20 December

Arts Law checks the terms of competitions closing in January 2015

Arts Law has reviewed and rated the terms and conditions of 11 competitions closing in January 2015.

These ratings are based on a review of the terms and conditions which relate to the entrant’s copyright and moral rights. Read more about the rating system here.

By accepting the terms and conditions of a competition, artists should be aware that they are entering a legally binding contract. For more information on competition conditions see our free information sheet here.

We also invite competition organisers to contact Arts Law for best practice assistance on making their terms and conditions fairer for artists.

 

CONGRATULATIONS to the Toowoomba Repertory Theatre Society on the terms of its Carnival of Flowers One-Act Playwriting Competition 2015, which has received a perfect score of 5 / 5 stars for fairness to artists.  The competition requests a limited licence for a limited term from finalists only and states that any minor changes to the material for the purposes of staging the plays require the permission of the playwright. 

CONGRATULATIONS!

  • Carnival of Flowers One-Act Playwriting Competition 2014 – deadline 30 January 2015

 

The Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing received a very positive 4 / 5 stars for their terms and conditions. This competition asks for a licence to reproduce works in association with the competition from finalists only, but do not limit the duration of this licence.  If they had done so, and clearly stated they would attribute the artists, 5 / 5 stars would have been awarded!

WELL DONE

  • Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing 2015 – deadline 15 January 2015

 

5 competitions received a respectable 3 / 5 stars for fairness. Generally, these competitions only ask for a non-exclusive licence to reproduce the winning works.  However, all the licences are for broad uses, without a time limit and with no mention of the moral rights of the authors.  To achieve a perfect rating, these licences should be limited to purposes associated with the competition, have a limited duration and clearly state they will attribute the authors.In contrast the Bald Archy Prize 2014 requests a licence from all entrants to reproduce their work for an unlimited period of time, but for limited uses associated with the promotion of the competition only.  If this competition had restricted the licence to exhibited artists only, limited the duration of the licence and included a positive intention to attribute the artists, it too would have received 5 / 5 stars.

NOT FAR OFF

  • Calibre Prize 2015 – deadline 18 January 2015
  • The Bald Archy Prize 2015 – deadline 19 January 2015
  • The John Glover Art Prize 2015 – deadline 22 January 2015
  • The 43rd Annual Muswellbrook Art Prize – deadline 29 January 2015
  • EJ Brady Short Story Competition 2015 – deadline 30 January 2015

3 competitions received 2 / 5 stars. The terms of these competitions generally ask that all entrants grant to the competition organisers a licence to reproduce entries for very broad purposes beyond the competition for an unlimited period of time. Arts Law considers that it would be best practice for these competitions to limit the licences to only finalists or winners, limit reproduction to that which is associated with the competition itself, set a limit to the duration of the licence and positively seek to enforce entrants’ moral rights.

SOME WORK TO DO

  • Lens Mist 2015 – deadline 4 January 2015
  • Mid West Art Prize 2015 – deadline 13 January 2015
  • Maldon 3D Art Walk Exhibition – deadline 31 January 2015

 

Arts Law was unable to rate the terms and conditions of the Cambridge Studio Gallery Portrait Prize. These terms and conditions do not specifically mention the licensing of copyright or the protection of moral rights for entrants. Either the competition organisers do not intend to reproduce the entries or they haven’t considered the permission they need from entrants to reproduce the work.

MORE INFORMATION NEEDED

  • Who is Looking at You: Cambridge Studio Gallery 2015 Portrait Prize – deadline 27 January 2015

 

Further information

Please email us at [email protected] to tell us about any competitions or prizes you think we should check. 

See Arts Law's competition star rating system for further information or call Arts Law if you would like to receive best practice advice regarding your competition terms and conditions.

See more about Arts Law's campaign to improve competition terms and conditions in the Prizes and Competitions section.