MU Libraries – Centennial Art Competition, 2015-2016

The MU Libraries announce a student art competition as part of the year-long celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of Ellis Library, the first building erected on campus to house the scholarly collections of the University of Missouri. We welcome all entries from undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at the University of Missouri – Columbia.

Theme of the Competition

Our theme for the competition is The Library at Night. As we begin the celebration of our centennial this fall, Ellis Library is offering MU students extended hours of access, including twenty-four hour access on Sundays through Thursdays when classes are in session. This is the first time that Ellis Library will be open all-night, and we wonder what that will mean to our students. We hope to have MU students depict what they feel happens in their libraries, especially after dark.

Eligible Artists

All undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at the University of Missouri – Columbia are eligible to submit works of original art in this competition. No entry fee is required.

Eligible Media

Drawing, Painting, Photography, Graphic Design, Printmaking, Ceramics, Fiber, Sculpture, or any combination of these media may be submitted.

Scale of Art

Submissions must be within the following parameters:

Two-dimensional – 24 inches x 36 inches (maximum overall size)
Three-dimensional – 24 inches x 12 inches x 12 inches (maximum size)

Entry Submission

Submit one entry form via the following website: https://library.missouri.edu/secure/artcontest/

Include a brief statement (300 words maximum) explaining how the entry addresses the theme of the competition. Attach up to three high-resolution JPEG images of the work. (Note that the images will not be reproduced or used in any way other than to judge the competition.) Only valid MU email addresses please.

All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. February 29, 2016. No submissions will be accepted after that date.

Details of Competition

Submissions will be judged by a panel of five jurors from the MU campus community who have expertise in the eligible media. One submission will be selected the grand-prize winner, purchased as a permanent part of the MU Libraries collections, and mounted for public display for a period of time. Up to eight other entries will be designated as notable submissions and will be shown along with the grand-prize winner in an exhibit in the Bookmark Café of Ellis Library beginning in April, 2016. Contestants agree to allow work to be displayed in the library during the exhibition period.

The grand prize winner will receive $500 for the winning work. All artists having entries selected for exhibit will receive a cash prize of $50 along with a letter and certificate denoting their participation in the MU Libraries Centennial Art Competition.