Artists can now register for Tooele City’s fourth annual Plein Air Art Contest.
The art contest includes a drawing/painting category as well as a photography category, and is open to local artists of all ages and levels of experience. Anyone interested in participating should register at Tooele City Hall on Monday between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. People can also register early at City Hall on Friday, said Chris Wilcox, one of the contest organizers.
Entry fees for amateur artists cost $20 per category entered. Experienced artists pay $25 to submit a photo and $30 to submit a drawing or painting.
All participants who register early, by 5 p.m. Friday at City Hall, can get $5 off their entry fee.
Depending on which category they intend to enter, people should bring a blank memory card or canvas when they register. After the participant fills out the registration form and pays the entry fee, a city staff member will stamp the canvas or check off the memory card.
Each artist can enter up to two pieces, but can have more than two canvases stamped during registration. All art must be done in Tooele County, according to the city website.
After registration, artists have until Wednesday to create their submission. All submissions are due back at City Hall between noon and 2 p.m. Wednesday, Wilcox said.
When the submissions are returned, they should include a starting bid price and a “buy it now” price set by the artist, the city website states.
After the submissions have been returned, local artists will judge the submissions. The top three entries from each category and experience type win a cash prize. Experienced artists win $300 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third. Amateur artists win $50 for first place, $30 for second and $20 for third, Wilcox said.
On Thursday at 6 p.m., the city will host an awards reception in City Hall. The following day, city staff will gather all submissions received and display them at the Tooele Arts Festival on June 17-19.
“All the work is displayed,” Wilcox said. “It’s also for sale, so artists are able to sell their work and kind of get their name out there.”
According to the plein air artist agreement, 70 percent of the proceeds of any sold artwork goes to the artist, with 30 percent going back to the Tooele City Arts Council. Artists can pick up their unsold artwork on June 19 by 4 p.m.
The arts council decided to start holding a plein air art contest four years ago to give local artists an opportunity to show off their work.
“There’s a lot of art contests throughout the state and a lot of plein air contests,” Wilcox said. “We decided to do one here. It’s a group effort. … There’s some great work and a lot of great compliments. Hopefully this year we’ll get a lot of entries.”