au). Please understand that PCAF can give general advice only – we cannot help you with your application.

Assessment Process

Applications are assessed in a two-stage process. First, the PCAF Committee will determine a shortlist of suitable applicants. Then, this shortlist will be sent to the Musée de la Bande Dessinée, who will determine the winning application.

Selection Criteria

Applications are assessed against the following criteria: Artistic Merit (40%)

Creative rationale
Originality and context
Quality of work

Impact of the Residency (40%)

Benefit to the applicant’s professional development
Capacity to diversify voices and creative approaches,
Potential to contribute or enhance quality of programming at PCAF
Development of international relationships between Australia and Brussels

Proposals should include how the applicant intends to share the lessons and experience of their residency with the PCAF audience. Imaginative or innovative proposals on how best to bring positive attention to PCAF during and after the residency will be well regarded, for example, applicant has particular ideas on documenting their stay for social media impact. Viability of proposal (20%)

Realistic and achievable planning
Demonstrated ability to fulfill commitments
Suitability to the Musée de la Bande Dessinée facility and program
Relevance of artistic collaborators to proposal

Decision-making Process

In the decision-making process, the following factors are considered:

Cultural inclusivity and diversity
Recognition of First Nations heritage or community affiliation
Balanced representation of emerging and established artists

Apply

Applicants must submit their own digitised, original work examples to support their application. Your application must include:

At least 10 and up to 20 comics pages of your comics project. These do not have to be completed comic pages, but should be understandable by someone not familiar with your comic and should communicate a clear sense of style and narrative.
^{(acceptable file formats: PDF, JPG, PNG up to 20MB)}
Up to 2 A4 pages of written material addressing the selection criteria.
^{(acceptable file formats: PDF up to 20MB)}
A current CV/Bio.
^{(acceptable file formats: PDF up to 20MB)}

Please Note:

Applications must be received by August 14, 5PM (WAST). PCAF will not accept late applications.
Once applications are submitted, they cannot be updated and additional support material will not be accepted after the closing date.
It is recommended you save your application as you go to avoid losing your work in case of disruptions to your network.
The use of generative AI, either to write your application or to create your comic project, is strictly prohibited. PCAF reserves the right to disqualify any application that makes use of generative AI (for more information, see our AI statement).