Thought Bubble and Travelling Man have again teamed up to present micro-bursaries for 9 UK-based early career comic creators.

Three recipients will be selected from each of the following: Disabled Comic Creators, Comic Creators of Colour, and Trans/Non-Binary Comic Creators. Recipients will receive £400 in cash, and a table at Thought Bubble Comic Convention 2026.

We are looking specifically for comic creators who are early in their careers. This can be anyone who is unpublished as a comic creator, but who is currently working on creating comics (see eligibility below for more details).

To put your name forward, please complete the form below, the deadline is 11.59pm BST on Sunday 12 July 2026.

Apply Here

Bursary Eligibility

  • Identity is at the sole discretion of the individual applicant.

  • Recipients must be early career comic creators; i.e. not have been previously published by a big-name publisher. Self published and small press are still eligible. 

  • Recipients must be UK-based and hold a UK bank account or a PayPal.

  • Past micro-bursary recipients are not eligible for this selection round.

  • Recipients must be available to travel to Harrogate Convention Centre on the weekend of 14 & 15 November 2026, and exhibit on both days of the Thought Bubble Comic Convention.

Terms & Conditions

  • Selected applicants will need to agree to the full Thought Bubble Terms and Conditions, which can be found here: thoughtbubblefestival.com/exhibit

  • The applicant must be over the age of 18.

  • The selection process will be curated by the Thought Bubble team.

  • Applicants can only put their name forward via the relevant form.

  • Deadline for entrants is 11.59pm BST on Sunday 12 July 2026.

  • Please note, the selected creators will not be announced publicly, however they are welcome to share their attendance publicly should they choose to.

Bursary FAQ

I am an exhibitor already, can I put my name forward? - Yes! Providing the other eligibility criteria is met. Just tick the option on the form to say you are a current exhibitor. If you’re selected, your table fee equal to that of the bursary will be refunded.

I am a past recipient of this micro-bursary, can I put my name forward? - Recipients from the previous years are not eligible to apply for this year’s bursary. This is to allow us to support as many creators as possible.

Can I put my name forward for more than one bursary? - If you fit the criteria, then yes! However you can only be selected as a bursary recipient once.

Can I put my name forward as a collective/creative team/joint applicant? - We are only accepting solo submissions at this time.

Why are the bursaries only open to UK-based creators? - The bursary requires attendance at Thought Bubble Comic Convention, and is to support and uplift creators in the UK. You do not need to be born in the UK or hold citizenship, just be based here.

I have more questions! - No problem! Email them to us at info@thoughtbubblefestival.com