TEXAS PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

TPS 29: The International Competition

Exhibition Dates:

October 3, 2020 - January 9, 2021, The Silos at Sawyer Yards, Houston

January 21 - March 20, 2021, The Center for Contemporary Arts, Abilene

April 2 - May 23, 2021, Buddy Holly Center, Lubbock

Juror Elizabeth Avedon has selected 50 images for TPS 29: The International Competition. A complete list of the exhibiting artists is below, with award winners noted in bold. Congratulations to all!

JUROR'S REMARKS

"I have always been drawn to the magic of photography ...."

It has been an honor to jury this year's Texas Photographic Society's 29th Annual International Competition. In this call for entry, I was looking for exceptional photography with a perspective and vision seen as uniquely their own; images with a fresh approach I would like to look at again and again.

With an 'open theme' bringing over 1300 extraordinary submissions from all genres, the task to edit down to only 50 images was a difficult one. My final selection is very eclectic: individually each image speaks to me and is complete in its own voice.

I value the exposure photographers receive by entering and exhibiting online and in-gallery exhibitions. By showcasing their work, they gain exposure and build their audience, moving the work forward professionally. Even if not chosen, I view the websites and photographs of those photographers who have taken the time to enter their work. Thank you to all who entered.

— Elizabeth Avedon

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Texas Photographic Society is thrilled to announce our flagship traveling exhibition, TPS 29: The International Competition, which will be juried by Elizabeth Avedon, independent curator and consultant. This call is open-themed and submissions from artists of all levels internationally are welcomed. The show opens in Houston at The Silos at Sawyer Yards, then travels to The Center for Contemporary Arts, Abilene, and then to the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock . This call is now closed.

Please also read the Juror's Statement below.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

07-07-20 Call for entry opens
08-10-20 Deadline for entry (11:59 p.m. MST)
08-24-20 Exhibiting artists announced and emails sent to all entrants
09-25-20 Framed works due to Diane Griffin Gregory, Houston, TX
10-03-20 Show opens at The Silos at Sawyer Yards, Houston, TX
01-09-21 Show closes in Houston and travels to Abilene, TX
01-21-21 Show opens at The Center for Contemporary Arts, Abilene, TX
03-20-21 Show closes in Abilene and travels to Lubbock, TX
04-2-21 Show opens at the Buddy Holly Center, Lubbock TX
05-23-21 Show closes

AWARDS

First Place = $500
Second Place = $300
Third Place = $200
Up to 5 Honorable Mentions may be awarded.

The juror will select 50 images for the exhibition.

ENTRY FEE

The entry fee for Current TPS Members is $30 for 5 images, plus $6 for each additional image. The Non-Member entry fee is $38 for 5 images, plus $6 for each additional image. You may enter up to 12 images. You do not have to be a member of TPS to enter. However, you may enter the competition, join TPS or renew as a member at the same time and pay the Current TPS Member entry fee of $30.

TPS Member Benefits include member feature opportunities via our Members' Gallery, Member Spotlight, Blog, Members' News, Members' Instagram Takeover, social media accounts and E-Zine, discounted entry fees to most TPS competitions and discounts to programs and services offered through our partnerships.

If you are not sure of your TPS member status, please contact TPS at susan@texasphoto.org. All entry and membership fees are non-refundable.

ELIGIBILITY

TPS 29: The International Competition is open to artists at least 18 years old, of all levels internationally. All photographic-based work is encouraged including digital, silver and alternative processes. Works exhibited previously in a TPS show are not eligible. Current members of the TPS Board of Directors are permitted to enter but are not eligible for awards.

IMAGE REQUIREMENTS

Please submit digital JPG files only, minimum of 1200 pixels on the longest side and 5 MB maximum. Please remove watermarks from images. For each image you will need to provide the image title and the process (medium) used to make the image/print (Archival Digital Print, Silver Gelatin Print, Platinum/Palladium Print, Wet Plate Collodian, etc.). If your work is selected, please see printing and framing requirements below.

Need help resizing images? You can resize via a Mac or PC computer, or use a number of third-party applications, many of which offer free trials or solutions. Please go here for suggestions.

ABOUT THE JUROR

Elizabeth Avedon, curator and consultant

Elizabeth Avedon is an independent curator and photo consultant. Born in Houston, Texas, Elizabeth currently resides in New York City. Former Director of Photo-Eye Gallery, Santa Fe and Creative Director for The Gere Foundation, Elizabeth has received recognition for her exhibition design and publishing projects, including Richard Avedon's "In the American West" for the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Institute of Chicago, and exhibitions for the Estate of Diane Arbus, the Menil Collection and the Leica Gallery, NY, among others.

