NIFCA 2023 VISUAL ARTS ENTRY FORM

NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE FESTIVAL OF CREATIVE ARTS 2023-

VISUAL ARTS – (Fine Art, Craft and Photography) –

JUNIOR & NON-PROFESSIONAL

 

1. NAME OF THE COMPETITION

 

1.      The name of the competition shall be the NIFCA Visual Arts – Junior & Non-Professional competition (the Competition) which comprises Preliminaries and Finals and is organized and administered by the National Cultural Foundation (NCF).

 

2.      These Rules apply to those persons wishing to enter the Competition in the Fine Art, Craft and Photography Categories.

 

2. ELIGIBILITY

Persons wishing to enter the NIFCA Visual Arts – Fine Art, Craft and Photography Competition must be:

1.                     Citizens of Barbados or
2.                  Legally resident in Barbados

 

3. ENTRY TO THE COMPETITION

 

1.       To enter the NIFCA Visual Arts competition, persons must properly fill out the relevant online registration form and submit it to the NCF by or before 4.00 p.m. via the NCF website: www.ncf.bb by the indicated dates.

 

2.      Persons requiring assistance with online registration may do so by appointment at the NCF during the week of September 25^th – 29^th,2023.

 

3.       Registration deadlines are as follows:

 

   –Individuals/ Community Groups/ Others:  

Monday   October 9^th, 2023

 

–Primary & Secondary Schools:                      

Friday, October 6^th, 2023 

 

4.      Participants whose registration has not been received by the NCF by  

the deadline indicated at 3c) above shall not be eligible for participation in the Competition. 

 

5.       No entries will be accepted after these closing dates.

 

6.        Entry to the competition is open to individuals or groups. All persons entering this category must be considered amateur (i.e. they do not make a living from art, craft and/or photography. 

 

7.      A maximum of 2 entries (in any category) is permitted for individual entrants.

 

h) All group registrations must be submitted by the designated leader of the group. A maximum of 30 entries per school/group is permitted.

 

9.        Participants in the exhibition must be at least 3 years old by September 1^st. Participants under 18 years of age at September 1^st must have their registration forms submitted by the teacher, parent or guardian. School entries must be submitted on one (1) form, stating the number of entries, the age of entrants and their media.

 

10.        All registrations submitted by the deadline will be confirmed by an automatic email to the designated address.

 

11.      Children under the age of six (6) will be allowed to exhibit only. They will be awarded a special certificate of participation in recognition of their participation. Children over the age of six (6) will be eligible for competition.

 

12.        The NCF reserves the right to satisfy itself that the conditions relating to age are met.

 

13.   All entries must be original and not previously shown in any NIFCA Visual Arts (Fine Art, Craft and Photography) competitions.

 

14.     Work must have been completed within the last three (3) years.

 

4. ARBITRATION

1.      Prior to the deadline for submission of Entry Forms, the NCF shall appoint an Arbiter to decide and adjudicate on any appeals, complaints and matters in dispute or requiring clarification arising from these Rules.
2.      All complaints related to the Competition must be submitted, in writing, to the Arbiter, in a sealed envelope addressed as follows:

  The Arbiter

National Cultural Foundation

West Terrace

St. James

 

3.      All decisions made by the Arbiter will be final.

 

5.     ADJUDICATION

 

1. A panel of Judges shall be selected for the adjudication of the Competition; 
2. The NCF shall determine the composition of the panel of judges and shall appoint a member of the panel to be Chief Judge; 
3. The names of the Judges shall be publicly announced before the commencement of the Competition;
4. The Competition shall be judged in two (2) stages: Preliminaries, and Finals. 

 

6. SUBMISSIONS

 

1.               This year’s competition will be partly decentralized:

 

–Schools are required to display their maximum of 30 entries at their locations in a preliminary exhibition that will be visited and judged onsite. Each school is encouraged to maintain its exhibition for a minimum of 1 week. Top awarded works will be selected for central display in November.

 

–Children’s individual entries (submitted by a parent or private group) must be delivered to a location to be advised. These will be displayed and judged at the assigned location. Top awarded works will be selected for central display in November.

