Pastel 100 Art Competition Official Rules

Pastel 100 Art Competition Official Rules

THIS IS NOT A GAME OF CHANCE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Artists Magazine “Pastel 100” 27th Annual Art Competition OFFICIAL RULES

1. Entry Period. Entries in the 27th Annual Pastel 100 Art Competition (the “Contest”) must be submitted between 12:01 a.m. ET on January 31, 2025, and 11:59 p.m. ET on August 19, 2025. The Super Early Bird deadline for entering for the lowest cost entry fee is 11:59 p.m. ET on March 25, 2025. The Early Bird deadline for taking advantage of reduced entry fees is 11:59 p.m. ET on June 24, 2025.

2. Eligibility. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age and of the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence.  Employees of Sponsor, their parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and divisions (the “Promotion Entities”), their immediate families (parent, child, sibling, spouse), and persons living in the same households of such individuals (whether related or not) are not eligible to participate in the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to add additional Sponsor Partners to the Contest and the same exclusionary rules will apply to those entities.

3. How to Enter. Enter as often as you like. Each piece of art must be entered individually. Entries with multiple works submitted will not be considered. Entries must be submitted as JPG digital files online at https://artistsnetworkcompetitions.awardsplatform.com/ during the Entry Period. Files under 5MB are more likely to upload properly. Entrants should be prepared to send a high-resolution print-quality replacement file should their entry be selected as a Winner; detailed requirements will be provided at that time.

Entry fees are due with entries. Your record of the credit card or PayPal charge will be your receipt. Fees are as follows:

Super Early Bird Deadline: March 25, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Entry Fee: $15 for Artists Network Members | Entry Fee: $25 for nonmembers

Early Bird Deadline: June 24, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Entry Fee: $25 for Artists Network Members | Entry Fee: $35 for nonmembers

Final Deadline: August 19th, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Entry Fee: $30 for Artists Network Members | Entry Fee: $40 for nonmembers

Categories:

a. Animal & Wildlife: Any animal in any setting is fair game for this category. Entries will be judged, among other criteria, on the innovative handling of the subject, the expression and rendering.

b. Abstract & Non-Objective: With unlimited subject matter, entries will be judged on the artist’s use of design, texture, media, lighting and special techniques, among other criteria.

c. Landscape & Interior: Any landscape, from city scenes to imaginary horizons, will be judged, among other things, on the artist’s use of form, space, lighting and mood.

d. Portraits & Figure: Portrait and figure entries can be individuals or groups, and will be judged, among other criteria, on expressiveness and draftsmanship.

e. Still Life & Floral: Entries will be judged, among other criteria, on overall design, unique arrangement of subject matter, handling of medium, lighting and mood.

Requirements for Entries:

All works must be original. “Original” means that the work must be from the hand of a single artist who submits the work for entry; pieces that originate from a workshop or a class under the direction of a teacher are not eligible.

For works based on reference photographs, eligibility requires that the artist must have taken the photographs or have obtained written permission from the photographer to create the work and to enter it in the Contest.

Artwork or reference imagery generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not be considered. Compositions based on published material or other artists’ work are NOT considered original and are not eligible.

Work must be at least 80% soft pastel; no oil pastel. Nupastels and other “harder” pastels are considered soft pastels.

By entering, you represent and warrant that your entry is your original work, that your entry does not infringe the rights of any third party, and that you have all the rights necessary to submit the entry and to assign the rights in the entry as described in the Limited Grant of Rights.

Works deemed unsuitable for publication or that do not meet above criteria, in the sole discretion of Sponsor, are not eligible. Sponsor will not refund entry fees to artists whose works are deemed unsuitable or fail to meet the stated criteria.

Entries that have already received a major award in a national or international juried exhibition or competition at the time of entry are not eligible. Entries previously accepted (as an award winner, honorable mention, or finalist) in any prior Sponsor competition or that have been published previously on AristsNetwork.com or in any Sponsor publication (Artists Magazine, Watercolor Artist, Pastel Journal and Southwest Art) are not eligible.

Photography will NOT be considered. Sculpture will NOT be considered. Digital art will NOT be considered. Entries are limited to two-dimensional artwork. Two-dimensional means that a mixed media cannot exceed one inch in depth.

5. Limited Grant of Rights. By entering, you grant to Sponsor, its licensees and designees, the worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free right to use the entry in Sponsor’s magazines, on Sponsor’s websites, in Sponsor’s digital products, and in ads promoting future competitions, without further permission, compensation, or notification. You further agree that Sponsor shall have the right, but not the obligation, to use your name and/or photograph for the same purposes.

6. Judging and Notification. Judging will be done across five (5) categories: Animal/Wildlife, Abstract/Non-Objective, Landscape/Interior, Portrait/Figure, and Still Life/Floral.

Judges will award a total of one hundred (100) prizes. Twenty-five (25) prizes will be awarded in the categories with five (5) prizes per category and ranked First to Fifth; the twenty-five (25) prize winners will be referred to as the Category Prize Winners. Category Prize Winners will be selected by Category Judges, and each judge will select the five (5) winners in his/her designated category.

