Rules
SIXTH EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXLIBRIS COMPETITION VARNA 2025
ORGANIZERS: LARGO ART GALLERY
JORDAN PETKOV ART FOUNDATION
C O M P E T I T I O N R U L E S
- Organizer: From its creation in 2014 until 2022, the organizer of the International Exlibris Competition Varna has been “Largo Art” Ltd., owner of Largo Art Gallery. From January 2023, the organizer of the competition is Jordan Petkov Art Foundation. “Largo Art” Ltd and the Largo Art Gallery team remain partners of the Foundation.
- Participants: The Competition is open to artists from all around the world above the age of 16. There is no entry fee.
- Deadlines: The selection will be held in two stages.
First stage: ONLINE SELECTION
Each participant is invited to send digital reproductions of their artworks for participation through a special online Application form available on Largo Art Gallery’s website www.forms.largogallery.com. Participants must fill in their details and can send up to 5 photos of 5 artworks, along with their description, as well as their artist biography/ curriculum vitae and portrait photo.
Deadline for online registration – 01 October 2024 – 01 February 2025
REQUIREMENTS FOR DIGITAL REPRODUCTIONS (PHOTOS):
Digital reproductions are to be JPG or TIFF, in the original colors of the photograph or scan of the artwork; digital reproductions must be as close as possible to the original, must not have corrections and digital corrections to the file; the size of the image must not be more than 4 MB. The image must be correctly oriented (vertical or horizontal). The file must be titled in English:
Country_FirstName_LastName_Title_Technique_HeightxWidth ” in milimeters, for example:
Bulgaria_John_Johnson_Owl__C3_130x150.
Second stage: SELECTION FOR THE EXHIBITION AND CATALOGUE
The jury of the competition chooses the artists who will be invited to participate in the exhibition, the catalogue and to compete for the awards. The selected artists will be notified via email and they have to send their artworks for participation to the address of the contest organizer.
Deadline: artworks must be delivered to the address of the organizer no later than 15 April 2025.
- Entry form: Every participant must fill in the Application (Entry) form and send it together with the works submitted. Works which are not accompanied by a completed and signed Application Form will not be reviewed.
- Theme: There is no theme, except for the Prize in the name of Jordan Petkov, which’s only requirement to qualify is that at least one of the artworks is dedicated to Jordan Petkov*.
* Jordan Petkov is the founder of Largo Art Gallery and without his support, dedication and love for art, the International ExLibris Competition Varna would not have existed. In 2020, Jordan was taken from us by the COVID-19 virus, but he continues to live in the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to know him. From 2021 Largo Art Gallery awards a special prize in the name of Jordan Petkov to a participant who will create a special exlibris in his name.
- Number of entries: Participants may send a maximum of 5 (five) different bookplates, each of them in 3 (three) signed copies. The works must have been created in the period 2023 – 2025. For first time participants, exlibris artworks that are created earlier than 2023 are allowed.
- Techniques: Entries made using the original graphic techniques will be accepted – Intaglio techniques (C, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8), Relief techniques (X, X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7), Flatbed, stencil techniques (L1, L2, L3, L4, S1, S2), as well as artworks, created in digital techniques (CGD). Photocopies, drawings, or sketches will not be accepted.
- Dimensions: The image (engraved part) of the exlibris must be no larger than 180 x 180 mm. Paper size must be no larger than 290 mm x 210 mm.
- Text: Each image must include the name of the owner and words: “Exlibris”, “Bookplate” or some other similar expression (e.g., “From the library of…”). The bookplates must have on the front side under the image, written with a pencil the following: the artist’s signature, year of creation, technique, and title (if the work has one), print number or abbreviation – E/A, A/P.
- Information: On the back side of the paper every bookplate must have the following information, written with pencil, in English, with print letters:
1) first name, last name, country of the artist
2) title of the work
3) technique used
4) dimensions of the engraved part in mm
5) year the work was created
6) full versions of initials or abbreviations, if used.
Only entries meeting requirements listed above will be allowed to be evaluated for the Competition. All those missing one or more of the requisites will not be reviewed.
- The submission: The works should be sent without glass, frame or passé-partout, by registered airmail as PRINTED MATTERIAL, declaring “NO COMMERCIAL VALUE”. The works should be packaged in a solid and waterproof package, in the safest manner to avoid any kind of damage. We advise that you write on the package with bold letters “PRINTED MATERIALS, DO NOT FOLD”. The organizers accept no responsibility for problems arising from the fault of the postal and courier services. The organizers will not be accepting packages with a high declared value and customs fees pending.
- Address: The package with bookplates must be sent to the following postal address:
Milena Dimitrova
Largo Art Gallery
8 Han Krum Str.
9000 Varna
Bulgaria
phone: +359897976397
- Deadlines:
Recommended deadlines for sending the artworks:
For countries outside of the European Union: entries must be sent before 20th of February 2025. (according to the date of the post stamp of the sender).
For countries in the European Union: entries must be sent before 20th of March 2025. (according to the date of the post stamp of the sender).
Postage expenses are in the account of the sender. A confirmation of receiving of the package will be sent by e-mail. Artworks sent to the organizer’s address without being selected on the First stage will not be selected for the exhibition and catalogue and not compete for the awards.
- Exhibition: The Competition Jury, composed of 5 members, will select the prizes winners and the art works for participating at Competition Every selected artist will be notified by e-mail. The exhibition will be displayed at Largo Art Gallery from 06 June till 01 July 2025.
- Catalogue: For the sixth edition of the International Exlibris Competition Varna the organizer will publish a coloured catalogue where every selected for the exhibition artist will be presented with one work. The selected artists will receive a copy of the printed catalogue free of charge.
- Prizes:
- First Prize: cash prize;
- Second Prize: cash prize;
- Third Prize: cash prize;
- Prize for Young Artist (under the age of 30): cash prize;
- Prize in the form of a bronze plaque of Association of Artists, Varna.
- Special award in the name of Jordan Petkov for an exlibris dedicated to Jordan Petkov (read in article 5);
- Certificates of honor and Honourable mentions – at the decision of the competition jury;
- Prizes provided by contest sponsors and donors.
All winners will receive their awards personally in their bank accounts after reducing of the sum with tax according to the Bulgarian Tax Law.
- Rights: The submitted artworks will not be returned, whether they are admitted to the competition or not and will remain property of the graphic collection of the organizers of the event: Jordan Petkov Art Foundation and Largo Art Gallery. The Organizer reserves the right to reproduce and exhibit any work accepted for promotional or cultural purposes and/or reproduce works on the website of the competition, catalogues, posters, etc. with no commercial purpose.
- Acceptance of the Rules: With completing and signing of the Application form the participants endow submitted works to the fund of the Competition, accept all the conditions and requirements of the Competition Rules above and the Jury’s decisions.
