701 CCA Prize Call for Artist Submissions

701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, S.C., announces the second installment of the 701 CCA Prize, a bi-annual art competition and exhibition for professional South Carolina artists 40 years and younger. The project will take place this year with a juried process resulting in a October – December exhibition for the competition’s three finalists and an award celebration announcing the winner. Eligible artists are invited to apply for the 701 CCA Prize by completing and submitting the application package by September 8, 2014. The application guidelines and package can be downloaded at www.701cca.org.

“With this second installment of the 701 CCA Prize, 701 Center for Contemporary Art continues to add a crucial component to the eco-system and infra-structure for artists and the visual arts in South Carolina,” 701 CCA board chair Wim Roefs said. “The 701 CCA Prize is the most important platform to highlight some of the extraordinary young talent in South Carolina, and as such, this competition and exhibition has come to fill a void, not unlike 701 CCA South Carolina Biennial has with respect to a regular overview of contemporary art in our state.”

The project’s purpose is to identify and recognize artists 40 years and younger whose work is exemplary in its originality, shows awareness of artistic developments and is of high artistic merit. The 701 CCA Prize will be awarded to one young professional South Carolina artist for outstanding art production since January 1, 2012. Aside from the age requirement, eligible artists must currently live in South Carolina. They must have or have had a solo exhibition in a museum, art center, regular commercial gallery or a designated gallery space in a cultural facility between September 1, 2012 – September 1, 2014. They also must fulfill several practical requirements outlined in the application guidelines. The application fee is $25.

An independent jury of three art professionals will select three finalists for the 701 CCA Prize. The three finalists will be included in the 701 CCA Prize Exhibition from October 30 – December 21, 2014, at 701 CCA. The exhibition’s opening reception will be October 30. The 701 CCA Prize Winner will be announced during the 701 CCA Prize Celebration on November 27, 2014.

The 701 CCA Prize Winner will receive a six-week, paid residency at 701 CCA; a solo exhibition at 701 CCA; consultation services from a professional advertising and marketing firm; and an ad in a national publication.

The jurors for the 701 CCA Prize 2014 will be announced later.

“The 701 CCA Prize is loosely based on the Turner Prize for artists in the United Kingdom,” board chair Roefs said. “The Turner Prize is one of the most prestigious art awards in the world and generates a lot of exposure for and excitement about the finalists. While the 701 CCA Prize differs in several ways from the Turner Prize, we hope that with a South Carolina context, it will trigger similar interest and excitement.”

For further inquiries, contact director@701cca.org or call Sheldon Paschal at (803) 319.9949.