The application period is open for the annual $5,000 Manifest Prize and gallery award competition.
Manifest is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit dedicated to creating high-quality visual art experiences through exhibition, publication, artist support and education.
Launched in 2010, the Manifest Prize aims to showcase, celebrate and document exceptional artwork being made today through a combination of financial support, gallery space and other promotional support.
Over the years, Manifest has awarded the grant to artists working in a wide range of visual arts media.
The program is open to works of any media, any genre/style, and any size. The major rule is the work must have been created within the last five years. It must also be available for exhibition between early December and mid-January.
Artists who’ve submitted to or been included in previous Manifest projects or grant programs are eligible to apply.
Manifest will select the winner through multi-phase juried system. Jurors are volunteers and come from a broad range of visual arts backgrounds. They include previous prize winners and solo exhibitors, academic and arts professionals, and other artists with a history of exhibiting with Manifest.
Works approved by the first jury will be passed through a second, and possibly a third jury round, with jury makeup shuffled from round to round.
The work receiving the highest average score is the winner. The artist gets a $5,000 prize and a four-week solo exhibit at Manifest Creative Research Gallery in Walnut Hills. A ticketed exhibition preview for the show is set for 7 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 14. An opening reception will take place the final night.
On Jan. 11, 2024, the prizewinner will take part in a digital artists’ panel discussion. The exhibition closes on Jan. 12 to mark the anniversary of the gallery.
Manifest will also devout a multiple-page spread to the artist and their winning work in its season-documenting hardcover publication. The Manifest Exhibition Annual (MEA) features the artist’s statement, professional bio and select jury statements.
The four works with the next highest-scoring markings will earn spots as finalists. Each of those artists receives $250, and their work will also go into the MEA.
Those interested in taking part can apply through Manifest’s website. Artists can submit up to five works during early entry period – which ends Sept. 1 – for $40. Each additional entry is $5.
After Sept. 1, the price goes up to $60.
The application period closes Oct. 1.