Professionals
WonderCon is pleased to provide badges to professionals who are active in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, digital/webcomics, comic strips, and animation, as well as genre-related illustrators and science fiction/fantasy authors and book editors. This includes roles such as writer, artist, penciller, inker, colorist, letterer, and animator.
WonderCon 2024 Professional Badge Registration is now open!
If you have been approved as a professional for WonderCon 2024, or if your professional verification status is NOT DUE, please visit our Professional Registration page for detailed instructions regarding badge registration. WonderCon 2024 Professional Badge Registration will close March 25, 2024.
JUMP TO PROFESSIONAL CONTENT:
The Basics
Registering as a professional for Comic-Con & WonderCon is a two-step process!
1. Apply for professional status:
Before you are eligible to register a professional badge for either Comic-Con or WonderCon, you must first apply for professional status. For details on the application process, please visit our Professional Application page. If approved, you will be eligible to register badges for three years of shows before needing to re-verify your status. Applications for WonderCon 2024 were due by September 15, 2023. Applications submitted after this date will be reviewed for our 2025 shows and beyond.
2. Register a badge:
If you have been approved or are NOT DUE, you are eligible to register a professional badge for upcoming shows! Not sure if you are NOT DUE? See “Verification Status” below! IMPORTANT: Even if you have been approved as a professional, you must still separately register a badge for each of our shows that you wish to attend. Badge allotments are guaranteed but are not automatically added to your account!
Already approved?
Each verified professional may request a complimentary WonderCon 2024 badge for up to two guests, until capacity is reached. All professional guests must have their own valid and confirmed Member ID. To create a Member ID, click here. Guest badges are limited, and not all guests can be accommodated.
Children (age 12 and under) are free with a professional badge and do not count toward your guest limit. Child badges must be registered on-site at the Registration Area in the Anaheim Convention Center. Please note that the child must be present to receive a badge. There will be no on-site registration for adult professionals or guests.
Verification Status
To determine your professional verification status, log in to your Comic-Con Member ID account and look under “Account Settings” on the left of the screen. If you have not previously applied, no professional verification status will be displayed. If you are a returning professional, you will see a professional verification status displayed as either “Professional: Not Due (Expires:____)” or “Professional: Due.”
If “Not Due” and a date are displayed, you are currently NOT DUE and will be eligible to register as a professional. The date displayed is the date that your professional status will need to be re-verified. Once it expires, you will be notified that you are due to re-verify, and provided with instructions regarding our next application period.
If “Due” is displayed, you are currently DUE. It has been more than three years since your last verification, and you will not be eligible for Professional Badge Registration unless you apply and are approved as a professional.
If you are a first-time professional applicant, no professional verification status will be displayed. You will not be eligible for online Professional Badge Registration unless you have applied and are approved as a professional.
CHECK YOUR COMMUNICATION SETTINGS!
To ensure that you will receive information from our Professional Registration department, we encourage you to log in to your Member ID account and make sure you have opted in to marketing email communication. You will not be notified of Comic-Con or WonderCon badge sales if you have not opted in.
Customize your opt-in preferences by logging in to your Member ID account and clicking “My Account Information”. If you want to receive important registration information, select “Yes” from the dropdown for “Do you want to receive marketing emails?”. On the same page, there are three additional opt-in preferences you can customize.
Professional qualifications
Due to the ever-increasing popularity of both WonderCon and the industries that serve the popular arts, we have updated the requirements and categories for Professional Badge Registration. As of our 2019 shows, the categories of “creative professional” and “trade professional” have been dissolved, and all members who meet the qualifications and are approved are simply considered “professionals.” All professional badges are granted the same level of access during the event. Each professional will be able to view their individual badge allotment (badge cost, guest badge(s) available, and registration information) in their Comic-Con Member ID account when badge registration is open. Please see below for information regarding the qualifications for professionals.
COMIC-CON AND WONDERCON are pleased to provide badges to professionals who are active in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, digital/webcomics, comic strips, and animation, as well as genre-related illustrators and science fiction/fantasy authors and book editors. This includes roles such as writer, artist, penciller, inker, colorist, letterer, and animator. Qualifying work must be provided to indicate a professional’s involvement in these projects.
We cannot guarantee professional badges to those who fall outside of the categories listed above. However, all other professionals and executives who are employed in entertainment and popular arts and culture fields (film, television, toy and apparel design, and other related industries) are welcome to apply, and we will consider each application on an individual basis. Not all professionals in these industries can be accommodated, and access to badges and guest badges may be limited.
As part of our commitment as an educational nonprofit organization, Comic-Con and WonderCon welcome educators and librarians to attend as professionals. If you fall under one of these professional categories, please feel free to apply.
WonderCon Professional terms & conditions
There will be NO on-site registration. You must be an approved professional before you can register for a professional badge. To apply to become a professional, you must submit a “Comic-Con and WonderCon Application for Professionals” and verification materials before the appropriate deadline date and be approved by San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC), the organizers of Comic-Con and WonderCon. Professionals must provide verification materials demonstrating their continued qualifying work in the industry every three years.
Professional badges and professional guest badges are limited and not all applicants who meet the guidelines can be accommodated. Professional verification and approval are ultimately at the discretion of SDCC. Badges for both professionals and guests are limited in quantity and will reach capacity quickly. All professional guests must have their own personal and confirmed Comic-Con Member ID. You may not register a guest unless they have their own Comic-Con Member ID.
Please keep in mind that a professional badge is a courtesy and is non-transferable. You may not transfer or sell your professional badge. Duplicate badges of any type are not allowed.