Call for Indigenous Cartoonists: Visual Storytelling at the 2026 Arctic Winter Games
Project: Visual Storytelling in the Indigenous North in partnership with the Arctic Winter Games International Committee (AWGIC)
Location: Whitehorse, Yukon
Dates: March 8–15, 2026 (Games), with comics due September 2026
Compensation: $3,000 honorarium for a 12-page comic (or series of comics totalling 12 pages)
Travel: Flights, accommodation, and daily food per diem provided
About the Arctic Winter Games
The Arctic Winter Games (AWG) are a biennial circumpolar sporting and cultural event created in 1970 to promote athletic competition, cultural exchange, and friendship across the North. The Games feature both traditional Arctic sports—such as the one-foot high kick—and mainstream sports like hockey and skiing. They celebrate athletic excellence, cultural pride, and social interaction, bringing together participants from:
- Northwest Territories
- Yukon
- Nunavut
- Alaska
- Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland)
- Nunavik (Northern Quebec)
- Northern Alberta
- The Indigenous Sámi peoples of Norway, Sweden, and Finland
The next Games will take place in Whitehorse, Yukon, from March 8–15, 2026.
About the Project
Visual Storytelling in the Indigenous North is a multi-year SSHRC-funded project that works with Indigenous artists, communities, and cultural institutions to celebrate survivance stories of First Nation, Métis, Inuit, and Sámi peoples through comics and other media. Our goal is to use storytelling as a methodology for solidarity, resilience, and cultural renewal.
In collaboration with the Arctic Winter Games International Committee, we will support three-five Indigenous cartoonists to attend the 2026 Arctic Winter Games and create original comics that reflect their experience of the Games, highlight participant stories, or explore themes of cultural exchange, athletic competition, and Indigenous survivance.
Artist Commitment
Selected artists will:
- Attend the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon, for 3–5 days in March 2026.
The project will cover travel (flight), accommodation (3-5 nights at The Sternwheeler Hotel & Conference Centre), and provide each artist with $80 per day for meals (based on the UBC per diem rate). - Participate in strategic dialogues with AWGIC, AWG participants, and the project team.
- Produce a 12-page comic (or series of shorter comics totalling 12 pages) inspired by their experiences at the AWG.
Compensation: Each artist will receive an honorarium of $3,000.
Support: Travel, accommodation, and per diem for meals will be covered.
Preference: Preference will be given to Indigenous artists with contemporary, ancestral, or kinship ties to the Yukon and Northern Canada.
Timeline
- November 2025: Call for Indigenous Cartoonists
- January 2026: Zoom meeting with AWGIC to identify strategic goals
- March 2026: Site visit to Arctic Winter Games, Whitehorse – story identification
- May 2026: First draft/thumbnails due
- June 2026: Feedback from editorial team
- September 2026: Final comics due
- March 2027: Publication event and exhibition, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse
How to Apply
Please submit the following in a single PDF:
- Artist statement (1 page) describing your interest in the project and your connection to the Yukon or Northern Canada (if applicable).
- Portfolio of 5–10 pages of recent comics work (published or unpublished).
- Short CV (max 2 pages).
Deadline: December 1, 2025
Send any questions to: indigenous.comics.initiatives@ubc.ca