12th International Portrait Competition, 2010

From the 22nd through the 25th of April will take place at the Hyat Regency Reston (Washington D.C.) The Art of the Portrait Conference.

Organized by The Portrait Society of America, this even will bring together the best of figurative and portrait artists from around the globe.

Participants will have the chance to attend lectures, participate in classes and workshops, as well as buying art materials directly from manufacturers.

This will be a great opportunity to exchange experiences with fellow artists and improve skills.

At the Saturday (April 24, 2010) evening Gala Banquet and Awards Ceremony, the President and Chair of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, Iris Cantor, will receive the Leadership in the Arts Award for her support for the visual arts and other charitable causes.

The Excellence in Art Education Award will go to the New York Academy of Art for their quality instruction in contemporary figurative art.

Another award will be presented to John Howard Sanden who has dedicated over 37 years to fine art portraiture, having taught at the Art Students League of New York for three decades and being the author of five books on portraiture.

John Sanden will receive the Gold Medal Award, the Portrait Society of America highest acomplishment.

However one of the major highlights of this event will be distribution of the awards to the 15 finalists of the 12th International Portrait Competition .

Totalizing around $50,000 in cash and prizes, the winner will receive the William Draper Grand Prize, which includes a cash prize of $5,000 sponsored by Jack Richeson & Co and a feature article in the International Artist magazine.

Winners besides having their work recognized in the Art of the Portrait Journal and in the International Artist magazine, will receive complementary tuition to The Art of the Portrait Conference ( $395 for members/$455 for non-members), as well as cash and other prizes.

The deadline to enter the International Portrait Competition is March 1, 2010 (postmark date) and finalists will be notified by March 22nd.

Works must be of original design and concept, completed after March 2007 and cannot have won an award in any previous competition.

It's important to remind that finalists will have to present their works at the ceremony to win a top prize.

The entry fee has the value of $40 (non-refundable) and permits to participate with up to three works.

Please read the entry form carefully in order to avoid major disappointments and don't hesitate to use the provided contacts if you have any doubts.

In the next couple of days, The Art Inquirer will try to contact the organizers to confirm some minor details.

Illustrated with the 2009 Draper Grand Prize Winner "Antiques" (Oil), by Joseph Todorovitch