Royal Entomological Society 2023 Insect Art Competition terms and conditions
1 About the competition
1.1 To promote learning and engagement in the science, natural history and conservation of insects, The Royal Entomological Society (the “RES”) has organised the insect art competition as part of its programme of activities (the “Competition”).
1.2 The Competition is owned and run by the RES.
1.3 Entries are invited from amateur artists of all nationalities and the Competition is free to enter.
1.4 The Competition will open to entries on 19 June 2023 at 09:00 (UK time) at the start of Insect Week. The closing date for the Competition is 31 October 2023 – entries received after 23.59 (UK time) on that date will not be eligible.
2 Competition Details
Eligibility
2.1 The Competition is open to anyone except:
(i) professional artists (those who make money from their art beyond potential prize funds); and
(ii) individuals (or their immediate families) directly involved in the Competition’s organisation.
(iii)RES staff members
Those who work as RES volunteers or work for Insect Week partners are not excluded if they are not directly involved in the Competition’s organisation.
The Competition has two categories, entrants should use choose the online submission form and select the category:
(i) Over 18
(i) Under 18 (divided into 3 to 7 years, 8 to 12 years, and 13 to 18 years)
2.3 Any entrant found to have entered the Competition using the wrong submission form will be disqualified.
2.4 Entrants must be aged 17 years or younger as at the date of closing of the Competition and must accurately report their age at the time of submission. They must receive the permission of a parent or guardian before entering the Competition.
2.5 The age of the entrant will be checked before any prize is awarded. Prizes will be sent to the parent or guardian.
2.6 The entrant must be the original artwork creator and solely hold the copyright.
2.7 Submitted images must not be licenced or have disposed of any rights that will conflict with the Competition. Images that have been made available on stock libraries and that may have gained publicity from this may be disqualified at the judges’ discretion.
2.8 Images that have won or been commended or received notable publicity in any major competition before the submission deadline or judging will be disqualified at the judges’ discretion.
2.9 Any submitted image must not be entered into any other competition after being entered into the Competition until the results have been announced.
Submission requirements
2.10 Entrants may submit up to [three] entries. If the RES deems the entrant has exceeded the image entry limit, through multiple accounts or by any other means, the RES may disqualify the entrant from the Competition.
2.11 Images must be submitted as jpg, jpeg or png files, using the Insect Week website (https://www.insectweek.org/art-and-photography/).
2.12 Image entry file sizes must not exceed 10MB. The RES recommends that entrants choose to submit a file that is the largest possible within that limit.
2.13 All the required fields (marked with *) on the online submission form must be completed. Winners and runners-up may be asked to amend a caption if it appears to contain an error.
2.14 The RES reserves the right not to award a prize if, in the judges’ opinion, the entries do not reach the sufficient standard, or where the contact details provided on the entry form are incorrect or no longer valid.
Artwork requirements
2.15 Artworks entered for the Competition should feature or be inspired by an insect (or group of insects). The subject can be of any life-stage, from egg through nymph, larva or pupa to adult, and may be taken anywhere in the world.
2.16 Artwork of posed specimens, or preserved dead specimens, will not be considered. Artwork of other invertebrates (e.g. spiders, woodlice, snails) are not eligible (unless they are present in a composition that primarily features insects).
2.17 Submissions will be rejected if in the reasonable opinion of the judges it appears that the welfare of the insect(s) or their habitats have been compromised by the entrant, or the artwork has been otherwise made in an irresponsible manner.
2.18 Images must not include watermarks, borders, or signatures.
2.19 Artworks made using real media and painted digitally are permitted. Digital pieces must include drawings or paintings and not simply be edited photos.
2.20 Fully digital artworks should be 300dpi and at least 1500px across on the shortest side.
2.21 Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated artwork is not accepted.
2.22 The artist should use their own resources, the RES may request evidence of written permission if another artist’s work is incorporated into artwork.
2.23 A range of different media is accepted into the competition, including drawing, printmaking, painting, collage, sculpture.
3 Judging
3.1 A panel of judges will be appointed by the RES to judge a shortlist of entries from each category , which will consist of fellows of the RES and expert judges appointed by the RES.
3.2 In each category, judges will evaluate qualifying artwork based on interpretation of the competition’s theme, originality and creativity, quality of the artwork and skill demonstrated.
3.3 In each category, there will be a 1st and a 2nd prize winner. Runners-up in each category will receive a commendation if deemed suitable (Specially Commended, Highly Commended or Commended) from the RES.
3.4 The confirmed awards will be announced publicly by the RES on the Insect Week website in early 2024 and published in other media as appropriate.
3.5 Prize winning and runner-up artworks will be published in an online gallery on the Insect Week website https://www.insectweek.co.uk/, and in Antenna, the RES bulletin later in 2024.
3.6 Prizes are to be confirmed, but are likely to include art and insect related books, and art materials, suitable for each category.
3.7 The winning artworks will be published in the RES’s bulletin Antenna, and its editors may also publish one or more of the runner-up images in addition to those of the prize winners.
3.8 The judges’ decisions in relation to any prize awards and commendations are final and no further correspondence will be entered into.
4 Intellectual Property Rights
4.1 Entrants remain the copyright holder to any images submitted to the Competition.
4.2 By entering the Competition, entrants grant the RES a free non-exclusive licence to use the image(s) submitted in digital or print form in all their publicity, publications, corporate and charitable activities, touring exhibitions and in any promotional material, in print or online, connected to this Competition, Insect Week or the RES. The name of the artist will, wherever possible, be credited if the image is used.
4.3 The entrant is responsible for any claim made by a third party against the submission.
5 Data protection
5.1 In entering the Competition, entrants agree to the RES using personal details to process submissions only.
5.2 By entering, entrants also agree that if selected as a winner of any prize or otherwise commended, the RES may share details with any potential future sponsor for the purpose of publishing the details of all winners (including the winning images), only.
5.3 Further information can be found in the RES Privacy policy.
6 General conditions
6.1 By submitting an entry, entrants are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions. A copy of these terms and conditions is available on our website . Queries should be directed to [email protected].
6.2 The RES will not accept responsibility for entries that are unsuccessful or delayed, regardless of cause, including, for example, as a result of equipment failure, technical malfunction, network, server, or computer failure of any kind.
6.3 The RES reserves the right to refuse to award prizes to anyone in breach of these terms and conditions. If a breach has occurred, but is discovered after the award of a prize, the RES in its absolute discretion may require the return of any prize or revoke any commendation.
6.4 These terms and conditions will be governed by English law, and the RES and all entrants submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.