Photography Call for Entry

Artosphere Photography Call for Entry

Walton Arts Center is conducting an open entry competition to select qualified photographs that support and complement Artosphere: Arkansas’ Arts and Nature Festival.

Artosphere is a major regional arts initiative conceived to celebrate artists who are influenced by nature and help inspire us to live more sustainable lives. Festival activities include dance performances, music concerts, theater for youth, a visual arts gallery exhibition and site-specific installation, outdoor concerts and arts-enriched trail hikes.

The 2021 Artosphere Festival theme is Arts and Nature. We invite photographs of all kinds that relate to this theme, including:

  • Nature and landscape photos
  • Images that show rhythm or patterns in nature
  • A dancer or musician in a natural setting

In addition to judging submissions on composition, originality and technical excellence, we look for photos that will create variety in response to the 2021 theme.

Submission Requirements

CALL TYPE: Exhibition

ELIGIBILITY: Statewide - Arkansas

ENTRY FEE (Includes 3 Entries): $10.00

ENTRY DEADLINE: Friday, April 23, 2021, by 11:59pm (CST)

Open to all photographers in Arkansas. Work must be original art, not copied from published photos or works by other artists. No installations or sets of works to make one entry will be accepted.

All entries must be for sale. If a sale occurs during the course of the exhibition, Walton Arts Center will retain a 30% commission. Any purchasers of artwork will be responsible for pickup and delivery of purchased works. Any such delivery arrangements related to sales will be handled by Walton Arts Center.

Who will be judging?

Rebecca Drolen
Assistant Professor of Photography, University of Arkansas

Rebecca Drolen received her MFA in Photography from Indiana University in 2009. Before joining the art department at the University of Arkansas in the Fall of 2015, she worked with several institutions including the University of Georgia, Michigan State University and Belmont University.

Drolen’s photographic work explores portraiture and constructed narratives, using the element of truth that a photograph carries to validate scenes. An exploration of how individuals assemble their identity is paramount to her work.

Drolen’s photographs have been shown in group and solo exhibitions on a national and international level, within noteworthy venues such as the Huffington Post, Oxford American's Eyes on the South, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Texas Tech University, the Light Factory, Oklahoma State Museum of Art, CICA museum in Gimpo, Korea and the Theory of Clouds Gallery in Kobe, Japan. Drolen has had work published in various art magazines and blogs and has a pieces held in private collections as well as the permanent collection at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  Drolen is an active member of the Society for Photographic Education on the regional and national level.

Photo here: https://fulbright.uark.edu/departments/art/directory/index/uid/drolen/name/Rebecca+Ann+Drolen/

How to Submit

Entering is a TWO STEP process. Please read and follow the instructions below carefully.

Step 1. Registration and Payment

  • CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
  • Enter all information including title of works and artist statement.
  • Please pay your entry fee of $10, which allows for up to three photos.

Step 2. Submit Images – Please follow all six steps

1. Size each image 1200 pixels on the long side at 72 dpi

2. Please label digital photos with the subject matter and your name as follows: Subject-Photographer’s Firstname Lastname.jpg. For example: NightSky-JaneDoe.jpg

3. Save each image as a jpg

4. Please submit your images by emailing to artospherephotos@waltonartscenter.org

5. In the subject line of your email please type “2021 ARTOSPHERE EXHIBITION ENTRY”

6. In the body of the email, please list in this order:

  • Full Name
  • Number of Image attached
  • Email
  • Phone number

Guidelines for Eligible Photos

  • The main subject matter in your photo should be perfectly clear (unless using an obvious visual effect). Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. Removal of dust, cropping, minor adjustments to color and contrast, etc. are acceptable.
  • Photos should be proportional to standard photo size — no panoramics, please.
  • Size each image 1200 pixels on the long side at 72 dpi.
  • Digital photos must be in a JPEG (.jpg) file format
  • Please label digital photos with the subject matter and your name as follows: Subject-Photographer’s Firstname Lastname.jpg. For example: NightSky-JaneDoe.jpg

Notification of Selection

  • Photographs will be selected by juror for exhibition.
  • The juror will select one (1) grand prize winner, who will receive a cash prize of $150 dollars.
  • Finalists will be selected by May 3 and the community will be able to vote for their favorite photo through May 7 via Walton Arts Center’s Facebook page (@waltonartscenter). One grand prize winner as well as the People’s Choice will be announced on May 10. The grand prize winner will receive a cash prize of $150. The People’s Choice winner will receive two tickets to a performance of Art Heist May 19-23.
  • Winning photos will also be posted to the Walton Arts Center Blog in May, and an announcement of the winners will be included in the Walton Arts Center e-newsletter, website and social media. Photographers may not announce or publicize their selection prior to Walton Arts Center’s announcement.

Photographer’s Rights

By submitting your photographs, you agree that Walton Arts Center:

  • Is under no obligation to publish your submission, and
  • May use your photographs, with proper credit given, in any marketing materials

By entering the call, you hereby grant to Walton Arts Center:

  • A nonexclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to reproduce, distribute and publicly display the photographs you submit to Walton Arts Center.
  • The right to use your name, city, state and country of residence in promotions and other publications.

WAC will not allow third parties to use photos without artist’s consent.