The 4th International Prize for Performance

Call for Entries
The 4th International Prize for Performance

1. The Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea of Trento, in collaboration with Centro Servizi Culturali Santa Chiara of Trento and with the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio of Trento and Rovereto announce the fourth edition of the International Prize for Performance.

2. The prize is open to young artists, or groups of artists, of all nationalities who were born from January 1st, 1973.

3. Out of those who wish to participate, the organization will select 12 (twelve) artists to present their projects during the final evenings on October 10th and 11th, 2008 at the Teatro Sociale of Trento.

4. The first prize is fixed at 5,000 (five thousand) euros (net) and can not be divided. There will also be minor prizes awarded.

5. All artists of all nationalities and origins, from all formative backgrounds (visual arts, dance, music, poetry, etc.) are invited to participate by sending an application, in electronic format, to performance@galleriacivica.it, which can be downloaded at the Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea’s internet site, www.workartonline.net.
In addition to the required application form, participants MUST send:
- a scan of a valid identification document;
- an original, previously unseen performance project (descriptive, no longer than 3,000 characters, spaces included);
- an artistic resume;
- 2 (two) to 4 (four) excerpts from previous performances, with a maximum length of 1 (one) minute each. Video files must be compatible with Windows Media Player, Flash Player and/or with QuickTime. The organization can not guarantee that other types of video files can be read. Also, we advise that the dimensions of the video are no smaller than 360 x 288 pixels, in order to be viewed correctly by the jury;
- a specific descriptive text for each performance documented in the video files, no longer than 1000 characters (spaces included) for each one.
If one or more of the obligatory materials is missing or does not conform to the regulations listed above, the applicant will be excluded from the competition.
In the case of groups of artists, all materials must refer to the whole group, and not to single members.
Participants may also send:
- drawings or images to attach to the previously unseen performance project;
- materials relative to previous performances, including descriptive texts (no more than 3; no longer than 1,500 characters each) or images (no more than 10 total);
- no more than 2 (two) reviews appearing in catalogues, magazines or newspapers.
All materials must be produced in either Italian or English.
The video material may be sent in another language only if understanding the discussion isn’t necessary to understand the sense of the performance.
In total, the materials must not exceed 10 Mb (ten Megabites).
The deadline for the application form and materials is 12:00 PM on Sunday, August 31st, 2008 (Italian time). In the case that the server is overcrowded due to the high volume of applications, submissions can be accepted until 12:00 PM of the following day, September 1st, 2008, provided that the date and hour of the original email can verify that it was sent before the deadline. In order to avoid complications, we ask that all applicants send their materials as early as possible.

6. The original, previously unseen performances can be of any length. They may not exceed 20 (twenty) minutes if the performance is narrative and the entire length is to be evaluated. The performances can be of any length, as long as the concept can be understood without it being viewed in its entirety. It is also possible to present a project of more than one performance if the total length doesn’t exceed 20 (twenty) minutes. The performance can be conducted by the artists themselves, or with the aid of actors, musicians or other personnel. They can also involve the public or take place without the physical presence of people. It is also possible to utilize video or other technical devices; however, projects composed solely of video or video installations are excluded.
The fact that the final performance will take place at the Teatro Sociale doesn’t mean that it must resemble traditional theatre. Taking technical possibilities and safety into consideration, the theatre can also be used in other ways: the foyer, the boxes, the audience on the stage, external spaces etc.)

7. At least one place amongst the finalists will go to artists or groups of artists born and/or resident in the provinces of Bolzano, Trento or Verona or in Austrian Tyrol.

8. The winner(s) of the first prize and the minor prizes will be named by an international jury, after having been present at the performance finals on October 10th and 11th, 2008. The international jury is composed of Carlos Amorales (President of the jury, artist and performer), Carlo Antonelli (music critic, director of “Rolling Stone” Italy), Helena Kontova (co-director of “Flash Art”), Gian Marco Montesano (artist, artistic director of the Teatro Stabile dell’Innovazione of Pescara), Catherine Wood (Curator of contemporary art and performance at the Tate Modern London), Franco Oss Noser (director of the Centro Servizi Culturali Santa Chiara of Trento) and Fabio Cavallucci (artistic director of the Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea of Trento).
The selection criteria will be set by the jury before the start of the competition.

9. The participants of the final selections are guaranteed travel expenses and hospitality for the time necessary for the realization of their performances. Production costs will be sustained directly by the organization. The relationship between the final result and the costs entailed for the production of the performance will be an assessable element in selecting the finalists. The specific request for actors or other possible personnel eventually involved in the performance will be organized by the artist or group.

10. Those that have a familiar relationship or close collaboration with any member of the jury and/or the organization can not eligible to compete for the Prize.