High school students from across Montgomery County, Maryland, are invited to create an original artwork to be considered for the featured image on the Gaithersburg Book Festival’s 15th Anniversary Program Cover. The artwork should reflect the theme: Celebrating 15 Years of Books, Writers & Literary Excellence.
The program will be used for the 2024 Festival, taking place Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm. The GBF program is available to thousands of festival attendees, including more than 100 authors from across the globe. The rules and regulations included here apply to the 2024 Gaithersburg Book Festival Program Cover Art Competition.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
- Only one submission per artist.
- Artist must Be a high school student – grades 9-12, public, private or homeschooled, in the 2023-2024 school year – in Montgomery County, Md., at the time of entry.
Note: The following people, and their family members, are prohibited from participation in this contest: Employees of the City of Gaithersburg, City Council Members and all volunteers associated with the Gaithersburg Book Festival.
Submitted artwork* must:
- Be on the theme “celebrating 15 years of books, writers and literary excellence”
- Be the creation of a single student.
- Students may NOT collaborate on an entry.
- Be two-dimensional, no larger than 11 inches high and 6 inches wide.
- Be done in accepted mediums:
- Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
- Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
- Computer-generated art
- Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums listed above, such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
- Be wholly the original work of the entrant.
- Not be copied from any other source.
- Not have been previously used or otherwise distributed or disseminated in any media or format.
- Not be in the public domain.
- Not be in violation of trademark, copyright, or publicity right
- Not include content that is inappropriate, offensive, pornographic, or otherwise unfit for dissemination or broadcast, as determined by the City of Gaithersburg in its sole discretion.
- Be submitted by or before the stated deadline (December 1, 2023, Noon ET)
* Entries not satisfying these criteria in any respect will be disqualified. If the City of Gaithersburg, in its sole discretion, has reason to believe that any entry violates any law or any right, the City of Gaithersburg may immediately disqualify such entry and take any other measures the City of Gaithersburg may deem appropriate or necessary.
Judging will be based on the following criteria:
- Originality
- Creativity
- Overall effect
Key deadlines:
- Friday, December 1, 2023: Submissions must be received by Noon ET. All submissions must be done online. Submit here.
- Friday, January 5, 2024: Notification of selection will be sent to students via email.
- Friday, April 26, 2024: Original artwork due to the Activity Center at Bohrer Park by 5 p.m., along with signed agreement.
GRANT OF RIGHTS
By submitting artwork, the entrant grants to the City of Gaithersburg: A non-exclusive, assignable, perpetual, license to produce, publish, distribute, transmit, exhibit, exploit, and license the artwork and any portions thereof in any format (collectively “distribute” or “distribution,” as applicable) by any and all means, uses and media, whether print, audiovisual or otherwise, now or hereafter known, throughout the universe in all languages without financial compensation.
PRIZES
Up to 12 pieces of art will be selected as finalists. The finalists will have their artwork posted on the Gaithersburg Book Festival website prior to the Festival and will be displayed at the 15th Anniversary Gaithersburg Book Festival.
The winning artist will:
- Have their artwork printed on the cover art on over 2,500 printed GBF programs, distributed at the Festival
- Be credited by name and and artwork title anywhere the program cover image is used.
- Receive an invitation to the pre-Festival author reception for them and their family.
- Have the original piece of artwork exhibited at the 15th Anniversary Gaithersburg Book Festival.
Submit your entry here. Questions? Please email Kathleen Benson at [email protected].