The contest will be held in two categories: rising and established artists.
Each category will include five nominations:

• Drawing: Classic works created with pencil, charcoal, ink, or similar materials.
• Painting: Works created with oil, watercolor, acrylic, or other traditional painting techniques.
• Digital Art: Works created using digital technologies such as graphic tablets, drawing software, etc.
• Mixed Visual Art: Works combining various techniques and materials, such as collages, installations, and other multimedia pieces.
• Sculpture: An artistic form in which hard or plastic materials are worked into three-dimensional art objects.

Each nomination will be judged separately, and winners will be determined in each category. We define established artists as individuals whose work is represented in museums and galleries, who have participated in regional, national or international exhibitions and who have been recognized in the media.

To ensure fairness and inclusivity, the following eligibility criteria will be applied:

• Residency: Participants must be legal residents of Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Age: Artists must be 18 years or older at the time of submission.
• Mediums: Submissions must be at least three pieces of the designated mediums: drawing, painting, digital or mixed visual art. Artists can submit their works into all four categories (minimum three pieces per category).
• Originality: All submitted artworks must be original creations of the submitting artist, free from plagiarism or infringement of intellectual property rights.
• Theme Adherence: The artwork should align with the theme of "Initiation" celebrating the unique cultural heritage of the participating countries and the role of women.
• Artist skills: The criterion of the artist's skill within the framework of this competition is the degree of the viewer's emotional response to the work of art, expressed through the depth of feelings, the strength of experiences, the complexity of associative series, as well as the uniqueness of the artist's style and the ability to express his idea brightly and unconventionally.

The winners of the competition will receive a range of prizes and opportunities to support their artistic endeavors:

• Exhibition Opportunities: The winning artists will have their works showcased in art exhibitions in Africa, Europe and Russia, providing the participants with invaluable international exposure and recognition.
• Art Residences: By providing opportunities for participation in residencies, we can help them develop the women artists skills, expand their networks, and gain valuable exposure to diverse artistic communities.
• Art Sales: Opportunities will be provided for the sale of their art collections during the exhibitions, thereby enabling artists to generate income from their work. We will offer for sale the finest works from the contestants. In the event that a work does not find a buyer, we are committed to returning it to the respective artist.
• Publicity and Promotion: Extensive media coverage and promotion of the artists and their artworks across various platforms, further enhancing their visibility and reputation in the art world.

Privacy Policy

• Data Collection: We collect personal information (name, email, etc.) solely for administering the competition.
• Data Usage: Information will be used to manage the competition and communicate with participants.
• Data Protection: We are committed to safeguarding your information and will not share it without consent.
• Retention: Information will be retained only as long as necessary for competition purposes.
• Rights: Participants can request access, correction, or deletion of their data.

Intellectual Property and Usage Rights

• Ownership: Artists retain full ownership of their submitted works.
• Usage Rights: By entering, participants grant us rights to use submitted artworks for promotional purposes related to the competition.
• Credit: Artists will be credited whenever their works are used.

Disqualification and Disputes

• Disqualification: Non-compliant or plagiarized entries will be disqualified.
• Disputes: Organizers' decisions are final; disputes will be resolved at their discretion.

By submitting entries to the contest, entrants automatically agree to the above terms and conditions.