Eco Arts Awards Rules and Guidelines
There are four categories in which anyone can enter to win cash, national and international recognition. Each of the four categories has its own panel of expert jurors who will evaluate and select the winners of that particular category. There is an entry fee for each work entered. You may enter as many different works as you wish.
It is important that you read the specific entry criteria for each category we primarily prefer the jpeg format or pdf's. There will be no refunds or returns if your entry did not meet the format guidelines. You will receive a confirmation email that your entry was successfully received from PayPal. If your entry did not upload successfully we will contact you prior to the judging! EAA is not responsible for late, lost, damaged, misdirected, postage due, stolen, and incomplete entries.
You have two options to submit your entry, online via this website, click the ENTER HERE button on the home page or you can MAIL YOUR ENTRY to the following address:
Eco Arts Awards 224 Aurora Drive Asheville, N.C. 28805
We have an early bird entry fee deadline period that commences immediately after announcing the current winners. The deadline for the early bird discount will be anounnced via our newsletter and or facebook page so it is very imoportant that you "like us" on Facebook and sign up for the newsletter. The normal entry fee is $30 per individual work, the early bird entry fee is $20.
IMPORTANT INFO REGARDING UPLOADING YOUR ENTRY - Image or MP3 After you click the first upload button on the entry form, and select your image or MP3, a pop up window will appear. You must wait however long your computer will take until you see an icon appear in that pop up window that will indicate your image or MP3. Once you see the icon then click on the second upload button that is located in the same pop up window that you are seeing the icon in, then wait again unti you see a 'shield like' icon, that will complete your upload process! This requird some patience.
1.) While we give everyone the option to mail in entries, we strongly encourage online entries. No artworks, cd's, photographs or slides will be returned to the entrant if you mail to us.
2.) It is your responsibility to make sure that your entry is viewable and listenable. Again, please note the format requirements for each category as listed below, this will help ensure that your entry will be viewable and listenable. Please do not have your work titled by numbers, we need your name and title of work.
3.) You will maintain copyright ownership of your entry. However, as an entrant you will allow Eco Arts Awards to use your entry to promote: 1.) You and your work 2.) Eco Arts Awards 3.) Affiliates of Eco Arts Awards. If you have any reservations about Eco Arts Awards useage of your artwork, the responsibility is yours to contact the managemenet of Eco Arts Awards asking for specific restrictions that you might need to have on your work being publicly viewed. If you are a finalists and or a winner however, it will be mandatory that you allow EAA to promote you and your entry as a finalist and or a winner. It is understood by entering this competition you allow us to "use" your work, but we certainly would never claim ownership or want any kind of exclusivitly of your entry. We want what is in your best self interest!
4.) Eco Arts Awards reserves the right to extend the entry deadline and modify the entry fee at any time. Entry fees paid prior to modification are not effected
5.) All entries will be judged first and foremost on its thematic originality, secondarily on the specific qualities unique to its category and or genre. Please read the jurors comments for each category.
6.) All entries submitted must be original and shall not infringe on any copyrights or any other rights of any third parties.
7.) All entries may have multiple collaborators, but only one name should be designated on the entry form. Entrant shall, by entering, indemnify and hold Eco Arts Awards LLC harmless from any claims of copyright infringement. All finalists will be required to sign an affidavit that their work is original to them.
8.) Eco Arts Awards has the right to cancell a category if the minimum number of entries to sustain any particular category is not received. All entrants will be offered a refund and or an alternative option which will always be the entrants choice. We will always try to contact you mulitple times via the contact details you give us on the entry form however, if we do not get a reply from you, your entry fee will default and not be refunded after thirty days from notification date, which is the announcement of winners
9.) All financial awards shall be paid within 90 days of the notification date. All winners living in the USA will need to fill out a 1099 form for their personal income tax purposes. In order to qualify to be a winner, as a finalist you will be required to give Eco Arts Awards biographical information and a photo to representation yourself for publicity purposes.
EAA is open to all amateur and professional artists. Employees of EAA, their families, subsidiaries and affiliates are not eligible. If entrant is under 18 years old, the signature of a parent or guardian is required on our downloadable pdf entry form, and must be mailed in to us before entry is approved.
The following is important information regarding your entry for its respective category:
Songwriting
PLEASE MAKE sure your SONG TITLE and YOUR NAME, in that order, are on the MP3 or is how you have identified your entry. DO NOT USE A TRACK NUMBER! Also please be consistent with how you identify yourself throughout our entire entry process. If you use your real name on the title of your work, also use your real name on the entry form. If you want to be identified only by your artistic name then use that. If mailing your songs to EAA, please include only the songs you wish to enter on one cd. Please type your name and tape it on the spine of the cd case, and on the cover. Please include a typed track list of all songs on the cd, in case you have entered more than one song. Also please send typed lyrics double spaced with your CD. If you are uploading an MP3 to EAA's website, you must also upload your lyrics, typed and double spaced and simply cut and paste into the required box on the entry form.
