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THE ARTISTS

FOUR CORNERS ART COMPETITION

We invite all artists interested in creating larger murals to submit a proof of concept with us. First Place winner will be awarded $1500, second place $500, and possible additional prizes from sponsors. We plan on hosting 2 to 3 competitions a year, so let's see what you can create!

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WHY ENTER OUR COMPETITION?

  • Could win some money

  • Get notoriety for your work

  • Have a public place where your work is displayed.

  • If someone purchases your art, you keep 100% of the money, we just ask that you pay to replace the panel with a blank one.

  • This site can help you market and sell your art, as all artists that get accepted to compete get an artist profile with contact info loaded.

THE RULES

The following are the rules for entering into the Cortez Contemporary Art Competition. Please read the rules and the procedures for submitting your artwork. If you have any questions, please contact us at doloresrotary3256@gmail.com or (970)426-9902.

 

Eligibility for Competitions

  1. Open to all individuals regardless of age or artistic background, unless specified within a certain contest. Both amateurs and professionals are encouraged to participate.

  2. Art work must be an original concept and not a copy of anyone else’s copyrighted or trademarked material. You may submit only artwork that you personally created. NO AI GENERATED CONTENT!!!

  3. The artwork will need to fit the appropriate dimensions as given within the contest requirements. 

  4. Artists must submit a "proof of concept" or sketch with their contest submission to be in consideration for the competition. The submission should be scalable for finalization. Minimum length or width of proof of concept submission is 6”.

  5. Proof of concept artwork can be submitted digitally, e-mailed or hand-delivered to the contest administrator. All entries must be received by the submission deadline to be considered.

  6. Proof of concept submissions can use any type of medium. For the actual competition, participants must use only exterior rated paints on the final artwork (spray paint or brush). 

  7. If selected, Artists must provide their own paints and art supplies for the competition. The organization running the competition will provide the panel to work on.

  8. Artists will work at their own risk. The contest and the non-profit organization will not provide any supervision during the creation of the artwork and cannot accept responsibility for any injuries in relation to the creation of the artwork or any damages that may occur from the work. 

  9. Artists under 18 must have written approval from a parent or guardian to participate.

  10. The artists will retain all rights to their artwork, provided the panel is replaced with the same material and size as the original panel. Any abandoned panels will become the property of the contest organizer.

  11. There may be additional eligibility requirements depending upon the specific contest as related to theme, colors, age or level. There will be multiple competitions per year, so please see the specific contest details for more information.

Selection Process

  1. Only submissions made by the deadline will go to the selection committee for consideration. 

  2. The contest administrator will deliver all submissions to the selection committee without any identifying information, only a submission number, to reduce any chance of bias in their selection. The order of submissions given to the committee will be random.

  3. The selection committee will determine if any applicable themes and/or dimensions have been met before consideration begins. Any submissions that do not meet the dimensions or theme of that particular competition will be disqualified.  

  4. If there are more submissions than available slots, then the committee will make selections based on theme and/or composition. They will make sure the artwork can be scalable to the size required and if the content is suitable for a public audience (no obscenities, profanity or graphic violence).

  5. If there are not enough eligible submissions and there are entries that were disqualified, the committee may reach out to the disqualified artists to submit a modified entry that meets the competition requirements.

  6. The committee will choose the finalists plus 2 ranked alternates should there be a dropout in the competition. 

  7. Finalists will be notified via email or phone that they have been selected to compete and will be asked to confirm their interest in the competition within a week.

CONTEST RULES - SUBMISSIONS WINDOW OPENS MAY 1ST, 2026

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  • Theme: (None - open to all)

  • Prizes: 1st place $1500.00, 2nd place $500.00, other prizes possible

  • Other restrictions: (None - open to all)

  • Panel Size and orientation: 3.5 feet x 7.5 feet, horizontal orientation

  • Submission Deadline: by midnight on Thursday, May 21, 2026

  • Painting Window: June 1, 2026 - June 30, 2026

  • Winner announcement date:  July 16, 2026 at 3rd Thursdays in Montezuma Park

  • Artwork display dates: July 1 - Labor Day

  • Artwork pickup begins: September 8th

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  1. Selected Artists will be given one month to complete their mural. Judging will take place after that time whether or not the mural has been completed.

  2. The panels will be numbered and each artist will be assigned a panel to work on.

  3. While we prefer to have the artists create while on site where the installations will be displayed, we will consider accommodations to allow some to remove the panel to work in another location. All panels will be put up and taken down only by authorized individuals. 

  4. You are responsible for providing your own paints and accessories. All paints used must be rated for exterior use.

  5. Judges will announce 1st place and 2nd place winners after the competition ends. We may ask for photos of you with your artwork for publication, whether or not your work placed in the competition.

  6. Winners may be asked to give interviews regarding their work and their process for publication. We reserve the right to use any photos or interviews for marketing efforts and website updates. 

  7. Murals will be displayed for approximately 2 months following the end of the competition. The work may not be removed until the artwork pickup date.

  8. At the end of the display period, the artist must notify the organization by the Artwork pickup date as to what they would like to have happen to their artwork. The artists will retain all rights to their artwork, provided they pay for the cost to replace a panel. A panel is considered abandoned if not claimed and removed within a week of the artwork pickup date specified in the contest and a new replacement panel paid for. Any abandoned panels will become the property of the contest organizer. Payment for the new panel must be completed before the artwork can be released. Cost will be $75 for a replacement panel.

  9. Choices of what may happen to the artwork are as follows:

    1. Removal of the artwork for personal ownership. 

    2. Donation of artwork back to Rotary or to another entity. If the panel is donated back to Rotary, there will be no cost to replace the panel.

    3. Sell your artwork to another entity. Negotiations on price and monies exchanged will be between buyer and artist

CONTEST RULES - CONTEST BEGINNING OCTOBER 1ST 2025

  1. Theme: (None)

  2. Prizes: 1st place $1000.00, 2nd place $500.00

  3. Other restrictions: (none)

  4. Submission Deadline: by midnight on September 23, 2025

  5. Competition Start/End Date: October 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025

  6. Winner announcement date: By Nov 7th, 2025

  7. Artwork display dates: November 1, 2025

  8. Artwork removal date: December 31, 2025

Judging criteria 

  1. Entries will be judged by a panel of select members from our community. Minimum number of judges will be 5.

  2. Judges will physically go out to the art installation location to assess the art within 5 days after the competition/painting period ends.

  3. Judging will be based on creativity, relevance to the theme (if applicable), emotional appeal and visual appeal. 

  4. Judges will submit their scoring and comments to the contest administrator individually. Judges will not confer with each other when scoring.

  5. The contest administrator will calculate point totals from judges to determine the 1st and 2nd place winners. 

  6. In the event of a tie with top scoring, then the judges will be asked to meet to discuss and determine placement between the two highest scores. After discussion, Judges will place an anonymous vote which will be counted by the contest administrator. In the event of another tie, then the contest administrator will place the tie-breaking vote.

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