Pro Helvetia Strengthens Support for Comics

The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia is seeking applications for work grants and is unifying its existing support instruments in the field of comics. The aim is to provide more comprehensive support to the Swiss comics scene. The work grants for comics productions are to help consolidate comics as an independent art discipline and close existing gaps in support. The call for applications is to be launched as a pilot for the years 2020/21.

Switzerland boasts a vibrant comics scene, which has gained in visibility and audience range over the past few years thanks to dedicated courses, festivals, publishers and booksellers. In terms of both content and form, comics creators draw on current cultural and societal trends and are increasingly also drawing on modern technologies. The interdisciplinary nature of the genre is one reason why it is allocated to different categories at different arts promotion institutions (e.g. to literature, design or visual arts) and at some places misses out on support completely.

The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia is determined to close this gap in support and to strengthen comics as an art form in its own right. It has therefore decided to unify its existing support instruments in the field. These include festivals in Switzerland, exhibitions abroad, dedicated publications, reading trips, translations and residencies. As a pilot, Pro Helvetia will now also support the realisation of particularly promising projects with work grants of CHF 20,000 each in the years 2020 and 2021. The selection will be made by a specialist jury. Eligible to apply are Swiss arts practitioners and those holding permanent residency in Switzerland who have already had at least one comics production published.

Application details: Information sheet work grants for comics

Media information:
Pierre-Yves Walder
+41 44 267 76 46
pwalder@prohelvetia.ch

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Media Release
Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, 21 April 2020