2023 "Shiwan Cup" Emerging Artist Ceramic Sculpture Competition

Competition Information

The“Shiwan Cup”Emerging Artist Ceramic Sculpture Competition, which originated from the 2009 National Student Ceramic Art Competition, is a national event for young ceramic art practitioners, and will be held for the eleventh session in this year. It is one of the outstanding cultural events that continues to focus on young ceramic art creators.The competition is dedicated to the promotion and development of contemporary ceramic art culture, highlighting the international perspective, and inspiring more young artists and ceramic practitioners to explore and create ceramic art works with deep Chinese cultural heritage and contemporary cultural spirit using the language of ceramics.

Pottery emerged in the age of enlightenment of human civilization. As an art depending on clay and fire, ceramics carries the memory of the original human civilization and has an inseparable bond with people. China is a vast country, and each ceramic region has its own unique clay properties and different techniques - resulting in a diverse ceramic culture. Shiwan is the pottery capital of China and is famous for its traditional ceramic sculptures. In this year, the“Shiwan Cup”Emerging Artist Ceramic Sculpture Competition starts from the physical nature of ceramics with the theme of: “Beyond the Image - Interpreting Clay Nature, Multi-dimensional Generation.” The jury will select outstanding young ceramic art creators who explore and interpret the beauty of clay, explore the artistic expression of the ceramic medium, and explain the aesthetic spirit of ceramic art. The 2023 “Shiwan Cup”Emerging Artist Ceramic Sculpture Competition will set up a new platform for international and inter-regional exchange and cooperation with ceramic culture as the carrier, strengthen the role of ceramics in the integration of multiple cultures, and face the challenges and future of ceramic art development with an inclusive mind.

I. Organization

Director: Creative Industry Committee of Ceramic Production Area of China Cultural Industry Association

Organizer: China Ceramic Industry Association; Guangdong Shiwan Ceramics Museum

Co-organizer: Foshan Shiwan Culture Industry Investment Co., Ltd.

Curator: Daojian Pi

Academic Support.

It is proposed to invite the professors and experts from China National Academy of Art, Central Academy of Fine Arts, China Academy of Art, Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University, Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University, Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Nanjing University of the Arts, Academy of Fine Arts of Shanxi University, Guangxi Art University, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, and other institutions to be the judges of the Competition

II. Creation Theme: Beyond the Image - Interpreting Clay Nature and Multi-dimensional Generation

III. Qualification for Participating in the Competition:

1. Young potters, teachers and students at art colleges and universities, ceramic art workers, artists, designers, and cross-border creators at home and abroad.

2. Age: 18-45 years old (including 45 years old).

3. 1-3 pieces (sets) of works per person for evaluation.

IV. Work Requirements:

1. Ceramic sculpture should be the scope of creation, works must be made of pottery or porcelain as the main material, but can also be combined with other materials.Creators with a contemporary vision are encouraged to explore ceramic art, advocate the inheritance and innovation of ceramic skills, and advocate the combination of works with multiple cultures.

2. Entries must be original and completed by the participant during the last three years. The participant must guarantee that all entries are original and have not been exhibited at major art events at the provincial level or above, have not been published, have not been mass-produced, and are unencumbered by any third-party contractual relationship. If there is any violation, the organizer has the right to disqualify works for participation, exhibitionany and consideration of an award.

V. Prize Setting ( Prize money is in RMB, including tax)

A total of 100 pieces (sets) of works of finalists will be selected for the competition. The following awards distributed to finalists:

One first prize: prize money of RMB 180,000 + award certificate + exhibition portfolio.

Two second prizes: prize money of RMB 80,000 per person + award certificate + exhibition portfolio.

Three third prizes: prize money of RMB 50,000 per person + award certificate + exhibition portfolio.

Ten new talent awards: prize money of RMB 10,000 per person + award certificate + exhibition portfolio.

Twenty outstanding awards: award certificate + exhibition portfolio.

The remainder are finalist awards, finalist certificate + exhibition portfolio.

1. The organizer will provide centralized or individual publicity for the winning works and artists according to the level of the awards. The organizer will mount an exhibition of the contest works for the finalists and publish a catalog for publicity and distribution to enhance the visibility and reputation of the outstanding works and applicants.

