The National Drawing Annual was conceived as an extension of Manifest's Drawing Center activities. Its goal is to support the recognition, documentation, and publication of excellent, current, and relevant works of drawing in the United States and beyond.

A natural question will be "what is drawing?" and that is exactly the question the Annual is meant to investigate. Furthermore, the goal is to ask "what is exceptional drawing?" Therefore submissions are expected to vary, including a range of drawing types, from the most academic to the most experimental, from sketches to fine renderings, but all with some relevance to the artists' honest understanding of the practice of "drawing." With this inaugural Annual, Manifest eagerly pursues a deeper understanding of how drawing is realized in contemporary society.

The National Drawing Annual will be a print-only 'exhibition-in-print' featuring full-color images of accepted works accompanied by very brief descriptive text. It will also be accompanied by an online resource website offering more detailed information about the artists and their drawings.

Eligibility: The National Drawing Annual is open to any artist 18 years or older submitting original works of art or design created within the past three years. Professionals and students in ALL disciplines are encouraged to submit.

We are eager to receive works of drawing in a wide range of applications (technical, graphic, fine art, architectural, digital, etc.) with the qualification being that everything submitted is representative of high quality "drawing."

Media: Open to any media applicable to the practice of drawing (including but by no means limited to traditional drawing media - charcoal, graphite, ink, etc.), printmaking, digital/new media, photography, sculpture, painting, installation, etc., are all possibly valid.

Catalog: Each artist selected for inclusion in the NDA will receive one complimentary copy of the publication. It is planned to be 9.5" x 9.5", softcover, saddle stitched, full-color, and approximately 60 pages. (for examples of other Manifest publications visit our Manifest Press page.)

Online NDA Resource: An Internet-based National Drawing Annual Resource website will be published to compliment the printed Annual. This will feature statements, bios, contact info., and professional details for each artist featured in the Annual.

Awards: First, Second, and Third Place awards will be decided by the jury committee. The First Place award winner will be featured on multiple pages as well as work placement on cover. Second place will also be featured on multiple pages, and work placement on back. Third place is featured on multiple pages. It follows that only entrants submitting at least three works will be considered for these prizes.

Entry Fee: Each work submitted must be accompanied by a $10 non-refundable entry fee. Number of entries is unlimited. Entry fee must be paid by check or money order made payable to MANIFEST, or by credit card via PayPal. (A PayPal link will be provided upon submission of the online entry form).

Images: Entrants can choose to submit artwork in either slide or digital format. The quality of the image will affect the judging. Small flat drawings are often digitized best by direct scanning, rather than photography. Detail images may be included at no additional cost and should be marked as such. Manifest Gallery will retain the submitted images of accepted artwork and reserves the right to use the images in publications and gallery publicity. CD's and slides of works not selected will only be returned if accompanied by a SASE.

Slide Format: 2" by 2" 35 mm slides. Each slide must be clearly marked on the front with the following information: Slide number corresponding to its description on the entry form, the artist's name, title of the artwork, and an arrow indicating the top of the slide.

Digital Format: Digital images can be submitted on CD or by e-mail (mail to: nda@manifestgallery.org). Hi-Res, print-quality images will be requested for accepted works upon conclusion of the jury process. If suitable images are not provided, the work will be eliminated from the publication.

To send via email: The email should include the artist's full name as subject along with 'national drawing annual submission.' The images must meet the following specifications: File names = artist's last name followed by the entry number as noted on the entry form (i.e. Jones1.jpg). The image files should be in HIGH QUALITY JPEG format, images should be no smaller than 1000 pixels in any direction and at least 72dpi. Images must be oriented properly (i.e. top of image is top of artwork).

To send on CD: Clearly label the CD with the artist's full name. File names should be the artist's last name followed by the entry number as noted on the entry form, file should be in HIGH QUALITY JPEG format, images should be no smaller than 1000 pixels in any direction and at least 72dpi. Images must be oriented properly (i.e. top of image is top of artwork).

If sending through the USPS, mail materials to:

Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center
National DRAWING Annual
P.O. Box 6218
Cincinnati, OH 45206

e-mail nda@manifestgallery.org with questions

 

(See printable full prospectus linked below - PLEASE feel free to print, share, or forward this information. The success of the NDA will rely largely on word-of-mouth publicity.)