The Art Preservation Institute Online Showcase Rules

The Art Preservation Institute Online Showcase is an art competition available to the Art Preservation Institute members three times a year and is an opportunity for members to show their artwork throughout the year. Membership is included upon submission of a paid entry.

Awards: Awards will vary by competition. All awardees are featured on our website, in our magazine and in our online gallery exhibit.

For Showcase Competitions, an award pool is established with 80% of the entry fees. First place receives 50% of the award pool; Second Place receives 30% of the award pool; and Third Place receives 20% of the award pool. Up to five Honorable Mention Awards may be granted. These are publication awards only and do not feature a cash prize component.

For the Curator's Competition, an award pool is established with 80% of the entry fees. First place receives 45% of the award pool; Second Place receives 25% of the award pool; and Third place receives 15% of the award pool. The remaining 15% will be split equally among up to 5 Honorable Mention Awardees. 

Adjudication: Each on-line contest will have one or more judges.

Entry Fee: The entry fee for the Showcase Competitions is $15 and allows you to enter up to 5 pieces of artwork. The entry fee for the Curator's Competition is $50 and allows you to enter up to 3 pieces of artwork.

Contest Rules:

Members are eligible to enter all 3 Online Showcases which includes the Spring, Summer and Fall competitions and the Curator's Circle Competition. If not already a member, entering a paid artwork in the competition activates your membership for the current year.  Each artist is only allowed to win one of the top awards in each competition. Artists may NOT enter artworks that have won awards in other shows hosted by the Art Preservation Institute.  Artists may enter works that have been sold. Artwork can be submitted into each Online Showcase until it receives an award. All entries will be displayed on our website. There is no size restriction on artworks.  Artwork may be submitted until midnight, central time on the last day of the submission deadline. We do not accept email submissions. Artists retain their copyright to their submitted image(s); however, award winning images do become part of our archives and may be used for future event promotions. Awards will be sent to winners after the conclusion of the show. We are required by the IRS to issue a form 1099 to all artists who win awards of $600 or more.  Please strictly adhere to the rules outlined below. We strive to maintain best practices. Our intent is to be true to the history of painting and drawing and the traditions that have been practiced for centuries.

● Paintings must be created on one singular flat substrate. Multiples are unacceptable – i.e., diptychs, triptychs.

● Copyright infringement of any kind is unacceptable.

● Digital apps and programs may be used for cropping your reference photos, etc., but no digital, mechanical, photo, or other transferring to the substrate of any kind is acceptable unless specified otherwise in the individual contest specifications. 

● Your submission must be originally conceived: your own reference, your own drawing, your own concept and must have been self-created.

● No direct copies of stock images, historic photos, or of any reference for which you do not hold total copyright are allowed. You must be able to provide signed documentation of total copyright should the Art Preservation Institute request it. Purchased reference material that transfers copyright to the artist is unacceptable.     

ACCEPTABLE MEDIUMS: As specified in the contest specifications.

PAYMENT OF AWARDS: Our preferred method of paying awards is via Paypal. We can also transfer funds via ACH transfer if the Artist provides routing and bank account numbers. We will try to accommodate other payment methods on a best efforts basis. If we are unable to transfer your cash award by other methods acceptable to us, we will deem the award to be void. Awards will be paid within 15 days after the end of the online exhibit.