Art Show & Auction

As KiScon 2024 is a hybrid con with an in-person AND online art show and auction, these traditional and much beloved parts of the convention are more complicated than they were at a purely online or purely in-person event. In the following, we are trying to explain everything as clearly and concisely as we can. Should you still have questions that have not been answered here, please get in touch with us at artshow@kiscon.org.

First things first, the art show and the auction usually have a certain overlap, but you can sell artworks at the auction that are not featured in the art show, and you can submit art to the art show that is not for sale. You do not need to be a registered attendee to submit art to the art show or to the auction!

The Art Show

The art show aims to showcase a great variety of K/S fanart, trying to convey how rich in talent and creativity our fandom is.

To ensure that both in-person and online attendees can enjoy the show, it will be presented via a slideshow vid that will be accessible online throughout the convention weekend (and afterwards on our website). We will also show it on the big screen during the opening ceremony on Friday night.

In addition there will be space in the Rec Room at the hotel to host a small exhibition and show physical artworks that attendees bring to the convention in person. If you plan to bring physical artworks to the con, please do not forget to submit a photo or scan of it to the art show vid, so that our online members can also marvel at it.

For all submissions to the art show, please use our online form. Deadline: 15 September 2024.

You can submit both digital art and traditional art that feature Kirk or Spock or both (K/S or K&S) that you created (paintings, drawings/prints, but also three-dimensional artworks like sculptures, amigurumi, fibre craft, jewellery etc.); the latter needs to be either scanned or photographed. The show itself is purely digital and welcomes pieces from all K/S fans, not only registered con attendees. If you would like to see for yourself what this art show will be like, please have a look at our 2022 or 2023 vid. We do not accept AI-generated art for the art show! Good-quality files in jpg or png format (300 dpi) are recommended, so that your work will look its best in the vid. Please include your exact artist name and the title of your works, plus any kind of information (e.g. medium, year of creation) that you would like us to mention. The artworks do not need to have been created for the convention, but can be as old or new as they come. You can only submit art to the art show that you have created yourself or for which you have express permission from the creator (e.g. a friend who’s not active in fandom anymore but gave you the permission to submit their artworks). If you would like to not only show your art but also offer some for sale in the auction, please make sure to tell us for each artwork that you include in the form whether it is for sale (then include the starting bid, please) or not.

Which brings us to…

The Auction

You do not need to be a registered attendee to offer items in the auction, but only attendees (in-person or online) are able to bid on items.

What is accepted for the auction?

• Traditional, physical artworks: paintings, drawings, prints, but also three-dimensional artworks like sculptures, amigurumi, fibre craft, jewellery etc.
• Digital artworks or hybrid artworks (e.g. a drawing on paper that you digitally altered afterwards); AI-art is not permitted, without exception. Digital items will be delivered to the buyer as high-resolution files; it is sensible to include clear information what rights the buyer acquires along with the artwork, i.e. what the buyer is allowed to do with the file (e.g. use it as illustration for their fic on the AO3? use it to prettify their website?)
• Trek merchandise or collectibles (mugs, T-shirts, plates etc.)
• Trek zines (especially rare editions), pro novels (especially hard-to-find ones)
• The item must be K/S or K&S or Star Trek in general.
• You must be the rightful owner of the item that you offer for sale or have express permission from the owner if you sell it for someone else.
• In the case of artworks this means: you do not need to be the artist, but you need to be the current owner of the artwork; the artist’s permission is not needed.

How can you submit items to the auction?

Whether artworks or any other kind of items, please submit your lots via the same online form that we use for the art show, and make sure to include the starting bid, a picture that we can use in the auction catalogue (low-res is sufficient for this purpose), and any kind of information that you deem important about the item (e.g. medium, year of creation, who made it, what’s special about it) or for the delivery after the auction (will you be able to hand it over at the convention, do you offer shipping, any restrictions, where are you shipping from). If you would like to dedicate one of your auctioned artworks or a percentage of it to the con charity (to be announced later) or to the support of KiScon itself, please let us know at the time of submitting the artwork.

Please take note that any and all items for the auction must be registered via this online form, no matter if you intend to bring them along to the con or prefer to just ship them to the buyer afterwards! We cannot accept doorstep submissions at the con, as we need to prepare the auction catalogue and bidding sheets well in advance.

Lots submitted for auction will be featured in an auction catalogue that will be part of the digital goodie bag each con attendee receives via Conline, and they will also be listed in the print version of the program booklet that our in-person attendees receive. If an item goes into live auction it will either be presented on stage at the con, or on the big screen if it’s not physically present. This also means that in-person attendees do not need to shlep their auction items to the hotel, and that potential buyers do not need to worry about fitting the newly acquired treasures into their luggage. You can ship your artworks and other items after the convention!

When does the auction take place?

This hybrid auction will have a digital and a live part, and both are open to all attendees, be they online or in-person at the hotel.

Bidding first opens on Friday, 1 Nov 2024, 8:00 a.m. PDT, with each lot having its own online bidding form. This silent part of the auction will stay open until Saturday, 2 Nov 2024, 11:59 p.m. PDT. On Sunday, 3 Nov 2024, 9:00 a.m. PST, our live auction will start. All items that have more than two bids on their bidding sheets will go to live auction – this year it will be live-streamed via Zoom, so that both in-person attendees at the hotel and online attendees glued to their screens can take part and submit their bids. (The camera will show the stage where our auctioneer is presenting the item, not the audience!)

