62nd Faenza Prize

The Biennale Internazionale della Ceramica d’Arte Contemporanea (hereinafter referred to as the Competition) is organized by the Fondazione Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza (hereinafter referred to as the MIC Foundation) and is open to individual or associated artists with no thematic or age restrictions.
For collective works, artists must name one person to act as their representative at each stage of the Competition.
Participation can also be organized by Ministries, Cultural Institutions, Associations or others.

Each contestant may submit a maximum of two works with a maximum size of 4 m³.
Execution with any ceramic technique is allowed. The works may involve the use of other materials, albeit not predominantly.

Artists are required to declare that these are their own works, created within the last two years and not submitted to other competitions. If it appears that these requirements are lacking, the Jury and the MIC Foundation reserve the right to exclude the work from the exhibition and, in the case of a prize, to cancel the award itself.

Preference will be given to works of a sculptural or installation nature that present a character of innovation and convey a marked contemporary connotation. Indeed, the Faenza Prize has been characterized over the years by a path of avant-garde, topical and contemporary choices, and such must be the mission to pursue.

The Competition is divided into two separate sections: one reserved for artists under 35 years of age (as of December 31, 1987), the other for artists over 35 years of age.

The Jury, in making its judgment of merit for eligibility for the final stage of the Competition, may have access to the resumes of the entrants.
Entry in the Competition implies acceptance of this Call for Entries.

On the page dedicated to the International Competition(iscrizione.premiofaenza.it for Italian-language entries, and iscrizione.premiofaenza.it/en/ for English-language entries) is the Call for Entries.

On the Application page the user will find a form divided into three sections: Master, Work, Summary.

1) Personal data
Personal data of the artist or collective are requested here.
In addition to the fields to be filled in, an ID document (image/pdf format) is required to be uploaded.
There is also a field where you can upload a resume (text/pdf format) and any additional notes.

2) Work
In addition to general information (title, description, materials and techniques), it is mandatory to upload at least one photograph of the work.
The year of completion and the value of the work, expressed in euros, is also required.
When finished, it is possible to move on to the summary or nomination of a second work.

3) Summary
As the last section, there is a summary of all the information entered. By agreeing to the provisions of these regulations and the privacy policy, you can submit and complete the application process.

Should the artist encounter any difficulties in handling and entering the required data, please report it to the following e-mail address: [email protected].

All personal data of the competitor that the MIC Foundation administration comes into possession of in the course of the competition process will be used for the conduct of the selection and the subsequent admission to the final stage.

The data will be used and processed, both by traditional and computerized procedures, in compliance with the “Personal Data Protection Code” by the MIC Foundation. As can be seen from the very content of the Notice of Competition and the above-mentioned competition regulations, some data (e.g., personal details) are indispensable to be eligible for selection. Other data are instrumental in streamlining procedures.

Competitors who provide their data are granted the rights set forth in Art. 7 of Legislative Decree 196/2003 of Italian law. You are also informed that in order to exercise the rights inherent in the use and storage of your personal data established by Art. 2 of the aforementioned Code, the interested party may contact the President of the MIC Foundation at the address indicated in the header.

Cash prizes are intended to be gross of statutory withholding taxes if due.

Faenza Prize for artists over 35 worth €25,000.00
Faenza Prize for artists under 35 worth €5,000.00

The young artist will also be offered a 2-month residency in Faenza with the possibility of creating works to be exhibited at MIC in a special event in fall 2023.

Various Honor Awards without cash contribution.

The winning works of the Faenza Prizes over and under 35 will become part of the contemporary collections of the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza.

The award ceremony will take place in Faenza on Saturday, July 1, 2023, and will be preceded by a lecture/presentation of the award-winning artists.

The printing of the catalog will be the exclusive responsibility of the MIC Foundation to which the artists assign all rights to reproduce the works at the very act of participation.
Likewise, the artists authorize the photographic, film, television or digital filming of their works and the uses that the MIC Foundation will decide for the purpose of promoting the Contest (posters, postcards or other) for its other cultural activities.

A copy of the catalog will be reserved for the finalist artists.

The exhibition design will be exclusively by the MIC Foundation.
In the case of installations or works that are particularly complex, the artist is required to send directions clearly explaining how they are to be set up directly to the Organizing Secretariat.

The MIC Foundation will in no way provide insurance for the works during transport either on the way there or on the way back, but during their set up and stay in the museum spaces.
Artists may arrange, at their own expense, to insure themselves with a Company of their choice against all damages that the works may suffer during transportation.
The insurance policy must specifically provide for the waiver of all claims against the MIC Foundation, which will not be liable to pay compensation for any damage suffered by the works during transport.
Should a work be received at the Competition in such a condition as to impair its reading, it will not be exhibited.

Finalists will be sent Form A and Form B documents containing instructions for shipping their works.
When shipping accepted works of art, compliance with minimum safety standards in the handling of ceramic works of art is required, and in particular to pay attention to packaging methods (the use of wooden crates with adequate packing and subjected to prior fumigation is preferable), as well as to strictly adhere to international guidelines regarding customs transit for works arriving from countries outside the EEC.

For the latter, it is mandatory to follow the provisions of the official event shipper. Works sent by mail or outside the required manner will be rejected. All transportation costs are the responsibility of the owners. All works must compulsorily be submitted in Delivery Duty Paid. Please refer to the Organizing Secretariat for shipping, handling and return of items.

Before starting the procedures for the return of the works, the official shipper will provide all participants with an estimate of the reshipment of the works.
In the case of redelivery, the MIC Foundation will provide, for works coming from Italy, packaging and shipping at the recipient’s expense, and, for works coming from other countries, packaging, customs operations required by Italian laws, and transportation costs to the Italian border in the return route.
Beyond the Italian border, all expenses will be borne by the recipient.

The notification regarding the willingness to donate the work can be made only after admission to the final stage of the Competition and communicated to the Museum Management (email: [email protected]) by August 31, 2023.
However, the MIC Foundation reserves the right to accept or decline donations.
In the case of donation or waiver of the return of works, the MIC Foundation may dispose of them according to the exhibition and promotional purposes it deems most appropriate.