Mote Park Art Competition 2024

2023 Over 18s winning entry: 'Autumn Colours' by Charys Beswick

After a very successful inaugural year, we are delighted to launch the 2024 Art Competition for Mote Park.

This year, we're looking for your best original artworks of Mote Park with the theme 'Everyday Encounters'. You can work in any medium, including sculpture and textiles, but no photography please.

There are two categories: Under 18’s and Over 18s, with prizes for each:

Over 18s Winner - £250; Runner up - £100
Under 18s Winner - £100; Runner up - £50

We will select a minimum of 10 entries from each category to feature in a special exhibition in the autumn.

This will be held in the Mote Park Learning Space from Monday 28^th October – Friday 8^th November, and will be open to the public and free to visit.

There will be a special preview event on Saturday 26^th October for those selected to exhibit, where we will also announce the overall competition winners.

Visitors Vote

This year, we will be introducing a 'visitors vote' - all visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite artworks. The overall winner of this public vote will receive a £50 voucher for art supplies.

How to enter

Create your artwork and take a high quality photo of it. You may submit more than one photo if your artwork is three dimensional (max 4 photos).

Write a brief description of the work including:

Medium/materials used
Inspiration for the piece in relation to the theme 'Everyday Encounters'
Overall dimensions of the finished piece (with frame if appropriate)

Then email your photo(s) and description to MoteParkArt@maidstone.gov.uk

Please make sure you include:

Artist's name
Age, as of 27 September 2024
Contact phone number

Entries are open from 1^st April to 27^th September 2024

Judging will take place in late September and entries selected for the exhibition will be notified by Friday 11^th October.

This year's prizes have been kindly sponsored by Marathon Wealth Management

************************************************************

Terms & Conditions

By submitting an entry, you are agreeing to these competition terms and conditions.

The competition is being run by Maidstone Borough Council.

The competition is open for entries from 1^st April 2024 to 27^th September 2024 from entrants who live in the United Kingdom. The competition is not open to employees of Maidstone Borough Council.

Entries received after 27^th September 2024 will not be processed or considered.

No responsibility is taken for entries which are incomplete, lost, damaged, delayed, misdirected or cannot be delivered for any technical or other reason. Such entries will not be accepted. Proof of delivery of the entry is not proof of receipt.

To enter the competition, you must submit an entry. No purchase is necessary. The competition is free to enter.

In entering the competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim any prize you may win.

Entrants can only enter in their own name. Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted. The only exception to this is where an entry is submitted by a parent on behalf of their child in the Under 18s category.

You may submit more than one entry to the competition but each piece must be your own work and be inspired by Mote Park.

Multiple submissions of the same entry will not result in additional entries into the competition.

The competition is open to both 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional works in any medium, except photography.

There are two categories depending on age: Under 18’s and Over 18s, with a cash prize for each:

Over 18s Winner - £250; Runner up - £100

Under 18s Winner - £100; Runner up - £50

The judges will be appointed by Maidstone Borough Council in such number and of such qualification as it sees fit at its sole discretion. The judges’ decision in relation to the judging process shall be final and no correspondence will be entered into. All works will be judged anonymously.

Initial judging will take place in early October 2024 to shortlist entries for inclusion in the exhibition.

Those selected for inclusion will be notified via email by Friday 11^th October 2024 and will be provided with full delivery details and relevant dates. The delivery of the artwork to and from the exhibition is the sole responsibility of the artist.

Framing or mounting of works, if required for exhibition, is also the sole responsibility of the artist and must be carried out prior to delivery. Works not requiring framing or mounting must include a clear indication as to how the work should be presented.

All artists selected for exhibition will be invited to the Preview event on Saturday 26^th October 2024 when the overall winners in each category will be announced. If the winners are not in attendance, they will be notified via email by Wednesday 30^th October 2024.

The winner will receive the prize outlined in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.

If a winner cannot be contacted or does not respond to Maidstone Borough Council within 30 days of being notified (or does not claim the prize within 30 days of notification), then the winner’s prize will be forfeited, and Maidstone Borough Council shall be entitled to select another winner in accordance with the process described above. If a winner rejects their prize or the entry is invalid or in breach of these Terms and Conditions, the winner’s prize will be forfeited, and Maidstone Borough Council shall be entitled to select another winner.

The prize is non-exchangeable and non-transferable.

The prize is subject to availability. Maidstone Borough Council reserves the right to replace the prize with an alternative prize of equal or higher value without giving notice if circumstances beyond Maidstone Borough Council’s control make it necessary to do so.

Information on how to enter and the prize(s) form part of the Terms & Conditions. Entry into this competition is deemed acceptance of these Terms & Conditions.

By submitting an entry, the artist agrees to Maidstone Borough Council collecting, retaining, processing, or otherwise utilising the artist’s personal information solely for the purposes of processing the artist’s entry to the competition, the promotion and administration of the competition and the creation of the exhibition. The artist’s personal information will not be shared with third parties or otherwise processed for alternative purposes without the artist’s consent.

Maidstone Borough Council shall use and take care of any personal data you supply to it as described in its Privacy Policy, and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. By entering the competition, you agree to the collection, retention, usage and distribution of your personal information in order to process and contact you about your entry.

The artist’s personal information will be held for a maximum of 2 years.

Maidstone Borough Council reserves the right at any time, to modify or discontinue temporarily or permanently this competition with or without prior notice due to reasons outside its control.

Maidstone Borough Council shall not be liable for any failure to comply with its obligations where the failure is caused by something outside of its reasonable control.

Maidstone Borough Council and its associated agencies and companies accepts no responsibility for any damage, loss, liabilities, injury or disappointment incurred or suffered by you as a result of entering this competition or accepting the prize, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law (including personal injury, death and fraud) in which case that liability is limited to the minimum amount allowable by law.

If for any reason any aspect of this promotion is not capable of running as planned, including by reason of infection by computer virus, network failure, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures or any cause beyond the control of Maidstone Borough Council which corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this promotion, Maidstone Borough Council may in its sole discretion cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the promotion or invalidate any affected entries, where required.

Maidstone Borough Council’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. The only exception to this decision-making principle is the judging process in which case the judges’ decision in relation to the judging process shall be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Maidstone Borough Council will not be responsible for any incorrect or incomplete information communicated in the course of, or in connection with, this competition if the deficiency is occasioned by any cause outside the reasonable control of Maidstone Borough Council, including without limitation, technical malfunctions or failures.

Participants in the competition are deemed to have accepted and agreed to be bound by these terms and conditions upon entry. Maidstone Borough Council reserves the right to refuse entry or refuse to award the prize to anyone in breach of these terms and conditions.

The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.