The Berlin Comic Exchange 2.0 is going to happen! After a successful first edition in 2025 Renate Comics Berlin & Cross Comix Rotterdam are teaming up again! We invite comic artists based in the Netherlands and Berlin to apply for this very exciting exchange program at Renate Comics in Berlin! apply now via the link below!
Deadline to apply is: April 7. we will notify you before the April 11 to let you know whether you are selected or not.
Note: you’re not allowed to enter if you participated in last year’s edition.
Click here to apply for the berlin comic Exchange 2026
What and when
From 8 to 11 of May this four day exchange will take place in Berlin. Five comic artists based in the Netherlands will travel to Berlin (Germany), and work on a collaborative comic zine together with five Berlin-based comic artists.
They will work in pairs of two (one Berlin artist with one Dutch artist) at the Renate Comics library in Berlin-Mitte to create two comic spreads together per pair. The main goals of this exchange: combining different styles, learning from each other, expanding an (International) network by meeting comic artists from abroad, and having fun, of course.
In 2026 we will organize two exhibitions with the comic spreads, one in Berlin and one in Rotterdam. After the exchange we will make one publication out of all the spreads and send it to all the artists who joined us, so everyone can print, sell and distribute it themselves! The zines will be also for sale at Renate Comics in Berlin and in the zine kiosk during the Cross Comix Festival in Rotterdam.
All comic artists who are selected are invited to bring their own work to the Renate Comics shop in Berlin so they can sell it in their store.
Important information
- Participants need to be based in the Netherlands or Berlin.
- All Dutch participants will get a € 300,- expense budget to cover their trip to Berlin and some of the public transportation costs in the city.
- It would be cool if the Berlin based artists can host one Dutch based artist during the exchange, but keep in mind this is not mandatory. We can pay hostel costs when needed!
- We will make sure all paired artists will get in contact with each other before the exchange, so they can get to know each other. If something feels ‘not right’ during this contact, please let us know.
- Food and drinks are not included during this exchange, so you will need to pay for that yourself.
- There will be one joint dinner for all during this exchange which will be paid by the organisation!
- This year the exchange will last four days, instead of last year’s three days. So we can hang out together, explore Berlin more and visit Comic Invasion Berlin!
- Berlin based artists who are selected get the chance to be part of this years Cross Comix festival in Rotterdam (11-12 september 2026) and collaborate with us !
Note: you’re not allowed to enter if you participated in last year’s edition.
Questions?
Contact saskia@crosscomix.nl. Or, if you are based in Berlin, contact alea via: bibliothek@renatecomics.de
About Renate Comics
Hello, we are the Renate Comic Library!
We are the only public comic library in Germany, with more than 37.000 comics, located in Berlin. At the Tucholskystrasse 32 in Berlin-Mitte.
We have been around for over 30 years, founded by enthusiastic comic artists right after the fall of the Berlin Wall, with the mission of getting people to know the magic and diversity of comics, and to support the local scene and inspire people to make their own.
Our space is managed by a self organised (and self financed) group of comic artists and enthusiasts, who run the library on a voluntary basis out of passion for the cause. In addition to our library we also offer comic courses for children and adults, organize regular get-togethers (which are the heart and anchor of the local comic scene) as well as digital ones, with important figures of the global comic scene, and collaborate tightly with different local comic festivals.
A small shop is also part of our space: it focuses on small press by local authors, with space for international artists alike: we aim big in our mission of supporting small comic artists and encouraging those who are just starting: we want to read your comics!
Several generations have grown up with the Renate; diverse as Berlin itself – it is an integral part of Berlin’s comic and cultural scene!
About Cross Comix
Cross Comix is a platform for visual storytelling, centered around a two-day festival in the heart of Rotterdam, dealing with graphic novels, comics, cartoons, animations and more. With exciting show & tell programs, exhibitions, workshops, a market where makers sell their own work, an international range of zines in the kiosk, performances and much more.
Cross Comix presents comics as a mature art form to a broad audience. Surprising and idiosyncratic cross-pollinations are made possible by linking comics to other art disciplines and current events, and supporting projects besides the festival itself.
Illustrations/visual open call by: alea Rodriguez & Saskia van Amstel
Photo’s Renate Comics: Saskia van Amstel