Items with two or fewer bids on their bidding sheets will automatically go to the highest bidder that got their bid in on time.

How does bidding work?

For the first, virtual part of the auction, each of the lots listed in the catalogue has its own bidding form; click on the link and the form will open in your browser (alternatively, you can copy/paste the link). It’s powered by GoogleForms, but you do *not* need to be logged into a Google account in order to bid. The form shows you the number and title of the lot, the starting bid, and a preview pic of the artwork, so that you can make sure that you are bidding on the correct item. Fill in your badge name (which you also use on Conline), and your bid (whole numbers only, no currency symbol, all bids are in USD). For each bidding form there is a spreadsheet working in the background that records all the bids with their timestamps; you can access this spreadsheet (viewer-only) directly from within the form to check what the current high-bid is.

This process is just the digital version of the bidding sheets we used at past in-person KiScons, where people would wander through the art exhibition and put down their name and bid on the little paper in front of each artwork they fancied. Both online and in-person attendees will use the online bidding forms to get their bids in.

This digital silent auction will be completely transparent for all participants thanks to the automatic timestamp that is added whenever a bidding form is submitted. We only collect the badge names and bids, no email addresses, as only registered KiScon attendees can bid on items; so you only see information that you would also see on the paper bidding sheets at an in-person convention.

Your bid is binding, and if you win a lot as the highest bidder you will be required to pay this amount (plus postage, if it’s a physical item that needs shipping) to the seller.

What happens if I submit my bid, but someone else submits theirs at the same time and now there are two equally high bids on the spreadsheet for this item?

All hail the mighty timestamp feature. Should both you and someone else submit, for example, a bid of $ 50, then the timestamp will tell you who was first. (It’s much like calling out a bid in the auction room at the same time as another person, but the timestamps will make it easier to see who was quicker.) Fear not, you can always submit a new, higher bid. The closer we get to the deadline for bid submissions, the more heated bidding will become. Check back often if you have set your eyes on the item of your dreams! You can bid as many times as you want.

How do we know the winning bidder for an item?

For items with two or fewer bids, the timestamps on the bidding sheets will also determine the winning bid. Closing the bidding forms for submissions is a manual process, so not all forms will immediately close right at the very moment the clock strikes 11:59 p.m. Bidding will still be over at that time, though, and any stray bids coming in later than 11:59 p.m. PST will be void. If you spot a form that has not yet closed, you cannot use this to your advantage.

Lots that have more than two bids on their bidding sheets will go to the live auction on Sunday morning. If the item of your dreams is among them (you can check this easily by looking at its bidding sheet – does it have more than two bids?), make sure to set your alarm clock and join the live auction at the hotel or via Zoom. We will have one eagle-eyed and bat-eared mod sitting in front of a computer to make sure all online bids will be included in our live auction. The winning bidder will be the one whose bid is so high that no one dares to top it.

I sold/won an item, yay! What happens now?

Congrats! In the case of digital art, the winning bidder will then get a very high-res file of the work (to set it apart from the version featured in the vid and auction catalogue). In the case of traditional art or any other physical item, the seller will either hand it over to the buyer at the con or send it to them by snail mail.

The hybrid format of KiScon 2024 does not make it possible for us to organise the actual exchange of money for art; it would not be feasible for us to store the physical artworks and send them across the globe to the winning bidders. This is also why we do not take any commission from the auction, although in the past the con auction was an important aspect of KiScon to recuperate costs. However, we hope that some sellers will graciously donate the proceeds or a percentage of the proceeds for this or that item to KiScon; your support helps us to run this con as smoothly as possible.
If the seller/buyer pair is not at the convention in person, we will match you up via email – we will use the email address you listed on the form (sellers) and the email address associated with your profile on Conline (buyers), so please make sure you give us the correct one. Give us some time to take care of this matchmaking for all lots, please. The con continues after the auction, and we will be busy moderating, presenting, and organising. You should find the email in your inbox several days after KiScon; if you have not received it, please check your spam folder and get in touch with us at artshow@kiscon.org.

Once you’ve got this email, you can discuss shipping and payment options with the seller/buyer directly. While KiScon does not handle the exchange of money and art for you, we will check in with both buyers and sellers to ensure fairness and accountability. Each buyer is ultimately responsible for transferring the money to the artist/seller, and each artist/seller for making sure the artwork gets safely delivered to the buyer.

What about international shipping?

Physical items listed can be shipped internationally, unless the seller mentions restrictions on the submission form. The winning bidder is responsible for the cost of postage. We strongly recommend choosing a shipping method that offers tracking to avoid lost items and hard feelings.

What about items that were auctioned for the con charity or for the benefit of KiScon?

Some sellers/artists generously opt for donating the proceeds of some items to KiScon or the con charity (to be announced later). To make things easier for the buyer, we ask you to please handle the transaction in the same way as for all other lots: you discuss the shipping and payment options with the seller, and then send them the required amount (winning bid & postage). The seller will send the item to you, and the seller will also send the donation to KiScon.

For any and all questions regarding the art show and auction, please get in touch with us at artshow@kiscon.org.