2021 The Print Center 96th ANNUAL International Competition
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: June 15, 2021, 11:59pm ( ET )
The Print Center announces the 96th ANNUAL International Competition, to be juried by Ana Casas Broda and Dr. Kelli Morgan. Casas Broda is an artist, educator, editor and co-director of Hydra + Fotografía, a platform founded in 2012 in Mexico City for projects related to the medium of photography. Dr. Morgan is an independent curator, educator and social justice activist who developed a love of print when she curated A Collaborative Language: Selections from the Experimental Printmaking Institute ( EPI ) at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, in 2017.
The Print Center honors the power of photography and print to raise and amplify a multiplicity of voices. We are committed to fostering that power to advocate for change as well as supporting artists working for equity and justice through our exhibitions and programs, including the ANNUAL.
The ANNUAL is one of the oldest and most prestigious competitions in the United States. Open to local, national and international artists, The Print Center is particularly interested in highlighting the use of photography and/or printmaking in new and intriguing ways, both in content and process.
Any artist using Photography and/or Printmaking as critical components in their work can enter. Artists whose work pushes the boundaries of traditional photographic and printmaking practices are encouraged to enter. 2D and 3D works are eligible.
Watch previous award winners discuss their experiences with the ANNUAL!
ABOUT THE JURORS
Ana Casas Broda
is an artist, educator and editor based in Mexico City. She is co-director of Hydra + Fotografía, a platform founded in Mexico City in 2012 for projects related to the medium of photography. Casas Broda has exhibited widely, and her photobooks include Álbum ( Mestizo A.C., 2000 ) and Kinderwunsch ( La Fábrica Editorial: Madrid, 2014 ). For over thirty years, she has dedicated herself to coordinating projects on photography at venues such as Centro de la Imagen, Mexico and Círculo de Bellas Artes, Spain. Casas Broda has curated exhibitions in Argentina, Austria, the Netherlands and Mexico. Since 2014, she has been co-director of Hydra, a platform for generating projects related to photography, based on reflection, dialogue and collaboration between people, associations, artist institutions and publishers. Hydra has an educational program, gallery, bookstore and a publishing arm titled INFRAMUNDO that promotes experimental narratives, hybrid production and collaborative practices. Casas Broda is particularly interested in work that explores issues related to personal and cultural identity.
Dr. Kelli Morgan
is a curator, educator and social justice activist specializing in American art and visual culture. She earned a PhD in Afro-American studies and a graduate certificate in public history from the College of Humanities & Fine Arts, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her scholarly commitment to the investigation of anti-blackness within those fields has demonstrated how traditional art history and museum practice work specifically to uphold white supremacy. Morgan has held teaching positions at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Wayne State University, Detroit, MI; and Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University, Philadelphia; as well as curatorial positions at the Birmingham Museum of Art, AL; Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, IN; and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. In 2014, Morgan was awarded a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: June 15, 2021, 11:59pm ( ET )
ENTER ONLINE: www.printcenter.slideroom.com
REDUCED ENTRY FEE for 2021: $35 – for up to five single images or videos
The Print Center raises 100% of its operating budget each year, and fees from the ANNUAL directly support the mounting of the three Solo Exhibitions, the digital portfolios, and our other compelling and innovative programs.
Click here to view and download the Prospectus as a pdf
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ELIGIBILITY
Any artist using photography and/or printmaking as critical components in their work can enter. Work submitted must have been completed in the last three years. Up to five images may be submitted and only one submission per person is allowed.
Former ANNUAL Finalists and Semifinalists are eligible to apply.
Each uploaded file must be labeled with: Title, Date, Medium ( e.g. etching, inkjet, gelatin silver, lithograph ) and Dimensions ( paper size, video duration or installation measurements ). Additional information, up to 100 words, may be included.
Accepted file formats for submission:
Images: Up to 5 MB/each: jpg, png, gif
Videos: Up to 250 MB/each: mov, wmv, flv, mp4
AWARDS AND EXHIBITIONS
The jurors will select a group of 25 Semifinalists and 10 Finalists.