 

-Digital photographs of Adult Fine Art and Photography entries are to be uploaded as part of the online registration. In focus High resolution images (a minimum of 1 MB in size) are recommended. The work should be cropped to show the work only. Preliminary judging of these works will be done online. Works selected from this review must be delivered to the indicated location for display and final judging. 

 

–Adult Craft entries must be delivered to a location to be advised for preliminary judging. Works selected from this review will be retained for display and final judging.

 

2.                               All persons registered for the competition will be advised of the locations of the exhibitions prior to the submission dates. 

 

3.                             When submitting entries participants must indicate the value and state whether works are for sale or not. 

 

4. All entries submitted for display must be collected from the respective venues on indicated days and times. The NCF will not be responsible for work left beyond the assigned dates. Work not collected will be disposed of as the NCF deems fit.

 

5. General queries should be directed to the Curator, Ms. Oneka Small at the Queens Park Gallery telephone number 427-2345 or oneka-small@ncf.bb  OR the Cultural Officer for Visual Arts, Mr. Rodney Ifill, at the National Cultural Foundation, telephone number 417-6627 or email rodney-ifill@ncf.bb .

 

 

Important dates

 

REGISTRATION

 

Friday October 6^th – Registration deadline: Primary, Secondary Schools, Junior individuals

 

*Monday October 9^th   – Registration deadline: 

Adults (Art, Craft & Photography)

*Images of Adult art & Photography entries MUST be uploaded on registration

 

 

SUBMISSIONS FOR PRELIMINARY JUDGING

 

Mon Oct 9^th – Sat Oct 14^th    – Set up of Junior displays: schools, community   

Sat Oct 14^th – Fri Nov 3^rd     – Judging and viewing of Junior displays: school/community  

 

Wed Oct 11^th – Fri 13^th –  – Delivery of Adult craft

Fri Oct 13^th – Sun 15^th  – Set-up and Judging of Adult Craft 

 

Wed Oct 11^th – Wed Oct 18^th Online Judging of Adult Photography and Fine Art  

  

FINALS

Wed Nov 8^th -Fri Nov 10^th  – Delivery of all selected finalist entries to Queens Park Gallery for Central Finals Exhibitions

Saturday November 11^th   – Grand Opening of NIFCA Finals Exhibitions

Saturday December 2^nd  – Last day of Finals exhibitions.

Sun Dec 3^rd-Tues Dec 5^th   -Collection/return of all Finals exhibits 

 

 

7.     FINAL EXHIBITION

 

a)   A curated selection will be on display for the Final Exhibition.

c) At the end of the Final Exhibition all exhibits shall be collected from the indicated venue on Sunday December 3rd to Tuesday December 5^th, 2023, at the indicated times.  The NCF will not be responsible for work left beyond these dates.

 

 

8.  SPECIAL AND GENERAL AWARDS

1.                             Participants who receive gold, silver or bronze certificates are eligible for special awards as outlined in Appendix “A”.

 

9.                    GENERAL REGULATIONS

 

9.1  FINE ART AND CRAFT

 

1.                       The competition is open to Fine Art and Craft submissions that conform to the following:

 

1. All paintings, graphics and drawings must be properly mounted and equipped with substantial hanging material (e.g. wire, screw-eyes) where needed;

 

2. The use of plexiglass rather than glass is encouraged;

 

3. No saw tooth hangers, hooks or string will be accepted.

 

4. Artists are responsible for providing special materials and installation of three-dimensional work requiring a special presentation.  Any works weighing over 50 lbs must be installed by the artist;
5. Creative wall hangings, textiles and batiks must be substantially equipped with hooks or hangers.
6. Double matting will be permitted, but must not exceed ¼” in thickness overall;
7. Wall pieces may not exceed seven (7) feet (eighty-four (84) inches) in height.  All pieces must be able to fit through a standard doorway space;
8. Paintings must be completely dry; no wet or semi-wet paintings will be accepted;
9. Failure to comply with the specifications may result in disqualification of entry;

 

2.   The National Cultural Foundation reserves the right to reject any entries that may be considered not to be within the bounds of good taste;

 

3.    Entry tags must be attached to the back of the work in the lower left hand corner or bottom of sculpture or vessel. Tags should hang below the work;

 

4.   Although due care and precaution will be taken to ensure its safety, the National Cultural Foundation will not assume responsibility for lost or damaged artwork before or after the exhibition.  Insurance coverage will be provided for all artwork on receipt and this will be valid until close of exhibition;

 

5.    All participants are responsible for the setting up, dismantling, transportation and safety of their equipment.

 

6.      All work not making it to the Finals must be promptly removed at the end of the preliminary judging. Participants will be informed accordingly.

