Theme
Artists may choose from the following themes to design their cover art. The artwork does not need to contain an image of Bach or be created in the Baroque style. Bearing in mind the origin of the music, what we are looking for is artwork that communicates the essence of one (or more) of the following themes. Artists may choose a single theme or a combination of multiple themes.

Renewal • Rebirth • Second Chances • Transformation • Exaltation

The submission form will ask you to specify which work, works, or parts of works in the 2022 festival lineup inspired you. Links to recordings of a few of the works appear in the "Watch & Listen" section below.

Judging Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated based on the following required elements:

• Concept/Originality
• Adherence to theme
• Composition and design
• Aesthetic value
• Technique

Judging Panel

Caroline Tippette, Director of Visual Arts Programs, Arts Plus
Jim Dukes, Executive Director, Charlotte Art League
Tim Parolini, Marketing and Communications Director, Bach Akademie Charlotte

Contest Rules

Eligibility
Entrants must be of high school age (grades 9–12). Family members of Bach Akademie Charlotte employees and contracters, including musicians, are not eligible for prize consideration.

Submissions
Entrants may submit more than one entry but must submit each entry separately.

Originality
All artwork submitted must be the original creation of the artist and not be a derivative of any existing artwork or  impinge on any existing artwork's copyright.

Suitability
The Baroque music that Bach created is a specific style of composition. Artwork does not have to be in that style, but should communicate the spirit of what Bach is saying through his music. We encourage artists to listen to Bach's music. Artwork that is deemed to be profane, obscene, or demeaning to any individual or group will be rejected.

Deadline
The deadline to enter (including uploading the Image to the contest web site) is 11:59 pm on Friday, April 29, 2022. The entry and upload form will be available beginning April 4.

Rights of use for the winning design
Bach Akademie Charlotte will own the unrestricted rights to the winning design. In addition to using it as the cover artwork for festival program, we may also use it on a select merchandise for sale. Bach Akademie Charlotte will license back to the artist the rights to use the design for personal use, including as a portfolio piece.

Honorable Mention Recipients
Recipients will receive a $50 honorarium in addition to having prints of their artwork displayed at performances throughout the Charlotte Bach Festival week.

Technical Specifications

Artwork must be created as a two-dimensional (i.e. "flat") digital image. Photographs of three-dimensional art will not be considered. The dimensions for the artwork are 4800 pixels wide by 6000 pixels high. Acceptable file formats include JPG (uncompressed), PSD (flat, not layered Photoshop), TIF, and PNG. Do not submit a PDF.

The artwork should be converted to the CMYK colorspace, as this is required for printing the program. Artwork that is submitted as an RGB file will be converted to CMYK.

Since this artwork will be used as the artwork for the festival program cover, it must conform to the specifications, including allowing for the placement of the Charlotte Bach Festival logo. Depending on the artwork, the logo may be the standard logo as shown at the top of this page, reversed out of the artwork, or printed with a solid color background behind it. See the downloadable templates to the right. Be sure to hide or delete all layers currently in the PSD template files, provided in the right column, and send a file with only your artwork. (We will add the logo.)

Artists should not sign their artwork, so that the judging panel may conduct a "blind" assessment of the artwork without any reference to the artist. The winning artist may be asked to sign their artwork after the judging process has been completed.

Judging Considerations

The judging panel's decisions are final. The panel will determine the winner and any honorable mention awardees. There is no set number of potential honorable mentions, which are awarded at the sole discretion of the judging panel. If the judging panel deems that none of the submitted artwork is suitable for appearing on the Festival Program cover, Bach Akademie Charlotte reserves the right to create or contract for its own cover artwork. Should no winner be selected, no prizes will be awarded.