West Seattle Garden Tour Art Competition Rules
Please read competition rules before submitting your artwork. You'll find a link to the entry form following the Terms & Conditions.
Prize: A $750.00 cash award will go to the artist of the winning submission. In consideration for the prize awarded, the winning entry will become the property of the West Seattle Garden Tour (“WSGT”), with all rights transferred to them. See Use of Image section of Official Terms & Conditions below for full details. Winning artwork will be the featured artwork for WSGT’s 2025 promotional bookmarks, posters (11” x 17”) and ticket book cover (5.5” x 8.5”). Winning art and honorable mention artworks will be shown during the West Seattle Art Walk at Capers Home in the West Seattle Junction on May 8, 2025 and at West Seattle Nursery during the month of June 2025.
OFFICAL TERMS & CONDITIONS
Eligibility: All artists who are residents of Washington State are eligible to enter the competition, except active WSGT committee members or their immediate family members.
Theme: Gardens are personal statements that reflect the passions and creativity of their gardeners. They may be places of refuge and retreat or active environments that invite engagement. The gardens featured in our tour exhibit those qualities as well as an artful mix of design, rich color palettes, texture, contrast, creative and inspiring use of plants, art, and hardscaping. Submissions should be reflective of this narrative with a focus on use of color, composition, texture and contrast to excite interest in the tour.
Specifications: Original, two dimensional artwork submission(s) may be created in any fine arts medium (painting, drawing, collage, art quilts, photography, etc.). The submitted artwork must have been completed within the last five years and not previously published or reproduced in any manner prior to submission or previously entered into this competition. The artwork may be portrait or landscape orientation; minimum size 16” x 20” inches. Two works of art may be submitted. Clip art, subject matter copied from magazines, and other copyrighted images will not be accepted.
Criteria: Artwork will be evaluated for creativity, style, composition, technique and skill. Reproducibility and broad appeal will also be considerations.
Entry: For the first round, digital files of the artwork will be reviewed by the WSGT art competition sub-committee. All work must be well-photographed or scanned. Work not suitably photographed or scanned will not be considered. The first round will end with a selection of finalists. Finalists will be requested to submit original artwork for judging in the final round. All non-winning original artwork will be returned to artists, (or held by WSGT with artists’ permission until the May/June Art Walks). The winning artwork becomes the sole property of WSGT, as described in Use of Image section below.
Jury: Finalist entries will be evaluated by a panel of active members of WSGT.
Round 1 Submissions: Only digital copies of artwork (photographs or scans) submitted through WSGT’s website (westseattlegardentour.org) will be accepted. We will accept two submissions per artist each year. Submit one (1) piece of work at a time: one (1) digital photo of the full piece and up to three (3) additional detail photos for a maximum of four (4) photos.
Please format your images as follows:
• File format: JPEG only
• File size: 10 MB maximum
• Name files with artist’s name, last name first, artwork title, and image number. For example: Doe-Jane_Art-Title_01.jpg, Doe-Jane_Art-Title_02.jpg.
• Please ensure that image is in correct viewing orientation.
Round 1 Entry Period: Digital submissions accepted online beginning 12:01AM Pacific on Monday, September 1, 2025 until 11:59PM Pacific on Monday, November 10, 2025.
Round 2 Submissions (by invitation only): Round 1 finalists will be contacted by Saturday, November 15, 2025 and asked to submit original artwork for final judging. Two dimensional art must be framed, wired, and ready to hang. All artwork must be labeled and securely packaged.
Round 2 Entry Period: Original submissions will be accepted for final judging Saturday, November 22, to Saturday, November 29, 2025. Drop-off location and hours will be provided to finalists.
Notification: The winning submission and honorable mention artists will be notified by email or telephone on or before Monday, December 15, 2025.
Use of Image: By accepting a prize, the winner grants WSGT all rights to use the entry, including but not limited to reproduction, distribution, sale and display. The winner acknowledges that WSGT will hold all copyrights to the winning entry, and the winner waives any claims to the entry or any use of the entry except by permission of WSGT. Original artwork will not be altered in any way; however, WSTG reserves the right to modify reproduction of art during design of marketing materials. WSGT grants the winner permission to use photographs of the artwork in their portfolio and website. The original artwork will be auctioned during the 30th annual West Seattle Garden Tour on Sunday, June 28, 2026. Proceeds will benefit WSGT grant recipients.
Liability: All work will be handled with the utmost care. However, WSGT does not carry insurance for artists’ work and will not be responsible for loss or damage. By entering you grant consent for WSGT to use your full name, hometown, and images of your art for publicity purposes, in print or online.
Disclaimer: The artist, by submitting an entry agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless WSGT from and against any and all claims, demands or expenses (including attorney fees) for libel, slander, invasion of privacy, infringement of copyright, personal injury, damages, or any other claims, demands or expenses resulting from the artist’s performance in connection with this agreement. WSGT is not responsible for any costs associated with submission of artwork or its return to artist.
If you consent to these Terms & Conditions and would like to submit your artwork for consideration, complete an entry form.