PRIZE DETAILS:  Art Prize Fund value of £6,000
 6 categories: - Painting /Mixed Media /Printmaking - Illustration /Drawing - Sculpture – Photography/Digital Art- Young Artist (16-24 years old) – Children’s Award (15 years and under)
 All finalists invited to exhibit at the UKs largest artist art fair in November 2020 plus receive a annual membership to the Visual Artists Association www.visual-artists.org
 Cash Prizes £2,750. Overall winner of the VAO will be awarded: Annual Mentorship Package, Cash prize of £1,000 to support the production of new works, plus solo show at Chester Art Fair 2021. £250.00 will be awarded for category winners.
 ALL SUBMISSIONS will receive promotion on social media and email coverage to 50,000, plus an invitation to the annual show
 No age restrictions - all welcome to apply Not eligible to enter? - Find contest where you are.

COPYRIGHT: 1. Artists must be 18+ OR authorized by your legal guardian.
2. The VAO has no maximum age limit.
3. All work submitted must be solely produced by the artists registered for this award.
4. Acceptable media: drawing, printing, painting, photography, digital art, sculpture and video
5. Submission fee: £15 per artwork at the time of submitting (£10 per artwork for artists aged 24 or under). A maximum of 5 entries per person.
6. Work must have been completed in the last three years.
7. Works should not be larger than 2.4m along the longest dimension.
8. Paintings should be completely dry at the time of delivery.
9. Artists who are not resident in the UK but are resident abroad are welcome to submit work. If your work is sold at the exhibition you have a responsibility to register and account for UK VAT with H.M. Revenue & Customs.
10. Artists sending work from abroad should use a picture carrier. Many artists use Picture Post as they offer a packing and delivery service for our exhibitions (we do not accept any liability for their services). Picture Post - Tel: 0044 (0)1302 711011 / Mobile: 07833 450788 / Email: [email protected]
11. A one-year commercial contract will be offered by a UK based publisher to the winners.
12. Applicants are responsible for providing correct personal information for the organisers to be able to contact them.
13. The VAO only accepts artwork that has not been sold previously.
14. Entrants must ensure that they have the commercial rights if they are currently represented by a publisher so that there is no conflict of interests.
15. VAO respects your rights and does not claim copyright for works you submit to the contest. You will retain full copyright in each entry.

16. VAO will not be held responsible for any breach of the commercial contract between the Artist, The Gallery or Publisher, our role is to provide the commercial platform and introduction.
17. VAO will not be responsible for any travel or personal expenses to the VAO exhibition final or any visa requirements.
18. The winners agree to permit external communication of the artwork; not limited to publicity, press, website, social media, and any printed or digital material.

19. The jury’s decision is final and if VAO is unable to contact any short-listed artist or winner via the email address supplied by the entrant, the short-list position / prize lapses and VAO reserves the right to select alternative winners.



20. Shortlisted artists will be contacted directly. The names of the winner and shortlisted artists will be published on Facebook and elsewhere in competition publicity.
21. Paintings submitted for exhibition must be available until December 2020.
22. The artist will be responsible for delivery and collection of artworks for the finalist exhibition, and also for insurance whilst in transit and for the duration that the artwork is with the VAO for exhibitions.
23. Although strict handling measures are adhered to in receiving and hanging Finalists’ work, for the avoidance of doubt, the VAO can accept NO LIABILITY whatsoever for any damage to Art Work whilst in transit and during the Finalists’ shows (whilst in the care and being stored by the Organisers). Please make sure your artwork is adequately insured during this period.

24. Finalists are welcome to take delivery and hang their artwork. If you wish to do this please contact the Organisers on [email protected] to arrange.
25. In all matters arising in connection with the competition, VAO decision shall be final. No cash alternative is available.
26. VAO depends on its sponsors and affiliated partners when promoting the prizes offered for each edition. Should any VAO’s affiliated partners or sponsors fail for any reasons to complete their commitment in providing the prize promoted, the VAO shall not be held responsible whatsoever for this failure.
27. Should for any reasons the event be partly or wholly canceled outside of the organizer’s control, VAO shall offer the winners the amount paid for the registration as a voucher to be used for future competitions held by the VAO.
28. All entry submissions are final and entry fees are non-refundable. No compensation can be requested in any of the above cases.

29. The VAO is non-profit making. The entry fee goes towards our organisational and administrative costs.
30. Any works sold for finalists at the exhibitions will incur a 30% commission.