Five (5) Grand Prizes will be awarded outside of category distinctions: one First Prize Winner, one Second Prize Winner, one Third Prize Winner, one Fourth Prize Winner, and one Fifth Prize Winner will make up the Grand Prize Winners. These winners will be named by the Pastel Journal Editors, who will serve as the Grand Prize Jury.

Finally, seventy (70) entries will be named as Honorable Mentions.  Entries will be nominated for Honorable Mention by the Category Judges and will be selected by Pastel Journal Editors. Limit one (1) prize per entrant.

All eligible entries will be judged using the following criteria:

• Artistic technique

• Handling of medium

• Design and creative elements

• Overall impression/impact

In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest score in overall impression/impact will be deemed the Winner. If there is still a tie, the judge will select the entry deemed to be the better entry overall.

Judging will be done in each category by qualified judges. The Pastel Journal Editorial team will serve as the Pre-jurying Committee and the Grand Prize Judge. Roberta Condon will judge the Animal/Wildlife category, Paula Phelps will judge the Abstract/Non-Objective category, Richard McKinley will judge the Landscape/Interior category, Michele Ashby will judge the Portrait/Figure category, and Robin Frisella will judge the Still Life/Floral category. Judging will be blind; no information regarding the entrants will be shared with judge until all scoring has been made final.

Judging will take place in two rounds. In the first pre-jurying round, the Pre-Jurying Committee will select approximately 100 entries per category as finalists and move them to the second round. In the second round, Category Judges will nominate five (5) Category Prize Winners, ten (10) Honorable Mentions, and five (5) noteworthy entries for consideration. The Pastel Journal editorial team will then select five (5) Grand Prize Winners from the Category Prize Winners. In the categories where one or more of the Category Prize Winners was chosen as a Grand Prize Winner, all other winners will move up one place and one or more of the noteworthy entries will be eligible for an honorable mention.

Potential Winners will be notified within ninety (90) days of the close of the Entry Period, by email. Each Potential Winner will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Compliance with Official Rules, a Publicity Release, and a Release of Liability within ten (10) days of notification. If a Potential Winner does not respond to notification or does not return the forms in the required time, the prize will go to the person with the next highest score.

6. Prizes.

The one (1) First Prize “Pastel Journal Founder’s Award in memory of Maggie Price” Winner will receive $3,000 cash award + Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

The one (1) Second Prize “Pastel Journal Award of Excellence” Winner will receive $2,000 cash award + Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

The one (1) Third Prize “GOLD Award” Winner will receive $1,500 cash + Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

The one (1) Fourth Prize “SILVER Award” Winner will receive $1,000 + Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

The one (1) Fifth Prize “BRONZE Award” Winner will receive $750 cash + Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

The five (5) First Place Category Winners will each receive $500 worth of Terry Ludwig Pastels (sponsor Terry Ludwig) + free Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

The five (5) Second Place Category Winners will each receive a $200 worth of Sennelier pastels (sponsor MacPherson’s) + Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

The five (5) Third Place Category Winners will each receive $150 worth of Holbein Pastels (sponsor Holbein) + Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

The five (5) Fourth Place Category Winners will each receive $125 worth of PanPastels (sponsor Golden Artist Colors) + Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

The five (5) Fifth Place Category Winners will each receive $75 worth of UART pastel paper (sponsor UART) + Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

Seventy (70) Honorable Mentions will each receive a free Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($99.99 value).

All winners’ names and work will be featured in the Spring 2025 issue of Pastel Journal, on ArtistsNetwork.com, and will receive a digital promotional badge.

Total retail value of all prizes is $23499.00.

Prizes will be distributed within 6 months of the closing of the Contest.

8. Odds. Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries. Sponsor cannot predict the number or quality of entries.

9. General Conditions. Void where prohibited. Any entrant suspected of tampering with or disrupting any aspect of the Contest will be disqualified. All decisions of Sponsor are final. By your participation in the Contest, you (i) agree to be bound by these Official Rules, (ii) agree to release, indemnify, and hold Sponsor, their affiliates, parents, subsidiaries, and divisions, and all of their officers, directors, employees, and agents harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, and damages of any kind arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from your participation in the Contest, from Sponsor’s use of your entry, or from your acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any Prize, and (iii) agree that any dispute or claim will be resolved individually and without resort to class action.

10. Limitation of Liability. SPONSOR MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NONINFRINGEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE PRIZES. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT PERMIT LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS TO DETERMINE IF ANY OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. Sponsor is not responsible for late, lost, misdirected, or unintelligible entries, including entries not received because of interrupted or unavailable network servers, failed communications networks or equipment, computer hardware or software, or other errors or malfunctions whether human, mechanical, or electronic. Should Sponsor, in its sole discretion, determine that the Contest has been compromised by virus, bugs, hackers, or other causes beyond its control, Sponsor reserves the right to terminate or revise the contest and choose the Winner in a fair and reasonable manner from among all eligible entries submitted prior to termination.

11. Privacy. With the exception of the Winner’s name, city, and state, information collected by Sponsor solely in connection with the Contest will not be shared with third parties unless expressly permitted by entrant at the time of entry.

12. Winner’s List. For the name, city, and state of the Winners, please send a request to [email protected] after the results have been made public.

13. Sponsor. The Sponsor of the Contest is Peak Media Properties LLC d/b/a Golden Peak Media, 350 Indiana St., Suite 550, Golden, CO 80401.