 

7.    Individual Participants and teachers of art submitting entries from schools and other social groups must ensure that their work is properly labeled on submission to the exhibition (inclusive of title of piece, age category and medium). ALL participants and art teachers must ensure that names of entrants are correctly spelt. A list with the correct spelling of each entrant’s name for purposes of cross referencing by the NCF, must be included on registration. Any work submitted with incomplete information will not be accepted.
8.   The displaying of the exhibitor’s address and telephone number on the exhibition tags is optional and may be omitted. All contacts must however be submitted on the registration form for inclusion in the NIFCA database and updated if necessary on submission of the entries.

 

9.      The National Cultural Foundation will handle all sales realized during the exhibition and shall retain a commission of 30% of the value of the sale. Entries that are not for sale must have the value stated for insurance purposes. No changes will be permitted as to price, item or title, after tags are received by the artist without authorization by the National Cultural Foundation.  

 

JUDGING CRITERIA – FINE ART / CRAFT

All entries will be judged in the following areas:

 

Children:

FINE ART

 Interpretation of Theme/Topic  25

 Use of elements    25

 Expression/Creativity   45

 Presentation       5

 

 FINE CRAFT

 Interpretation of Theme/Topic  25

 Originality – (Concept, Use of Materials, Process,

   Function)   20

 Materials – (Suitability, Durability) 25 

 Artistic and/or Functional Value  25

 Presentation       5

 

Adult:

FINE ART

 Subjective (interpretation of theme) 30

 Elements/Principles   25

 Use of Medium/Media   40

 Presentation       5

 

FINE CRAFT

Interpretation of Theme/Topic  30

 Original Concept (Authentic design) 30

 Craftsmanship    35

 Finish/Presentation     5

2.            PHOTOGRAPHY 

 

1.      All photographs to be judged must be taken in Barbados and must be the original works of the entrant, the sole creator and owner of the image.

 

2.      The work to be judged shall not have been entered in any previous NIFCA competition or Exhibition.

 

3.       The National Cultural Foundation shall not be liable for any claims or complaints from any persons or on behalf of locations depicted in entered photographs, should these photographs be published or exhibited.  Such arrangements shall remain the responsibility of the entrant, who must ensure that the required permission has been granted to include photographs of personal and private images, models, buildings etc. for the purpose of the exhibition, and promotion.

 

4.      A selection committee made-up of the panel of judges will decide on which photographs are to be exhibited.

 

5.       Photographs once hung shall remain for the duration of the exhibition.

 

6.        The National Cultural Foundation will handle all sales realized during the exhibition and shall retain a commission of 30% of the value of the sale. Entries that are not for sale must have the value stated for insurance purposes.

 

7.      Failure to comply with any of the competition rules or with copyright law shall disqualify any entrant. The National Cultural Foundation shall not be responsible for any claims or damage arising from any violation of the competition rules and/or copyright or any other law. The Foundation reserves the right to take any action deemed necessary, including the withdrawal of prizes and the public nullification of a result.

 

8.     All exhibits will be covered by full public liability insurance by the NCF to a maximum value of $500.00 for the duration of the exhibition and due care will be exercised in handling exhibits.

 

 

9.        Photographs or mounts shall bear no names and shall be submitted with key rings/brackets ready to hang.

 

10.        Each photograph shall be labeled with its own identification tag. Tags for identification of photographs will be made available at the submission venue on the dates for the receipt of photographs. Inclusion of contact information on the tags is optional. 

 

11.      Each photograph shall be submitted with a title. Photographs or exhibits labeled as “Untitled” will not be accepted.

 

12.        The Exhibition is open to traditional film and digital photographic prints. All entries shall be made in the following formats:

 

–  The short side of the print (not including the matt or frame)    shall measure no less than 8″ and the long side no more than 24″. An exception is made in the case of a photo essay where 8″ x 10″ photographs will be accepted.