2. The winners of the New Talent Award and higher (including the New Talent Award) will be invited to participate in the Wood Fire Creation Camp and Shiwan Cup Seminar held by the organizer in the same year to work amongst famous pottery masters at home and abroad. Specific arrangements will be made by the organizer.

3. The works winning the New Talent Award and higher (including the New Talent Award) will be collected by the Guangdong Shiwan Ceramics Museum. The Museum will issue a collection certificate to each artist.

4. The winner(s) can enjoy the award policy according to the Measures for Street Pottery Support Method of Shiwan Town.

5. The organizer will actively promote the artists and their work using all possible enterprise resources. The organizer may develop product marketing ideas and may suggest possible cooperation and collaboration with the Foshan ceramic industry.  The goal is to assist artists and the industry while developing possible marketing development and potential. 

VI. Method of Application:

1.Read the competition information carefully and obtain an application form.

2.Email your entries to: [e-mail] today until August 31，2023.

3.File name format: Please send your application to the designated email address with your name and region listed in the subject line of your message.

VII. Specific Requirements for Application:

1. Descriptive information of the work should include the title of the work and dimensions - length * width * height. (The size of the work should not exceed two meters in length, width or height nor should the work weigh more than 100 kg). You can identify the theme of the work and provide a description of the connotation of the work and the design concept.

2. Pictures of the work, electronic photos of the work from all angles (including front, side and local close-ups); for installations and new media works, the overall effect of the work, display requirements and installation instructions, etc. must also be included.

Fill in the application form to participate in the preliminary evaluation. Send the files titled “Author’s name + region” to the designated email address, and the electronic photo should be in JPG format, not less than 1MB, and not more than 5MB, and the resolution of the electronic photo should be 300dpi.

3. cv of the applicant, including personal experience, description of personal current professional position, educational background, important works and exhibitions and relevant honors, etc.

Additional instructions:

Requirements for shipping work for finalist consideration: The actual artwork must match the photos submitted in the preliminary evaluation, and the works must be properly wrapped and protected by a wooden crate or box that is waterproof, moisture-proof, shockproof and suitable for long-distance sea and air transportation. The crate must be strong and easy to carry. Clearly indicate the name of the applicant, the name of the work, and a picture of the artwork on the outer package - to facilitate the receipt of work by the organizer.

Pictures, presentations, videos, and other materials to be evaluated must include the title of “Shiwan Cup”, but the competition is anonymous. As such, the name of the applicant, application company, the applicant’s organization and name (including English or phonetic abbreviation) or any icons or graphics related to the identity of the participant must not be visible. Otherwise, the works will be disqualified.

VIII. Timetable (no fees will be charged during participation)

(I) Application phase (April - August 31, 2023)

(II) Preliminary Evaluation Stage (September 4 - September 8, 2023)

Evaluation method: Experts will be invited to serve as preliminary judges. These judges will make the preliminary selection of 100 finalist pieces (or sets).

(III) Publicity of Results of Preliminary Evaluation: September 9-September 11，2023，the publicity period should be 3 days, during which if there is a copyright dispute, the corresponding application will be disqualified.

The preliminary selection results of the 100 finalist pieces will be announced through the WeChat public account of the Guangdong Shiwan Ceramics Museum. The organizing committee will notify the finalists by phone or e-mail that they may participate in the final awards evaluation and the exhibition. The applicants failing to pass the preliminary evaluation will not be notified separately.

(IV) Sending Stage (September 12 - September 30, 2023)

Finalists should send their works to the judging and exhibition venue (specific location to be determined) from September 12 to September 30 via logistics or on their own from the date of receiving the notification of finalists, with shipping costs (including the freight, fees for insurance, customs, and service charges, etc.) to be borne by the finalists. Entrants who do not send their works to the designated final evaluation location by the specified time will automatically forfeit their rights.

(V) Final Evaluation Stage (specific time to be determined)

1. Evaluation method: Experts will be invited to constitute the jury of the competition. These experts will conduct the on-site evaluation of the finalist works, and select all the awards.

