Artist FAQ

Q: Do you only accept painting?
A: Yes, but we define “painting” very broadly. For our purposes, painting encompasses anything from drawing to three-dimensional constructions that involve the activity of painting. We also consider monoprints and monotypes. Editioned prints, digital paintings, photographs, photograms and sculpture are NOT eligible.

Q: Do I need to have a BFA or MFA to enter a competition?
A: No. While many featured artists do have some form of academic training, there is absolutely no educational requirement for being published in New American Paintings. Because of our “blind” jurying process, the juror will not know your background. The only exception would be for our Annual MFA competition. Artists must be a recent MFA graduate or current candidate for this competition only.

Q: Do I need gallery representation to enter?
A: No. You may enter the competition regardless of whether you have representation.

Q: What is the cost to enter a competition?
A: The regular deadline entry fee is $50. If we extend the deadline, there is an additional late fee of $10. While we often extend the deadline, it is not guaranteed, so artists are encouraged to apply by the regular posted deadline.

Q: Other than the submission fee, are there any additional fees if I am chosen for the publication?
A: No. Winners of our competition earn free placement in New American Paintings and are not obligated to pay any additional fees.

Q: What is the process of applying?
A: First, you will go online and create an account. This account will remain indefinitely and you will log into it in the future to apply to competitions. Once you have set up an account, you will then will have the ability to enter your regional competition by first completing the payment form, and then re-visiting your personal account page to access your competition entry under the section "Entries awaiting completion". Your competition entry is activated on your account by a successfully processed payment. You have the ability to login and edit your entry until the deadline of the competition, however, you must press "submit" or else your competition entry will not be saved. By pressing "submit" your entry will move to the category "Completed entries which may still be edited" and it will stay there until the competition is closed manually on the day of the deadline.

Q: I just purchased a competition entry but I can't find it - where did it go?
A: If you successfully completed the payment form for a competition entry, your entry appears on your personal New American Paintings account page. In order to access your account page, go to the top right of our website and click "Login". If the words "Your Account" are in the top right instead, click there. Your personal account page has your name at the top, and then 3/4 of the way down the page there is a section titled "Entries awaiting completion". There will be a link to your competition entry there.

Q: What should I have prepared for the online application?
A: Please have four jpegs of your work. Each file must be at least 300 pixels but no more than 1200 pixels in its longest dimension. You will also need a credit card to make a payment to enter the competition.

Q: Do I need to upload a statement or resume?
A: No, the juror is only presented with your images and their captions.

Q: Your image requirements seem like small files - will this affect how my images are seen by the Juror?
A: No - the image requirements are based on the standards of our online terminal. All competition entries come through the same portal, and are juried with the same requirements, so no need to stress about image quality.

Q: If I'm selected, will I have an opportunity to submit a high resolution image for the publication?
A: Yes, if you are chosen to appear in New American Paintings, you will work closely with our editors to insure that we have the highest quality image available before going to press.

Q: Can I submit a detail?  Will that count as one of my 4 entries?
A: Yes. You may submit a detail of your work, however, it will count as one of your four images.

Q: On your postcard and website, it says the work must be “singular.” What does that mean?
A: It means that we accept unique works of art only. No multiple editioned prints, digital works, photographs, or sculpture are eligible for the competition.

Q: Which region should I enter?
A: Artists should only submit their work for the region in which they currently reside.

Q: I am not a US citizen. Can I enter the competition?
A: Yes, however, you should have residency within the United States.

Q: How often / how many times can I enter?
A: You may submit one entry to your regional competition every year. However, artists featured inNew American Paintings may not appear in back to back editions. If you are an MFA Candidate, you may enter both MFA and regional competition.

Q: I'm submitting on the deadline and I'm having trouble with my entry but no one has responded! Will I still be elligible?
A: Do not worry - we work diligently to respond to all artist inquiries and work personally with each artist who is having trouble submitting to the competition throughout the process and passed the deadline. If you have reached out to us via email before the deadline, we will make sure your submission gets through, even if we aren't able to help until the deadline has passed. So if you're having trouble, just make sure to send an email through and please be patient as we respond to artist inquiries.

Q: Does the juror see my name when reviewing the work?
A: No. We use a “blind” jurying process which means that the only materials presented to the juror are images, media and dimensions of your work, accompanied by the reference number that you are assigned. The juror will have no knowledge of your name, gender, age, level of education or any other personal information. Some of the questions in our online application are required, and some are not. Items that are required are for internal purposes only.

Q: What styles do jurors usually look for?
A: The jurors are given strict instructions to consider all of the work that has been submitted, regardless of any personal preferences that they may have  Although each edition of New American Paintings is shaped by the likes and dislikes of a given juror, every book covers a wide range of aesthetic viewpoints.

Q: I've pressed submit! How do I know if my entry was submitted successfully?
A: By pressing "submit" your entry will move to the category on your account page which reads "Completed entries which may still be edited" and it will stay there until the competition is closed manually on the day of the deadline. If your competition entry is in this category, you have submitted successfully! You can edit your entry up until the last moment, if your heart desires, but once the competition is closed, your entry will move to the category below titled "Previous entries" while it is being juried. Once your entry moves to this category, you are no longer able to make edits.

Q: I submitted my competition entry but I'm still getting emails about the competition! Did you receive my entry!?
A: Yes! Your entry was successfully submitted. Our email list(s) and competition entries do not cross data, and therefore our email blasts do not de-select email addresses of artists who have submitted. Please don't be concerned if you're still receiving our competition emails.

Q: How long does it take to get a response and how will I be notified?
A: Results are usually announced within six to eight weeks of the online deadline. All artists (selected and otherwise) will be notified by email.

Q: You've announced the release of competition results on Instagram but I didn't receive an email, what's going on?
A: Since our domain is “newamericanpaintings.com”, many email servers reject our emails because they’re identified as an “outside source”. You can go into your email permissions and add our domain to the permissions of your account so that our emails do not bounce in the future, and so that they don’t end up in spam either.

Q: I was accepted to be published!! I can't remember the images I submitted - can you look them up for me?
A: We cannot access competition entries once they've been accepted by our system - however, if you've been chosen to be published, you're welcome to submit any work that you feel represents your present work most accurately.

Q: Does New American Paintings take a commission if I sell any work from the publication?
A: No. We fund the magazine through subscription and newsstand sales and do not make money from the sale of artwork.

Q: How do artists benefit from being published in New American Paintings?
A: The results of being featured in New American Paintings differ for every artist, but most report a significant amount of contact as a direct result of publication. For some artists, being published results in sales, for others it results in new gallery representation or the inclusion of work in an exhibition. As our readership grows, the possibilities for artists increase exponentially.

If your question wasn’t answered, please email alexandra@newamericanpaintings.com and we will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.

For more general FAQs click here.