 

 –  The format for children’s prints (up to age 17 yrs) shall be no less than 8″ X 10″.

 

 – Photographs shall be window-mounted with a border (black, gray, white, off-white only) of not less than 2″ using a backing card, foam-core or plywood, not exceeding 1/2′ in thickness.

 

 – Prints shall not be submitted framed or mounted behind GLASS.

 

13.   Entries shall be judged in the categories indicated by the participant. There shall be no re-categorizing of entries by the judges.

 

14.     Please note that black and white as well as colour photographs will be judged together.

 

15.      Categorizing photographs for competition

The following categories and guidelines shall be used in the selection of photographs entered in the competition:

 

1.                                           Portraiture/Figure Study  
2.                                                Human Interest   
3.                                                Architecture   

4. Landscape/Seascape
5. Still Life
6. Nature
7. Abstract 
8. Photo Essay 
9. Advertising/Product Promotion
10. Mixed Media  
11. Special Effects/Manipulated Images 
12. Other 

 

DEFINITION OF CATEGORIES

a. PORTRAITURE/ FIGURE STUDY A photograph of a person or animal which                                                                       characterizes the said person/animal.  A 

study of the human form.

 

b. HUMAN INTEREST: Any photograph which illustrates aspects of   the human experience, social conditions and activities such as work, sports, leisure etc. 

 

c. ARCHITECTURE: A photograph of a building or any part of the said building, which illustrates or emphasizes a particular design or style.

 

 d. LANDSCAPE/SEASCAPE: A photograph which depicts the scenery of a               particular land area or view of the sea or a               combination of both.

 

e. STILL LIFE: A photograph taken of an inanimate object or 

  an arrangement of such objects.

 

f. NATURE: A photograph depicting the essential qualities 

  or characteristics of living things.

 

g. ABSTRACT: A detail of any subject taken in isolation from its surroundings which does not represent that subject pictorially, but expresses the photographer’s ideas or sensations through aspects such as lines, shapes, patterns or colours etc.

 

h. PHOTO ESSAY: A series of two or more (not exceeding six) photographs illustrating a particular theme or telling a story.

 

i.   ADVERTISING/PRODUCT      Any photograph which clearly shows that it 

 was 

            PROMOTION: meant for the commercial promotion of a product or service.

 

j. MIXED MEDIA: A photograph to which non-traditional                              techniques have been applied e.g. collage, 

  superimposition, hand-colouring, etc., but 

  which has photography as its basis.

 

k. SPECIAL EFFECTS

 /MANIPULATED IMAGES: A photograph which has been created by way of special darkroom techniques, electronic imaging, or the use of special filters or camera techniques to create a particular effect which strongly enhances the image.

 

l.   OTHER Any photograph which in the opinion of the entrant does not fit clearly into any one or solely one of the above categories.

 

JUDGING CRITERIA – PHOTOGRAPHY

 

All photographs entered for competition shall be judged on the following criteria:

 

  Visual Impact   25     Striking effect, visually striking

 

Composition    15     The arrangement of different components of the 

 picture

 

  Technique    30    Handling of tonal range

     Colour rendition

     Correct exposure and use of light

     Retouching

     Processing

Sharpness of picture and its appropriateness to the 

 subject

  

Presentation 10 Mounts used in the framing of the picture

 

Creativity      20 The work demonstrates an unusual / inventive use of                                                                       the elements of design 

 

10.           ASSESSMENT

 

Participants who attain the following scores as listed below will be awarded certificates as follows:

 

Junior      Adult

  Gold    86 – 100 points     Gold     91-100

Silver   76 – 85 points   Silver    81-90

 Bronze   65 – 75 points   Bronze    70-80 

 

No duplicate certificates will be issued for any lost/stolen certificates. However, a letter confirming the award will be issued.

 

 

11. VENUES

 

The NCF shall choose the venues for the staging of the Preliminaries and Finals stages of the Competition.