- 25 Semifinalists and 10 Finalists will be selected by the jurors.
- All Semifinalists and Finalists are eligible for institutional acquisition, purchase, cash and material awards.
- All Finalists are eligible for Solo Exhibition Awards
- All Semifinalists and Finalists receive online portfolios and digital exhibition
A wide variety of exhibition, museum acquisition, cash and material prizes are provided by supporters of the ANNUAL to be awarded to Semifinalists and Finalists, including:
- Three Solo Exhibitions at The Print Center ( Finalists only )
- Stinnett Philadelphia Museum of Art Collection Award
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Purchase Award
- Art Museum of West Virginia University Purchase Award
- Fish/Pearce Award ( $500 )
- Callan/McNamara Award ( $500 )
- Stockbridge Fine Art Printing Award ( $250 value )
- The Print Center Honorary Council Award of Excellence
- Two-year Print Center Gallery Store Contract
- Numerous additional cash and material prizes awards
Museum Acquisition Awards
- Stinnett Philadelphia Museum of Art Collection Award
Selected by a curator from the Department of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one work will be accessioned into the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Permanent Collection. - Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Purchase Award
Selected by Jodi Throckmorton, Curator of Contemporary Art, one work will be accessioned into the Museum’s permanent collection. - Art Museum of West Virginia University Purchase Award
Selected by Robert Bridges, curator, one work will be accessioned into the Art Museum’s collection through the Beth and Joe Hestick Acquisitions Fund.
Solo Exhibitions
Three Finalists will be selected by The Print Center to receive Solo Exhibitions at The Print Center ( January – March 2022 ) and an honorarium. Selected artists will work with our curator on the selection of works and installation design.
Artists are responsible for delivery/shipping to and from The Print Center, and other costs not explicitly covered by The Print Center, including framing ( if required ).
The Print Center provides:
• The venue, professional installation and de-installation, gallery signage and labels, and insurance while work is on The Print Center’s premises.
• Publicity including visual branding for the exhibitions, promotion via press release to over 2,500 press outlets, mailed exhibition announcement cards to 2,500 individuals, website presence, weekly email newsletters to 10,000 and social media posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• Documentation, including professional photographic documentation and a professionally printed exhibition brochure distributed free of charge to visitors, also available as a pdf on The Print Center’s website.
Digital Exhibition
Images submitted by Finalists and Semifinalists will be presented onscreen at The Print Center during the Solo Exhibitions ( January – March 2022 ).
Online Portfolios
The Print Center will mount an online portfolio exhibition for Semifinalists and Finalists, including up to five images, biographical information and artist statements. Finalists can present an additional 5 images for inclusion ( up to 10 ).
Sales
If artworks are available for sale, The Print Center will facilitate the transaction, including shipping. The Print Center will receive a 50% commission on works sold. The Print Center will pay the artist’s commission 90 days from the close of sale.
Liability
The Print Center is not responsible for damage to work during shipping or delivery. Works are insured while on The Print Center’s premises.
CALENDAR
Submission Deadline: June 15, 2021, 11:59 PM ( ET ) – ENTER HERE
Notification of Semifinalists and Finalists by email: September 15, 2021
Solo Exhibitions and Digital Exhibition at The Print Center: January – March 2022 ( specific dates TBD )
Online Portfolio: Launches February 2022
CONTACT
Direct questions to info@printcenter.org.
ABOUT THE PRINT CENTER
For more than a hundred years, The Print Center has encouraged the growth and understanding of photography and printmaking as vital contemporary arts through exhibitions, publications and educational programs. An international voice in print, The Print Center presents a wide variety of programs including temporary exhibitions and related public lectures and events; the Artists-in-Schools Program; the ANNUAL, which is the longest running competition for photographs and prints in the country; and the Gallery Store, which offers a diverse selection of contemporary prints and photographs for sale, providing direct support to artists. We invite you to become a Member, or find out more about how you can support The Print Center. Click here for more information about The Print Center’s ANNUAL International Competition and its history.
2021 The Print Center 96th ANNUAL International Competition EDM