31. VAO reserves the right to cancel this competition or alter these rules if it considers that it has good reason to do so.
32. These rules are governed by English law and any disputes will be decided only by the courts of the United Kingdom
33. Full details of each piece of work must be supplied when applying including the title of work, dimensions and a description of each piece is required (where is it an installation and not self-explanatory).
34. More than two images of the artwork should be supplied where it is necessary to show 3-D work properly.
35. The winning artist will receive a 4M stand at Chester Arts Fair on a 40% commission basis.
36. Applicants are responsible for correctly pricing/sizing/describing their artwork. Any changes to the original details provided upon application must be notified in writing to the Organisers. USAGE RIGHTS: 1. Artists must be 18+ OR authorized by your legal guardian.
2. The VAO has no maximum age limit.
3. All work submitted must be solely produced by the artists registered for this award.
4. Acceptable media: drawing, printing, painting, photography, digital art, sculpture and video
5. Submission fee: £15 per artwork at the time of submitting (£10 per artwork for artists aged 24 or under). A maximum of 5 entries per person.
6. Work must have been completed in the last three years.
7. Works should not be larger than 2.4m along the longest dimension.
8. Paintings should be completely dry at the time of delivery.
9. Artists who are not resident in the UK but are resident abroad are welcome to submit work. If your work is sold at the exhibition you have a responsibility to register and account for UK VAT with H.M. Revenue & Customs.
10. Artists sending work from abroad should use a picture carrier. Many artists use Picture Post as they offer a packing and delivery service for our exhibitions (we do not accept any liability for their services). Picture Post - Tel: 0044 (0)1302 711011 / Mobile: 07833 450788 / Email: [email protected]
11. A one-year commercial contract will be offered by a UK based publisher to the winners.
12. Applicants are responsible for providing correct personal information for the organisers to be able to contact them.
13. The VAO only accepts artwork that has not been sold previously.
14. Entrants must ensure that they have the commercial rights if they are currently represented by a publisher so that there is no conflict of interests.
15. VAO respects your rights and does not claim copyright for works you submit to the contest. You will retain full copyright in each entry.

16. VAO will not be held responsible for any breach of the commercial contract between the Artist, The Gallery or Publisher, our role is to provide the commercial platform and introduction.
17. VAO will not be responsible for any travel or personal expenses to the VAO exhibition final or any visa requirements.
18. The winners agree to permit external communication of the artwork; not limited to publicity, press, website, social media, and any printed or digital material.

19. The jury’s decision is final and if VAO is unable to contact any short-listed artist or winner via the email address supplied by the entrant, the short-list position / prize lapses and VAO reserves the right to select alternative winners.



20. Shortlisted artists will be contacted directly. The names of the winner and shortlisted artists will be published on Facebook and elsewhere in competition publicity.
21. Paintings submitted for exhibition must be available until December 2020.
22. The artist will be responsible for delivery and collection of artworks for the finalist exhibition, and also for insurance whilst in transit and for the duration that the artwork is with the VAO for exhibitions.
23. Although strict handling measures are adhered to in receiving and hanging Finalists’ work, for the avoidance of doubt, the VAO can accept NO LIABILITY whatsoever for any damage to Art Work whilst in transit and during the Finalists’ shows (whilst in the care and being stored by the Organisers). Please make sure your artwork is adequately insured during this period.

24. Finalists are welcome to take delivery and hang their artwork. If you wish to do this please contact the Organisers on [email protected] to arrange.
25. In all matters arising in connection with the competition, VAO decision shall be final. No cash alternative is available.
26. VAO depends on its sponsors and affiliated partners when promoting the prizes offered for each edition. Should any VAO’s affiliated partners or sponsors fail for any reasons to complete their commitment in providing the prize promoted, the VAO shall not be held responsible whatsoever for this failure.
27. Should for any reasons the event be partly or wholly canceled outside of the organizer’s control, VAO shall offer the winners the amount paid for the registration as a voucher to be used for future competitions held by the VAO.
28. All entry submissions are final and entry fees are non-refundable. No compensation can be requested in any of the above cases.

29. The VAO is non-profit making. The entry fee goes towards our organisational and administrative costs.
30. Any works sold for finalists at the exhibitions will incur a 30% commission.

31. VAO reserves the right to cancel this competition or alter these rules if it considers that it has good reason to do so.
32. These rules are governed by English law and any disputes will be decided only by the courts of the United Kingdom
33. Full details of each piece of work must be supplied when applying including the title of work, dimensions and a description of each piece is required (where is it an installation and not self-explanatory).
34. More than two images of the artwork should be supplied where it is necessary to show 3-D work properly.
35. The winning artist will receive a 4M stand at Chester Arts Fair on a 40% commission basis.
36. Applicants are responsible for correctly pricing/sizing/describing their artwork. Any changes to the original details provided upon application must be notified in writing to the Organisers.