Selection criteria for winning entries in the songwriting category will be:
- Thematic impact - relevance to ecological issues
- Melody, arrangement, originality and lyrics
- Production value and quality of performance will not be considered in the judging criteria
Literature
Please be sure to put Your Name and Title on the first page of your writing.This category includes, poetry, essays, short stories and novellas. The recommended maximum word length for essays, short stories or novellas is 5,000 words. Essays can be academic or personal inquiry. Novellas and shorts stories can be fact or fiction. Poems can be of any type. All literary entries must be typed in 12 point type and double spaced. Times Roman is the recommended font. Make sure your name, the title of your written work, your phone number and email address are included.
All literary pieces may be mailed to:
Eco Arts Awards 224 Aurora Drive Asheville, N.C. 28805
We highly recommend that you give us PDFs as opposed to a straight word doc to protect the integrity of your writing.
Selection criteria for winning entries in the literature category will be:
- Thematic impact (and relevance to ecological issues)
- Originality and artistry of voice, style, language and imagery
- Technique (structure, language, poetic and literary devices)
Photography (has been incorporated into the Fine Art category)
Please be sure to have your name and title on the image you upload in that order: your name first then the title of your work.
Please read and follow our upload instructions which are on the first page of our general guidelines and on our entry form. Our formats are listed on the entry form and include jpeg and png file formats. Also for photograhy be sure your photo is saved as RGB (not cmyk) use a maximum of 1024 pixels wide x 768 pixels high and or 72 dpi. We are looking for personal expression or documentary.
We also recommend that you submit a brief description of your work. Enter this on our entry platform in the box allocated for song lyrics.
Selection criteria for winning entries in the photography category will be:
- Thematic Impact - relevance to ecological issues
- Sharpness, Focus of Image(s), then exposure
- Artistic Eye, Composition
Fine Art
This category can include paintings, mixed media, drawings with any medium, sculpture, and direct environmental interventions.
You can upload images from our entry form, please be sure to read the upload instructions on the entry form or on the first page of our general guidelines. You are allowed up to three images to show your work. Please be sure that each image has the title of the work and your name on it, then you can number them. We will allow up to four images to show 3 dimensional works. It is important to put multiple images in a zip file, as we can only accept one item at a time. The image formats we will be using are jpeg, jpg and png. Your images should be 72 dpi.
We also recommend that you submit a brief description of your work in the field marked descriptions and song lyrics on the entry form.
Selection criteria for winning entries in the fine art category will be:
- Thematic impact (and relevance to ecological issues)
- Originality and artistic use of the elements of the media and imagery
- Technique as it relates to the specific medium that you chose
- Materials used, did you use recycled and or repurposed
Repurposed Materials in Art & Design
This category includes, ceramics, woodwork, clothing, jewelry, fiber arts, pottery, basically anything and everything you can possibly think of as long as you are primarily using 70% recycled materials. Please be sure to read our image uploading instructions. We accept all jpeg file formats. If you are sending multiple images you must put them in a zip file them, as we can only upload one item per entry. We allow up to four images in this category to show your work
Selection criteria for winning entries in the functional art category will be:
- Thematic impact (and relevance to ecological issues)
- Original use of the media
- Technique particular to your chosen media
- materials used; did you use recycled, repurposed material's and non-toxic materials wherever possible?
Entrant acknowledges that all submissions entered may be distributed to judges who will be selecting the winners. Entrant agrees to release, indemnify, and hold EAA, its sponsors, and judges harmless for liability, damages, or claims for injury or loss to any person or property relating to, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, participation in EAA. EAA will do its best to adhere to all deadlines but reserves the right to change the deadlines if it is necessary. EAA can not be held responsible for any unforseen delay in the judging process subject to time constraints of its selection committee and panel of expert jurors. Winners will be notified by phone, email or newsletter. The cash awards will be issued in the form of a check (or via a paypal transfer if international) within thirty days of announcing the winners via our newsletter and on this website. If you are from a country outside the USA, the preferred method of payment is via PayPal, and PayPal will deduct a fee and administer the exchange rate difference. All cash awards are paid in US dollars.
As an entrant to EAA it is your responsibility to have read all of our terms and conditions, rules, and guidelines, and to verify that you have done so, but clicking the agree button. By entering EAA competition you agree to adhere to the decision of its judges. Entrant agrees to be bound by all terms of these official competition rules and regulations.
As an entrant you agree to allow us to show your work on this site without compensation. Entry constitutes permission to use your name, likeness, voice and entry for future advertising and publicity purposes without additional compensation. By entering this competition you are declaring that you have ownership and full copyright of the work you are entering. You will be notified and asked for specific permission to use of your entry if Eco Arts Awards chooses your work and initiate's a specific promotional campaign for profit or special promotion that could garner financial compensation to you.
Prizes may vary from year to year.
Awards for 2014 will be as follows:
One Grand Prize winner ~ $2,000
Four First Place winners ~ $1,000 each
Ten Finalist ~ a finalist award icon
20 Semi-Finalist ~ a semi-finalist icon
All winners, finalists, and semi-finalists will be publized extensively via social media and will have varying opportunies to participate in The Art of Ecology. org
For those entries that have multiple people who have collaborated on the work, we ask that you submit only one person's full name and contact details. The cash awards will be disbursed to that person. It will be up to all the collaborators on any winning piece as to how you distribute the cash amongst yourselves.
EAA will not be responsible for paying any federal, state or local taxes cash awarded to winners, it will be the sole responsibility of the winner to pay any taxes due.