2. The public period for the final evaluation of the results is 3 days (specific time to be determined)

(VI) Return of Works (specific time to be determined)

The works of the outstanding awards and finalists will be sent back to the authors.Authors can also go to the designated location to collect their own works.

IX. Description of Rights and Responsibilities

1. All works must be original, no plagiarism will be allowed, the works of finalists and winners will be made public on the web for 3 days - in the case there are any finalist or winner copyright disputes. Such finalists or winners will be disqualified.

2. Applicants must provide true information when making an application, the organizer will not make a substantive review of the authenticity of the identity of the applicants, but inaccurate or false information will affect their eligibility for participation, award rights and other relevant honors.

3. The author must own the copyright of his or her work (enjoy independent, complete, clear and non-controversial copyright of the work, the work should comply with the requirements of relevant national laws and regulations, the portrait rights, copyright and other legal responsibilities of the design must be assumed by the author), and agree to grant the organizer a license to the entry and all its intellectual property rights - including the work of research, photography, promotion, exhibition, publication and other forms of promotion, and publicity of the entry without any payment.

4. If an applicant fails to send the work to the organizing committee on time for on-site evaluation and exhibition after receiving the finalist notification, he/she will be regarded as withdrawing from the competition and the organizer will not issue the finalist certificate to him/her.

5. The works winning the first, second and third prize awards and the New Talent award will be collected by the Guangdong Shiwan Ceramics Museum. The work collected must be the entire actual exhibited work; works cannot be split or replaced.

6. The applicant is responsible for any damage or loss of the works before the selected works arrive to the final evaluation site. The organizer is not responsible for any damage during transportation; the organizer has the right to refuse to accept works of finalists if the outer box has been seriously damaged upon arrival. The organizer is not responsible for any damage that is discovered when the works of finalistsare unpacked.

7. If the works of finalists arrive at the final evaluation site with slight damage, to ensure the effectiveness of the final evaluation, the applicants can come to the final evaluation site to repair works at their own expense. If an applicant needs assistance from the organizer for repairs, they must provide the organizer with suggestions or videos for repairing the works. In such a case, the organizer can possibly assist in repairing the works, but the organizer is not responsible for problems arising in the process of repairing the works.

8. If the works of finalists are combinations or installations, the applicants can come to the final evaluation site to install and display their works at their own expense; if an applicant needs assistance from the organizer to install their works, they must provide the organizer with installation guidelines, and the organizer will not be responsible for any damage to the works during the installation and removal process.

9. The organizer will be responsible for any works of finalists that need to be returned after the exhibition. The cost of insurance during the mailing period shall be borne by the participants themselves.The organizer will provide safe and secure packaging but will not be responsible for any damage that occurs during transportation.

10. Applying to participate in the Shiwan competition constitutes agreement and compliance with the above provisions.

For any matter not covered herein, the organizer will revise the announcement at any time, and the right to explain the event is reserved by the organizer.

China Ceramic Industry Association

      Guangdong Shiwan Ceramics Museum

March 27, 2023

Attachment.

2023 "Shiwan Cup" Emerging Artist Ceramic Sculpture Competition Expert Committee

(List in alphabetical order by last name)

Ming Bai (Professor and Dean of Ceramic Art Department, Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University)

Wenwei Jin (Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, Jingdezhen Ceramic University)

Pinchang Lyv (Vice President and Doctoral Supervisor, Jingdezhen Ceramic University)

Xiaoping Luo (Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University)

Zheng Liu (Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, China Academy of Art)

Bin Lu (Professor, School of Design, Nanjing University of the Arts)

Marc Leuthold (Professor of Art; Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts and State University of New York, USA, famous potter)

Guolong Lin (Head of the Shuili Snake Kiln Pottery Culture Park, Taiwan, a famous potter)

Hongyu Tan (Professor, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts)

Velimir Vukicevic (retired Professor of Ceramics, Faculty of Applied Arts, Belgrade University of Arts, Serbia, famous Serbian potter)

Hua Wei (Vice Dean, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, School of Arts and Crafts, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts)

Legeng Zhu (Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, Director of the Institute of Art Creation, China Academy of Art)