 

 

12.       PROMOTION

 

1.      The participant agrees that the NCF shall be entitled to use an image of his/her work or part thereof or his/her image or likeness in the promotion of the competition and other related NIFCA events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX “A”

NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE FESTIVAL OF CREATIVE ARTS (NIFCA) 2023

SPECIAL AND GENERAL AWARDS FOR VISUAL ARTS –Fine Art, Craft and Photography

 

Only entries that medal in this competition will be eligible for these awards.

SPECIAL AWARDS – NON-PROFESSIONAL

1. The Ivan Payne Award of Excellence may be awarded to the most outstanding gold awarded Fine Art Exhibit gaining 95% or higher. This award comprises a trophy and cash prize of $3,000.00. It will only be awarded should the judges determine that the entry merits the award.
2. The Marjorie Blackman Award of Excellence may be awarded to the most outstanding gold awarded Craft Exhibit gaining 95% or higher. This award comprises a trophy and cash prize of $3,000.00. It will only be awarded should the judges determine that the entry merits the award.
3. The Percé Tappin Award of Excellence may be awarded to the most outstanding gold awarded photography entry achieving an average score of 95% or higher. This award comprises a trophy and cash prize of $3,000.00. It will only be awarded should the judges determine that the entry merits the award.
4. The Karl Broodhagen Award This comprises a cash award of $3,000.00. and a trophy and may be awarded to the most outstanding gold awarded sculpture or 3 dimensional piece of work in the area of Fine Art or Craft gaining 95% or higher. It will only be awarded should the judges determine that the entry merits the award.
5. The Training Award I comprises a correspondence course in Photography from New York University or its equivalent.
6. The Training Award II comprises a Scholarship award for a workshop conducted by a local professional photographer.

 

7. The Prime Minister’s Scholarship is sponsored by the Prime Minister’s Office. A Gold award winning individual may be nominated for this prize. Awardees must be between the ages of 16 to 40 and demonstrate the greatest potential for training and development in their discipline. This award which may only be won once by any participant and is for a maximum of BDS$35,000.00, for tertiary studies in the awarded discipline at any Caribbean Arts institution. Only one participant may be nominated for this by the judges in each of the disciplines of NIFCA. A maximum of two will be awarded in any year.

 

8. Incentive Awards Five incentive awards will each be on offer in Fine Art, Craft and Photography respectively to reward and encourage promising participants. These will take the form of plaques and cash awards to a value of $400.00 for an individual and $750.00 for groups.

 

9. Incentive Award for outstanding participation by an Artiste(s) with Disabilities. This award comprises of a trophy and a cash award to a value of $400.00 for an individual and $750.00 for a group. To qualify, participants must specify on their entry form their wish to be considered for this award.

 

GENERAL AWARDS

1. *NEW* – The Prime Minister’s Award for the Best Original Entry in NIFCA Visual Arts. This award is offered to recognise significant creativity and innovation in a NIFCA entry that challenges established norms in the artform.  This will comprise a cash award of $3,500.00 and a trophy. Only one Gold award winner may be nominated for this by the judges.

 

2. The Cynthia Wilson NIFCA Producer’s Prize. This prize which takes the form of a trophy, will be awarded to recognize outstanding participation by a community leader, producer/organizer who facilitates and manages the successful participation of a group of artistes in any discipline for over five years. One prize will be awarded each year.

 

3. In Commemoration of the 160^th Anniversary of the Barbados Landship, a cash award of $2,000.00 will be offered in each discipline for any entry that effectively illustrates any aspect of this institution’s history, activities or its legacy.

 

 

4. *NEW* – 2 scholarships to the Barbados Community College will be offered towards training in the Associate Degree programme in Visual Arts to a value of Bds $3000.00 each.

 

5. *NEW* – The Business Entrepreneur Prize. This prize is awarded across the NIFCA disciplines and is valued at $15,000.00. Will be awarded to recognize works that demonstrate entrepreneurial value. This prize will be awarded to a Gold Awarded Adult fine artist / artisan / photographer or group with a collection of winning entries that can be reproduced for mass sale.

 

6. *NEW* – 50^th Anniversary of NIFCA Award – this prize will be awarded to the Most Outstanding Presentation in the NIFCA Visual Arts 2023. The prize will take the form of a Trophy and a cash prize of $2000.00.