Thank you for your interest in the Spirit of America Art Competition. Here is important information pertaining to entering the contest.

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CONTEST IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO AMERICAN CITIZENS

AND LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 

All entries must be submitted by the deadline currently listed on the main "Art Contests" website page; by 11:59 PM (Central Time). Artists may enter in one or all categories, may become a finalist in any number of categories, but may only win first place in one category. The competition is open to all American citizens and legal residents. Works DO need to be available for live exhibition to compete and win. All Finalists and Winners will be published on the Spirit of America Museum website. A list of the Finalists and the Winners will be posted approximately 31 days after the close of the competition.

 

Artwork

1. All entries must be realist and representational-based works. PLEASE READ THE "WHY REALIST ART" PAGE ON THIS WEBSITE BEFORE ENTERING THE COMPETITION. No modernist works such as abstract expressionism will be accepted. 

2. Since the artwork on display will be viewed by many children and young people, we will not accept any art containing nudity. No artwork will be accepted that is anti-American, hateful in nature, or sacrilegious.

3. All entries must be original artwork, conceived and created by the entrant within the past 5 years. Works must be original works of art and not copies of works by other artists. Painted-over prints or drawn-over prints are not acceptable in any category and are a direct violation of the rules of the competition. If your work of art is inspired by photography or reference material created and copyrighted by another person, you must have a letter from the copyright owner that allows you to use their reference material.

4. We reserve the right to eliminate entries if we feel the method of creation is in question. 

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Medium

     Acceptable mediums include: oil, pastel, watercolor, graphite, acrylic paints, charcoal, clay, bronze, stone, marble and /or travertine, plaster, resin, scratch-board, wood, gold-point, silver-point, ink, colored pencils, gouache, tempera, textiles and fabrics, and any other traditional or mixed mediums. We are also accepting original photographic art and digital art. If it is not a sculpture, please indicate not only the medium, but also the surface it is created on; that being paper, canvas, copper, board, panel or the like. If you have a question about the medium or feel we have left out a medium from this list, please contact us at the email address listed at the bottom of this page.

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Images

1. Images of your artwork must be uploaded directly through the Spirit of America Museum website. Image files should be in JPG format with the file size as close to 3 MB as possible for each entry. A 3 MB file will be large enough to print in our catalogue but not so large that they overwhelm our web servers!

2. Glass slides, images on CDs, large format transparencies, and email attachments will not be accepted. 

3. Two (2) images are required per entry for all 2D works (one framed and one without frame). If you are entering a sculpture or other 3D work, Four (4) images are required to see from all sides. 

4. Please be sure if you are uploading images of different works of art, that you are creating a separate entry for each unique work.

5. Please be careful to submit top quality images of your work. Make sure they are not blurry. Problematic viewing by judges will result in disqualification.

6. Please crop out anything that is not part of the artwork from the primary image submitted.

7. Your entry form will also require dimensions of the work of art being submitted.

8. Do not make digital alterations to your photos. Basic color adjustment to try and match color and contrast to the original work is acceptable, but the image you submit needs to be as close as possible to the original work of art as viewed in person.

9. Do not digitally remove damage that has occurred to the original work of art, do not adjust contours, erase lines or alter the composition, do not add logos or digital signatures to the images of the work. These are violations to the competition rules. In the case of sculptures, do not digitally replace the background with photos of landscapes or other settings. The photo should either have a solid black, white or gray background, a solid color cloth backdrop or be a photo of the actual installation where the work is being displayed. Images of the sculpture in the artist’s studio are also acceptable.

10. If you have a technical problem submitting your entry, please contact jamie@soaam.org.

 

Entry Fees

• Adult (age 18 and higher):  $30.00

• Youth (age 12-17):              $15.00

 

Contest Judges
All entries will first be screened by Directors or Administrators of the Spirit of America Museum to ensure that the entries meet all requirements, including realism and permitted museum themes. Cleared entries will then be posted online for judging. Since America is "...of the People, by the People, and for the People" - our American People will be the Judges of our contest entries! Judging will take place for the 30-day period following the contest deadline. Works of art will be identified only by numbers assigned to our artist entries, not by artist names. When people access the website to view the works of art, the displays will be randomly generated so no entry will always be first or last in the viewing. At the end of the 30-day judging period, Finalists and Winners will be declared and rewarded.

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Copyrights and Donation of Artwork to Museum

By submitting your entry, you grant irrevocable permission (limited copyrights) to the Spirit of America Museum to display your artwork entered into the competition on our website.  This will allow for the general promotion of your work through your participation in the competition, and could be part of an eventual virtual online museum.  Images will not be used for other commercial purposes and artists retain general copyrights for all other purposes, unless declared a Finalist or Winner in one of the competition categories.

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Category Finalists and Winners will receive a competition award (see AWARDS page for details), and agree that their award will constitute a purchase of the original work of art by the Spirit of America Museum. The Museum, as purchaser, will be granted full copyright by the artist. The Museum may then display the work of art (including information about the artist) during the five-year national tour of the mobile museum, make the work of art part of the permanent collection for a permanent brick and mortar museum, and display the work of art in a virtual online museum. Finalists and Winners will receive specific instructions on how to transfer original pieces of art to the museum, and discussions will be had concerning framing, displays, and the display of artist information. If the Museum sells the work of art within 5 years of purchasing it from the artist, the artist will be notified, and will receive a 25% royalty on any amount received above the original purchase price paid to the artist in their award.

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All details for Finalists and Winners will be agreed to in a separate contract with the artist prior to distribution of awards and purchase of the piece of art for the Museum's collection.

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Required Certifications:

1. Originality

By submitting your entry, you warrant that your entries are original work conceived and created entirely by you; that you have read and understand the rules set forth in the competition prospectus; that you are 12 years of age or older, and if under age 18, that you have the permission of a parent or guardian to submit your works; and that the parent or guardian is agreeing to the rules set forth in this competition prospectus on minor’s behalf. 

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2. Citizenship or Legal Residency

If selected as a category Finalist or Winner, you will need to provide proof of your U.S. Citizenship or Legal Residency such as a copy of your passport, birth certificate, or Permanent Resident Card (green card), before you receive your award or purchase of your artwork for the Museum.

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Please contact dan@soaam.org if you have additional questions or concerns about the competition rules.