ICCR announces a world wide art competition - United Against Corona

With a focus on building cultural links with countries around the world and giving a platform for billions to express their emotions towards the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian Council for Cultural Relations has launched a worldwide art competition. Learn more about the competition and its guidelines in the article below.

With almost the entire world caught up in the jaws of COVID-19, forcing us to self-isolation of lockdown, we can always be grateful for one thing: the liberty to express our emotions. And with this pandemic touching the lives of nearly every human being on Earth, there are millions of expressions wanting to manifest!!

With an aim to become the catalyst to let this emotions find an artistic expression, The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is calling Indians and all the citizens of the world to express their emotions – of empathy, sympathy, kindness, concern, anger, frustration, social cohesiveness and bravery among other – through a worldwide art competition.

Titled as ‘United Against Corona – Express Through Art’, the competition invites entries from professional artists and amateurs as well as Children & Students below the age of 21, from India or any foreign nation to share their artistic response to the epidemic of COVID-19. The entries can be in a variety categories – be it contemporary art, folk and tribal styles, cartoons, illustrations and digital & new age artworks. And the artwork can be in the form of Paintings (on paper or canvas using oil, acrylic, watercolour, pencin, crayons) or Digital Art (Graphics and Digital paintings).

The entries have been bifurcated in the following categories:

A. Entries from India in following categories:

1. Professional Artists
2. Amateur Artists
3. Children & Students – Below age of 21

B. Entries from the World over in following categories:

1. Foreign Professional Artists
2. Amateur Artists- global Citizen
3. Children & Students- Below age of 21

So, if you are interested in participating, here are the basic guidelines issued by ICCR :

• The theme of the competition is restricted to “Art in the Time of CORONA: United against Corona – Express through Art”
• All participants have to give their full name, address and number of their national identity document along with filling up a form, available on iccr.gov.in .
• Once your artwork is ready, you will have to upload a soft copy of your work (take a picture if you have made a hand-made artwork) in PNG or JPG files only, with maximum size up to 10 MB, on iccr.gov.in .
• Please keep a copy of higher resolution files of your submitted artwork which might be required if your work is shortlisted.
• Any form of indecent and obscene portrayal of woman and child, nudity, animal brutality, direct or indirect hate, anti-national, anti-government expressions/visuals, sensitive to all religions, caste, creed and ethnicity is strictly prohibited.
• Last date for submissions is 1^st May, 2020.

The collected artworks will be evaluated by a high level jury who will announce the winners on the World Environment Day – 6^th June, 2020.

The winners will be awarded with a lot of prizes, along with having their artworks exhibited in leading galleries in India and abroad with the grand finale of the physical exhibition held in New Delhi with a cultural function. However, with the global lockdown, an online exhibition will also be on display.

The competition will open on April 2, i.e. today. So, pick up your brushes or digital pens and fend away this pandemic with your expression.

For detailed terms and guidelines visit here