2023 Winter in Taos Banner Competition by Town of Taos and Taos Arts Council

CALL FOR ENTRIES: RULES & ENTRY INFORMATION

Contest Description

To highlight Taos as an arts destination; celebrate and support the rich diversity of our community and the abundant creativity of our artists; give visibility to those who may not normally receive representation; and delineate and beautify the historic district, the Taos Arts Council and the Town of Taos seek Taos County artists’ artwork. Selected art will be printed onto banners and installed onto lampposts in designated areas of Taos, providing enjoyment for residents and welcoming visitors to Taos and the historic district. The banners will be on view from approximately mid-October through mid-April 2024 (dates determined in conjunction with Town of Taos).  

This Fall/Winter banners, unlike the Spring/Summer banners, will have a very specific theme: “Winter in Taos”.  The process here allows you to submit ONE image that represents or depicts (specifically) the natural beauty, outdoor activities and arts activities during the winter months in Taos and northern New Mexico.  To be considered, please adhere strictly to the subject matter as described.  Only entries that in their professional opinions reflect this theme will be considered by the jury.

Medium

Our goal is to represent a diverse and inclusive group of artists currently living and working in Taos County.  We welcome and encourage images that reflect our cultural diversity, inclusion, multiple disciplines, and diverse media.  It is critical that the image can be photographed and displayed vertically on a banner.   Give consideration in your submission to how an enlarged photograph of your work can be “read visually” as a banner from the street.  Examples of media include, but are not limited to:  painting, pottery, sculpture, printmaking, photography, projection and installation, glass, jewelry, metal work, fiber art, performing arts such as dance, theatre, music, etc. and non-traditional multi-media.

Requirements

Entrants must be artists at least 18 years of age, currently living and working within Taos County. Work must have been produced within the last 5 years and cannot be a duplicate of a winning entry from a prior Banner competition. Current work is strongly encouraged! Each individual or artist representative may enter a total of one (1) piece, with one (1) image. A group may enter one (1) piece that they’ve worked on collectively, under one (1) collective name.

Entry Info

The Call For Entry will open August 10, 2023 and close August 31, 2023.

Selection of winning images will take place via a blind jury selection process within approximately 3-5 days after closing and winners will be notified as soon as practical afterwards (approximately 1-3 days).

All entries must be submitted though the CaFE website (https://www.callforentry.org).

Log on to https://www.callforentry.org to enter the Banner Competition. Applicants will first need to create an account / artist profile which is free. Once a profile is completed artists can enter the Banner Competition. There is a $35 application fee for the submission. The fee includes a $33 fee to offset expenses for the banner project, and a $2 addition to fund any replacement banners due to loss, damage or similar. 

As part of the entry process, the artist or artist’s representative will be asked to submit the following information: Full Name, a Short Bio, Contact Information,  Artwork Information and one (1) image of Art.  Additional information may be required.

Images

Applicants will need to submit (1) image to enter the competition. Selected applicants will need to submit a second ‘high resolution’ image for printing. The first lower resolution image will be submitted to the CaFE website to enter the competition. The second higher resolution image must be submitted to the Taos Arts Council (info@taosartscouncil.org) for printing. Both images must be supplied digitally.

1) The image needed for the Call For Entry website must be a JPG (or JPEG) format only (all images must be the same format - not png, gif, tiff, psd or any other) and under 5mb in size.

2) The image needed for Printing must be a PSD, TIFF, JPG or PNG format only and will vary in file size. The print image will need to be at least 200 dpi (dots per inch) resolution for printing clarity. 

3) The image size for the (30"w x 60"h) large banners is 30"w x 49"h. The image size for the (18"w x 30"h) small banners is 18"w x 23"h.

The two sizes of images are two different aspect ratios, with the small banner being wider in relationship to it's height - so please take note when submitting an image if and how cropping may affect the display of your entry.

PHOTO QUALITY COUNTS! Your entry will NOT be considered if the submitted photograph is not of reasonable reproduction (print) quality. Tips: Choose a work / photograph which is bold, bright and legible, with good sharpness and contrast. Avoid busy images or those that would not come across from a distance and from below. 

For more information regarding image considerations, preparation and submission, please contact the Taos Arts Council (info@taosartscouncil.org).

Judging Considerations

Submissions will be judged by a blind jury selection process.

Considerations will include appropriate representation of the "Winter in Taos" theme, aesthetic impact, diversity of medium and artist background, suitability for the medium, appropriateness for public display, and legibility for drive–by viewers and pedestrians. We seek artwork that reflects the vitality of all the arts in Taos including but not limited to: painting, pottery, sculpture, printmaking, photography, projection and installation, glass, jewelry, metal work, fiber art, performing arts such as dance, theatre, music, etc. and non-traditional media – in short, depictions of all that Taos offers.

Only entries submitted through CaFE (https://www.callforentry.org) will be accepted for judging.

There should be no text or overlays on the submitted image unless it is part of the art. If your artwork is chosen, you will be asked for your full name as you would like it to appear on the banner (max of 22 characters with spaces), the Date work was completed, the Title, Medium and a Short Description of work.

Successful entries will also be required to submit a print quality image file upon notification from the Taos Arts Council. If a print quality file is not provided within the posted timeframe after the winning notification, the entry will be disqualified and a replacement entry will be chosen for print.

Winning Entries

Selected artists will be featured on ONE of forty-one (41) 30” x 60” lamp post banners (printed front and back), in a location of the Town’s choosing along Paseo del Pueblo Sur and Norte or will be featured on ONE of twenty-five (25) 18” x 30” lamp post banners (printed front and back) in a location of the Town’s choosing along Kit Carson Road, Bent Street and within the historic district. There will be a total of 66 banners to be displayed around the Town of Taos.

The banner layout will include your name as you’ve requested it to appear, and will be on view within the Town of Taos from approximately late Fall through early Spring, exact dates to be determined in conjunction with the Town of Taos.  A list of the selected individual banner artists will be posted by Taos Arts Council as soon as practicable after all the judging process has been completed. Winners of lamppost banners will each receive their banners to keep once the campaign ends and will be available for pick-up at a location to be determined and on dates to be determined.

Promotion

Various promotions on social media and other outlets may appear during this Banner Competition at the sole discretion and direction of the Town of Taos and the Taos Arts Council.  PR may include but is not limited to the following: a page or pages on Taos.org and/or TaosArtsCouncil.org, e-news email blasts, social media posts on Visit Taos, Taos is Art and Taos Arts Council social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube), the Taos News, digital banner ads and online and print ads and materials. Promotions may include featured artists / bios, photos of artwork and finished hung banners.

Application Requirements

All entries must be submitted though the CaFE website (https://www.callforentry.org).

Log on to https://www.callforentry.org to enter the Banner Competition. Applicants will first need to create an account / artist profile which is free. Once a profile is completed artists can enter the Banner Competition. There is a $35 application fee for the submission. The fee includes a $33 fee to offset expenses for the banner project, and a $2 addition to fund any replacement banners due to loss, damage or similar. 

As part of the entry process, the artist or artist’s representative will be asked to submit the following information: Full Name, a Short Bio, Contact Information,  Artwork Information and one (1) image of Art.  Additional information may be required.

Eligibility Criteria

Entrants must be artists at least 18 years of age, currently living and working within Taos County. Work must have been produced within the last 5 years and cannot be a duplicate of a winning entry from a prior Banner competition. Current work is strongly encouraged! Each individual or artist representative may enter a total of one (1) piece, with one (1) image. A group may enter one (1) piece that they’ve worked on collectively, under one (1) collective name.