Bus Shelter Art Contest

ELIGIBILITY

The contest is open to all high school students enrolled in grades 9-12. Artists must reside in Greenville County or attend school in Greenville County. Each artist is limited to one submission.

SUBMISSION

Artwork proposals for consideration must be submitted online by Friday, April 1, 2022, at 3 p.m. Questions should be sent to nmcaden@greenvillesc.gov.

All artwork should be inspired by the theme, #YeahOurGreenville, and should meet the following print-ready specifications:

Five 22” W x 46” H panels
- If artwork is being completed by hand, the final submission can be scaled down but must be proportional to the final sizing:
- Five panels, each sized 5.5” W x 11.5” H; or
- Five panels, each sized 11” W x 23” H
JPG, PNG or PDF file format if artwork is being designed digitally (max file size 25 MB). If larger files are needed, please compress the original for the submission form and provide the high-resolution file via a USB to Greenlink at 100 W. McBee Avenue.
If artwork is being completed by hand, the original artwork – meeting the sizing specifications outlined above – must be submitted in-person to either of the following locations:
- Greenville City Hall: 206 S Main Street, Greenville SC 29601; or
- Greenlink Transit Center: 100 W McBee Avenue, Greenville SC 29601
- If artist is submitting a physical piece of art for review, the artist may opt to return a printed submission form rather than an online form. This file should be completed and turned in with the artwork by 3 p.m., Friday, April 1, 2022.
Artwork should be designed for translucent printing and should be bold enough in its design that it is still eye-catching as a translucent print

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Parental/guardian endorsement, agreement and consent must accompany submissions from minors
Artwork should be designed to last at least one year and any design element that would make the artwork outdated should be avoided
Artwork must be appropriate for the general public
Artwork must be original, handcrafted work, designed and produced by the artist
Artwork containing images or other references to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, violence, memes, religion or previously copyrighted or trademarked content will not be considered
Artwork containing commercial messaging, sponsors, business names or logos will not be considered

SELECTION

A selection committee consisting of representatives from the Greenville Transit Authority, the City of Greenville Youth Commission and the City of Greenville Arts in Public Places Commission will review the artwork and select winners without regard to race, color, religious creed, disability, national origin, age, gender or sex.

No prior professional art experience is required. Submissions will be judged based on representation of the theme, originality/creativity, appropriateness and quality.

The winning artwork will be installed in the bus shelters at no cost to the artists. The artists will be featured on the City of Greenville and Greenlink websites, social media pages, newsletters and more.

OTHER INFORMATION

The Greenville Transit Authority, Greenlink and the City of Greenville reserve the right to photograph accepted artwork for purposes related to this initiative and future exhibitions. Artists must sign a release granting permission for photographs of their artwork to be used on websites, social media and other promotional materials.

The artwork will be open to the elements (i.e. weather damage, graffiti, vandalism) and any permanent damage to the artwork may result in its early removal.

FAQs

Since artwork submitted for the contest must be original, what qualifies as art plagiarism or a violation of another artist’s intellectual property rights?

Art plagiarism refers to taking someone else's artwork or design and claiming it as your own. This includes tracing, reproducing, replicating or redrawing someone else’s artwork (in part or in whole), copying stylistic design choices and using someone else’s ideas as a direct source for content. Plagiarism occurs when tweaking or altering original details is not enough to make a piece unique from the original. To avoid plagiarism, you should consider seeking inspiration from multiple artists and works of art. If you feel uncomfortable sharing details about the art or the artist who influenced your piece or have concerns about how your work resembles someone else’s, it may be a sign that you have plagiarized another artist.

For photographers, how do intellectual property rights apply to the subject matter in a photo?

It is generally understood that photographers are not trying to pass off the three-dimensional subjects in their photos as products of their own creation; however, you should consider taking the photo from a unique vantage point or capturing the subject matter in a unique way. If a photo contains two-dimensional artwork (e.g., paintings, drawings, photos) that is copyrighted, but the artwork is not the sole subject of the photo, it would be considered ancillary.

Can artwork created by more than one student be submitted for the contest?

Yes, artwork created by more than one student can be submitted as long as all of the participants receive credit for their involvement. Greenlink will require a submission form from each student who worked on the piece.

How are the submissions judged?

A jury consisting of members of the Arts in Public Places Commission, the Youth Commission and the Greenville Transit Authority will review all submissions and assign scores of 0 - 25 for each of the categories listed below:

Quality - the judges will evaluate artistic elements such as the use of color, the composition’s patterns and symmetry and the proportion of subjects in the artwork, as well as the skills and techniques showcased by the artist.
Originality and Creativity - the judges will evaluate the uniqueness of the artwork.
Representation of Theme - the judges will evaluate the artist’s use of the theme, #YeahOurGreenville, in telling a story or making a statement.
Appropriateness - the judges will evaluate the nature of the images and/or content to determine if the artwork would be offensive to a community member of average sensitivity or inappropriate for viewing by minors.

The submissions that receive the highest scores overall will be installed inside the Greenlink bus shelters.