Elizabeth is a curator for Photolucida's Critical Mass TOP 50 exhibition at the Center for Photographic Art in 2020. In 2019, she curated "Myth of a Woman: Photographs by Agnieszka Sosnowska" at the National Museum of Iceland in Reykjavik, Iceland, was a jurist for the 8th Edition Carmignac Photojournalism Award Paris, as well as for many international festivals. Elizabeth received the 2017 "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Griffin Museum of Photography.

JUROR'S STATEMENT

It is an honor to be invited to jury Texas Photographic Society's 29th Annual International Competition. With an 'open theme' I feel privileged to be able to view the many different types of photography genres we'll receive from the hundreds of photo submissions. One of the most difficult tasks will be to edit down the entries to a gallery sized exhibit.

I have always been drawn to the magic of photography and I value the exposure photographers gain by entering and exhibiting online and in gallery exhibitions. By showcasing their work, they gain exposure and build their audience, moving the work forward professionally. Even if not chosen, I view the websites and photographs of those emerging and mid-career photographers who have taken the time to enter and to show me their work.

In this call for entry, I am looking for exceptional photography with a perspective and vision seen as uniquely their own; images with a fresh approach I would like to look at again and again. Enter today!

— Elizabeth Avedon

SALES

TPS encourages the sale of exhibited work and will collect a 30% commission from all prints sold during the exhibition. Please indicate the sales price of your print, including frame/finishing. If your finished piece is Not-For-Sale, simply note NFS. If your work is accepted and you do not indicate a sales price, the artwork will be listed as NFS.

IF YOUR WORK IS ACCEPTED

1. Preparing your work

Because this is a traveling show, all images must be printed, mounted behind Plexiglass and framed uniformly using white mats and black metal frames, with a framed (finished piece) size of 16" x 20" as follows:

• Prints must be mounted and overmatted using 16" x 20" 4-ply (minimum) white museum quality mat board with at least 2" of mat visible on all sides of the print. Maximum print size is 12" x 16". Smaller prints, 3" x 5" for example, are acceptable if they are mounted and overmatted to the 16" x 20" size. To ensure consistency in presentation, please frame your work using simple black metal frames with Plexiglass ONLY (no glass). Prints can be vertical or horizontal; square images can be printed up to 12" x 12" and matted/framed vertically to 16" x 20".

• Artwork must be ready-to-hang using wire stretched between D-rings on the back. Sawtooth hangers are NOT permitted. TPS reserves the right to exclude works from the exhibition that are not gallery ready or matted and framed according to the above specifications.

• Clearly label the back of your work with your full name, address, telephone number, email address and image title.

Our friends at Frame Destination in Dallas, Texas, have prepared a special archival gallery frame kit for TPS artists that meets standard matting, framing and presentation requirements. The frame kit can be customized to meet various print sizes. TPS Members receive an additional 10% discount (contact Frame Destination customer service to join the TPS club customer group). This affordably priced package can be purchased online here.

2. Shipping

• A prepaid return UPS or FedEX shipping label must be provided with your work for prints to be returned to you when the exhibition concludes. Please keep a copy of the prepaid return shipping label and your receipt. Packing “peanuts" are NOT permitted. Please ship prints in a flat box (do not use moving boxes) as our storage space is limited. Prints will be return-shipped in the container in which they were received.

• Please ship framed prints with prepaid return shipping label to TPS 29 c/o Diane Griffin Gregory, 2207 Harvard Street, Houston, TX 77008-2538. (Phone is 713-864-1563.) Shipments must arrive in Houston between September 21 - September 25, 2020.

• After the show concludes in Abilene, your work will be returned to you in its original container, from Abilene. The return shipping address is: The Center for Contemporary Arts, 220 Cypress Street, Abilene, TX 79601.

• TPS and the venues will exercise all due care in handling your artwork but will not be liable for loss, theft, damage or replacement of artwork, nor liable for damage during shipping. Please consider insuring your work.

TPS TERMS AND AGREEMENT

You retain all rights to your images. If your image is selected for the exhibition, you grant Texas Photographic Society (TPS) the right, in perpetuity, to use and display your image, image title and process, your name, city, state and country of residence for TPS publicity and promotion. Permissible use includes the display, reproduction and distribution of said information on the TPS website, in TPS exhibitions, presentations, program promotions, artist features, fundraising initiatives and publications, and on social media networks, without further contact from TPS. Please note that we may have to crop images to meet space/proportion requirements for promotional platforms.

TPS will not be held responsible for loss, theft, damage or replacement, whether caused by the negligence of its officers, members or others. TPS is not liable for damage during shipping. Non or expired members of TPS who pay the Current TPS Member entry fee without joining TPS or renewing at the time of entry, will be disqualified. All entry and membership fees are non-refundable. Works exhibited previously in a TPS show are not eligible. Submission entry and payment signifies understanding and agreement to all of the above terms and conditions.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions, please contact TPS Executive Director Ann Shaw at ann@texasphoto.org.