Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013

The Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery invites portrait submissions for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013. The competition is open to all professional artists age 18 and over who are legal residents of the United States or its territories. Each artist may enter only one portrait depicting anyone, but the work must be the result of the artist's direct encounter with that person. The portrait must have been completed after January 1, 2010. Portraits in all visual arts mediums are welcome, including painting, drawing, watercolor, sculpture, weaving, ceramics, photography, prints, video, film, and digital or time-based media. The human form must be the focus of the portrait, but artists are invited to interpret the concept of portraiture broadly.

Submissions may include 1-2 images of the same portrait (one complete portrait and an optional detail) or up to one video with an optional still image. Two-dimensional works must measure no more than 7 feet by 7 feet by 8 inches (including frame) and weigh no more than 150 pounds. Sculptures should not exceed 7 feet (height) by 7 feet by 4 feet and should not weigh more than 150 pounds. Video, film, and time-based media submissions should be five minutes or less. Online entry requires a $35 nonrefundable fee, payable by credit card or debit card only. The entry deadline is November 30, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Prizes include: First prize of $25,000 cash and a commission to create a portrait for the National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection; Second prize of $7,500; Third prize of $5,000; up to four commended artists receiving $1,000 each; and a People's Choice Award of $500. All finalists' work will be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery from March 22, 2013 through January 4, 2014. Semifinalists will be notified by April 15, 2012, and the National Portrait Gallery will cover transportation costs for semifinalist works to and from Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Institution employees, regents, trustees, interns, volunteers, fellows, and research associates are ineligible to enter.