This 10th Annual Allegany National Photography Competition & Exhibition (ANPCE), sponsored by the Allegany Arts Council, will meld the region’s rich concentration of photographic artists with an influx of national photographers in a juried competition offering $7,500 in cash prizes.

Show Dates

The exhibition will run from March 30-April 20, 2024, in the Saville and Schwab Galleries of the Allegany Arts Council in Cumberland, MD. Cumberland is located in the scenic and historic Mountain Maryland region, roughly midway between Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

The Public Opening and Awards Ceremony is scheduled Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 6-8 PM. The Public Opening also will celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary by unveiling a commemorative catalog showcasing the previous award-winning images and past jurors.

Background

The ANPCE has grown to become one the largest and most respected juried shows in the country. Since its inception in 2015, photographers from all 50 states have entered work, seeking national recognition and the opportunity to win cash awards.

In 2023, the show attracted more than 800 entries from 240 photographers nationwide, with 60 works making the final cut for exhibit in the ANPCE physical and digital galleries.

Juror

Some of the country’s foremost fine-art authorities have juried the show. The 2024 juror is Sarah Stolfa, the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Artistic Director of TILT: Institute for the Contemporary Image (formerly the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center). She has an MFA in photography from Yale University School of Art and a BFA in photography from Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. Sarah is an artist and educator who has participated in countless group and solo shows and has served as an instructor at the Yale University Art Gallery, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Drexel University. She is currently a lecturer in photography at the University of Pennsylvania.

Previous ANPCE jurors have included Todd Tubutis, director of the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona; Karen Irvine of the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago; Dan Leers of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, PA; Shannon Thomas Perich of the Smithsonian’s Photographic History Collection; David Oresick of the Mattress Factory; Stephen Perloff, founder and editor of The Photo Review; and nationally recognized photographers Brownie Harris and Kenneth Garrett.

Application Requirements

Applicants may enter no more than six (6) entries, with no maximum per category.

Following the spirit and philosophy of our longstanding Allegany National Photography Competition and Exhibition, we ask that submitted images originate as lens-based photographs created solely by the entrant. They may not incorporate images produced by anyone or anything else (for example, clip art, replacement skies, stock photos or AI-generated images).

In addition, artwork must meet the following criteria:

• All entries MUST be for sale.
• No entries will be accepted which have been previously exhibited in the Allegany Arts Council galleries.
• Although there is no restriction on when entries were created, artists are encouraged to enter their latest work.

Eligibility Criteria

Photographers may enter in any of the following three categories:

Category 1: Color
Two-dimensional photographic works of art printed in color on any medium/substrate (paper, canvas, metal, etc.) and using any process (wet darkroom, computer, etc.), maximum 48” in width, professionally presented and wired for hanging.

Category 2: Monochrome/Black and White
Two-dimensional photographic works of art printed in black and white or monochrome on any medium/substrate (paper, canvas, metal, etc.) and using any process (wet darkroom, computer, etc.), maximum 48” in width, professionally presented and wired for hanging. 

Category 3: Photography as a 3-D Art Form  

Any photographic work presented in a unique, creative, non-traditional way, incorporating three dimensions. This work must have height, width, and depth as an integral part of the physical piece with photography and the three-dimensional form cohesively combined. Abstract and representational works in  3-D medium are welcomed. Traditional 2-D framed photographic work is not permitted in this category and may be submitted in one of the other two categories, Color or Monochrome/Black and White.

Entries in this category may combine any media, but must be fundamentally photography-based.

If three-dimensional, the artwork installation must be ready for display; free-standing, placed on a pedestal, or wired for hanging. Overall size may not exceed 84” in height and 48' in length and width. Weight may not exceed 40 lbs. If needed, standard electrical AC power (60Hz, 120V) is available. 

Entries MUST meet the above definitions to qualify for jurying.