Open for submissions: Sunday, September 1, 2024

In commemoration of the 75^th anniversary of Confederation, The Arts and Letters Awards Program is creating a one-time, inter-disciplinary category for the 2024 Awards. Arguably the most studied aspect of Newfoundland and Labrador’s political history, Confederation is a milestone that, even 75 years later, continues to spark conversations. As we reflect on the legacy of confederation with Canada during 2024, artists are invited to create works for submission to this special category. Open to both professional and non-professional artists 18 years and older, the Confederation 75 Arts and Letters Awards are intended to contemplate this historic event through various forms of artistic expression.

All entrants will receive a written adjudication. Winners will receive a cash prize and the opportunity to participate in the annual Arts and Letters exhibition at The Rooms. Please see below for guidelines on how to submit your work.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be residents of the province for the last 12 consecutive months.

Guidelines:

• Submissions from all artistic disciplines already identified under the existing Arts and Letters program will be accepted: Poetry, Short Fiction, Non-Fiction, Dramatic Script, French Literary, Media Arts, Music, and Visual Arts.
• Submissions in written form are subject to a 5,000-word maximum. Novels will not be accepted in the Confederation 75 category.
• Submissions open on September 1, 2024, and the deadline to submit is December 2, 2024.
• Entrants must be 18 years or older as of the submission deadline.

• All existing Arts and Letters submission guidelines for Senior entrants (The Arts and Letters Awards Program – Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation) will apply.

• Entrants may submit one entry in the Confederation 75 category.

• Works submitted to this category must be related to Confederation: the event, its implications, NL’s relationship with Canada, etc.
• Duplication of submissions is not allowed. That is, works submitted to the Confederation 75 category cannot be submitted to the regular Arts and Letters Program. Other unique works may be submitted to regular Arts and Letters Awards categories as per program guidelines.
• Copyright remains the property of the artist for all submitted work.

Adjudication:

• Entries will be assessed by a multi-disciplinary jury of arts professionals, who will select 10 winners in based on:

• • Thematic relevance to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Confederation with Canada.
  • Artistic excellence, innovation, and imagination.

• Do not submit additional comments/explanations/statements with your entry. These will not be forwarded to the adjudicators.
• There are ten cash awards valued at $1,000 per winner.
• The winners will be announced April 18, 2025, at the Arts and Letters Awards public opening and reception at The Rooms.

 

How to submit:

• Entries must be submitted in digital format with CONFEDERATION 75 ENTRY clearly stated in email subject line, as well as the category (ex: Music, Visual Art, etc.) PLEASE LABEL YOUR ATTACHMENTS – ex: application; visual artwork etc.
• Submissions will be accepted by email as PDF, JPEG, MP3, and MP4 files. For large visual art or digital multimedia files, you may want to consider submitting your entry by WeTransfer. Entries submitted through any other means (Dropbox, Google docs, zip drives) will not be accepted.
• Do not submit multiple works with only one form – all entries must be emailed individually with their own completed form. Submit application forms and creative works as separate attachments. Do not paste the form or work into the body of the email. Do not send google links or other links (with the exception of WeTransfer).
• Email your application and works to artsandletters@gov.nl.ca. Entries submitted through other means (Dropbox, Google docs) will not be accepted.

 

All entries must be accompanied by a Confederation 75 Arts and Letters Awards application form, available here, confirming:

• The work was completed within the last 12 months.
• The work is the result of individual effort (group creations are not eligible).
• Your name does not appear anywhere on the work (including title pages, signatures on artwork, name on music file, etc).
• The work will not be exhibited, advertised, produced, or published, before April 18, 2025.
• The work has not also been submitted to any other category in the Arts and Letters Awards Program.
• The work is original. Any entry that is a copy of a work or part of a work created by another person, even with the creator’s permission or when the work is in the public domain, will not be considered original and will be disqualified. This includes recreating the original in a different medium.

 

For questions about submitting in digital format and general questions about the Confederation75 category of the Arts and Letters Program, please call 709.729.7613 or email artsandletters@gov.nl.ca.