Competition

Eligibility

  • All artists/photographers are eligible to enter, whether amateur, student, semi-professional and/or graduate, professional or established 
  • All entrants must live, work or be professionally based in the UK
  • Applicants may be any age 

Submission guideline

Photos

  • To enter a photo, all entrants must submit their entry online as digital JPEG files only. (See Submissions page)
  • Photos will be printed on A4, therefore only high-quality digital submissions are acceptable*
  • When filling in the online submission form please note that you will need a valid email address and that the name you provide will be the name printed in the exhibition catalogue
  • Photos must have a title and a short description (100 words or less)

Artwork

  • To enter a piece of artwork, all entrants must submit digital image of their completed piece in the online submission form- only high-quality image submissions will be acceptable. (See Submissions page)
  • The dimensions of the piece must be no larger than A3 equivalent or be able to sit on a display table (i.e. if submitting a sculpture etc.)- dimensions must be submitted in the online submission form
  • Artwork must have a title and a short description (100 words or less)
  • Accepted art pieces must be delivered to Hull History Centre between 9am and 4pm on the 28thof April 2020. Any pieces, even if accepted, will not be displayed if delivered after 4pm on the 28thof April.*

* This is no longer necessary as the event has been moved online due to Covid-19

Terms & Conditions

  • We only accept submissions that are the own work of the applicant 
  • No late submissions will be accepted after midnight on the 15th of August 2020. 
  • Only one piece (photo or art piece) may be submitted per entrant.
  • When filling out the online submission form please note that the name you provide will be the name printed alongside your work if selected. If you have an “artist name” that is different to the name on your bank account please let us know.
  • The University of Hull and Hull History Centre (HHC) can accept no liability for loss of or damage to any works submitted for exhibition. You are advised to arrange your own insurance for any artwork submissions. HHC staff take every care over work submitted but we recommend that you avoid submitting works with unprotected surfaces, dangerous protuberances, and elaborate frames etc. Works on paper should be framed. *
  • The organisers of the event will contact you via email. It is therefore important that you give a valid email address that you check regularly (including junk mail folders). A phone number is also useful if we need to get in contact with you urgently about your work. Please note it is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm whether they have been successful in the event that they do not receive an email. The University of Hull cannot accept responsibility for missing notification emails. 
  • Photos and artwork will be available to collect from HHC until 12 pm on Friday 8thof May. Any pieces not collected after this time will be disposed of. *
  • Poorly presented images, especially those that are out of focus, badly lit or pixelated will affect your chances of success. It is advisable to set your work against a plain background, and not to use filters or edit your image using software such as Photoshop, beyond the basic re-sizing of your image for online submission. These images may be used for publicity and social media so quality is very important. 
  • Each entry will be judged on your image(s) alone. It is therefore very important to represent your work as best you can. Please do not include a CV or personal information as it will not be presented to the selectors. Saatchionline.com have made this video that gives excellent guidance and tips on how to photograph artwork: http://youtu.be/Vpj28da03JQ
  • The artist is responsible for all transport and associated costs to and from the Hull History Centre. Delivery should be through the front doors of the Hull History Centre. *
  • We will accept delivery of your work by another individual providing you contact us in advance with the name of the nominated person and that they deliver/collect within the allocated timeframe/dates. Please make sure the named person delivering/collecting the work on your behalf brings with him/her proof of ID such as a driving licence or the original acceptance email for the artwork.*
  • Artists must make on-line submissions ONLY. We no longer accept postal entries or entries made directly to the HHC. *
  • Do not direct us to any personal website, file-transfer or file-sharing resources to support your application. All information relating to your submission must be made on the online submission form. 
  • None of the cosmetic or structural fabric of the building may be damaged as a result of installing or exhibiting your work. We reserve the right to protect our walls, doors and floors if the work poses a risk to them without permission from the artist. *

* This event has been moved online. The long listed pieces will be displayed in a virtual gallery. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to work with HHC due to availability and uncertainty regarding post-pandemic re-opening times.

Submission process

  • The exhibition is chosen by an independent selection panel who will select up to 100 works (photos and artwork combined). All submissions and images will be presented anonymously to the selection panel.
  • Due to the large volume of entries, we apologise that it is impossible to give individual feedback or a critique on unselected work. As with any judged ‘open submission’ exhibition, it is possible that your work may not be selected. We understand that this may come as a disappointment, but it is important to realise that this is the competitive nature of this popular exhibition. We only have a finite amount of temporary exhibition space; the number of incredibly talented individuals who apply every year far outnumbers the amount of work we are able to display. The event organisers and HHC are unable to enter into a discussion with individual artists about the reasons their work(s) has not been selected. The decision of the selection panel is final. 
  •  No personal data, including name, age, gender or education /experience will be given during the selection process, only the size, media and title along with the image(s) you submit will be used.
  • The selection will take place on the 16/08/2020. All artists will be notified of the selector decision before 17/08/2020 at the latest by email.

Optional additional submission

On the opening night there will be opportunity to stand on a soapbox and talk about your submission. This is a good opportunity to describe the concept of your piece of art/research. This is completely optional. If your work is selected for exhibition and you do fancy the chance to speak please let us know when you submit your piece and prepare a short (max. 2 minute) speech to “sell” your piece. *

*As this is now an online event we are investigating the possibility of artists submitting videos or audio recordings of themselves to accompany their work in the virtual exhibition (if it makes the long-list). If you have made a submission already and indicated that you would be willing to do a soapbox, we will be contacting you to follow this line of inquiry up. If you are about to submit a piece, please only tick the soapbox option if you would be willing to make an audio/video description of your piece. Thank you.

Judging

Criteria

  • Interpretation and clarity of the theme to the viewer
  • Creativity and originality 
  • Quality of composition/design
  • Overall impression 

Judges

  • Dan Lewis (Professional artist)
  • Kelly Stanford (Professional artist)
  • PoS rep. 
  • EEI rep. 
  • Event organiser

Prizes

First prize: £100 

Runner-up: Two tickets to the Ocean Film Festival 2020 

Online vote: The online vote for long listed pieces will take place on this website. Voting will open on the 16th of August and close on the 14th of September.  

Key Dates

Online submissions open: 

Submissions deadline: 15/08/2020

Selection of the longest by the judges date: 16/08/2020

Notification by email: 17/08/2020

Duration of online voting: 16/08/2020- 14/09/2020

Winners announcement: 15/10/2020

Exhibition dates: 16/08/2020- 15/10/2020

Pint of Science online event: tbc

Contact:

submissions@earth2050.co.uk for any queries or additional information