In the name of God

 Notice for the 20^th International Visual Arts Festival for Young Artists

With the objective of promoting competition in the field of artistic creativity, enhancing the specialized skills of the art students and the identification, training and introduction of talented young artists in the context of the artistic merits and relations of the young artists in the country and the rational relations with their counterparts in other countries, The Visual Arts Center of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in collaboration with the Directorate General of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Golestan Province and the Institute for Development of Contemporary Visual Arts; and with the cooperation of the Directorate General of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Provinces and the Islamic Azad University organizes the 20^th International Visual Arts Festival for Young Artists from 23^rd to 27^th August 2013 with the participation of experienced university lecturers and famous artists in different fields of visual arts.

Policy Council:

President: Hamid Shahabadi, Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance for Art Affairs

Council Secretary: Asghar Amirnia, Director General of Visual Arts Center, Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance

Council Members: Gholam Reza Montazeri, Bahram Kalhornia, Masoud Shojaee Tabatabaee, Morteza Assadi, Ali Tan, Abdol Rahim Siahkarzadeh,Hojjatol Eslam Seif Jamali

Festival's Secretary: Gholam Reza Montazeri, Director General of Golestan Culture and Islamic Guidance

Art Secretary: Saeed Fallahfar

Executive Secretary: Masoud Zenderooh Kermani

Festival's sections: Drawing, painting, visual communication (poster), volume (steel, plaster, clay and pottery), caricature, Persian painting, calligraphy (calligraphy painting, exercise, Nasta'liq), illustration and photography.
Based on the organizational committee's planning, the current event consists of the two stages of qualified artists' registration and the workshop of admitted artists during the Festival.

The directorate general of culture and Islamic guidance of the provinces, all members of  Visual Arts Associations, students of the visual arts colleges, private institutes, art faculties and in general all the interested artists may refer to the mass media and in particular to the site of www.yafestival.ir and provincial media to learn of the latest news and the procedures of organizing the nationwide festival, and promote participation in the Festival.

1- Applicants born from 23^rd August 1989 to 23^rd August 1998 are qualified to participate in the Festival (14 to 25 years).
Note: Applicants born two months before or after the above dated may also participate.

2- All applicants must submit a copy of their national card or page 1 of their ID card along with their works when registering on the site.

3- Each artist may submit 5 of his/her outstanding works in any of the above fields through the site. The subject for all applicants at the time of registration is free.

4- All applicants must register and submit their works online in the www.yafestival.ir for the selection stage maximum by 16^th July 2013. It is obvious that unregistered individuals shall be barred from participation in the Festival.

5- The final list of participants will be available on site from 27^th July 2013.

6- The selected artists must present an artwork for the Festival's exhibition by maximum 20 days before the start of the Festival to the Organization Committee, otherwise they shall be barred from participation.

7- The Organization Committee shall prevent the presence of participants who do not comply with the announced instructions and regulations.

8- All the groups of selected artists must be organized in such a manner as to be present at the Festival's headquarters in the Golestan Directorate General of Culture and Islamic Guidance on the appointed date of 23^rd August 2013.

9- The Organization Committee accepts no responsibility of the groups or persons outside the official list for presence before the deadline and after the end of the Festival.

10- The winner of past events may request an honorary participation in the Festival by registering in the site. The selection of these individuals shall be based on the policies of the organization committee, and the request for participation does not constitute an obligation for the organizers.

Workshop regulations:

This Festival is a proper opportunity for presenting new perspectives and exchange of new experiences in the field of visual arts. Participating artists will compete with each other during the Festival in the special workshops and in the end the top artists will be introduced by the jury. Given its competitive nature, the proposed themes or subjects of the Festival shall be announced by the Festival's Art Secretary through the relevant masters.

1- The selected artists must be in possession of their National Card for participation in the Festival.

2- The artists shall participate in the workshops according to the final list, and no replacement or exchange in other fields shall be allowed.

3- No participant may be accompanied by either a male or a female companion.

4- The costs of transportation shall be borne either by the artist or the dispatching provincial administration of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and the Festival's organizers shall not accept any relevant costs.

5- Throughout the Festival the participants will be entirely at the disposal of the Organizing Committee's plans, and therefore there will be no possibility for personal visits or undertaking personal affairs. Moreover, throughout the period the dispatched groups and the Organizing Committee's guest are also required to adhere fully with the announced programs.

6- The test workshops of the participating artists will be organized and evaluated according to the practical program arranged for all the sections in the three days and in the space provided.

7- The drawing event may be organized in a closed or imaginary space or in nature as per the discretion of the masters.

8- All the created works shall be put at the disposal of the Secretariat, and the Secretariat shall be allowed to use the created works at its discretion, including exhibiting them at provincial centers.

9- The Festival participants will attend the creativity evaluation and artwork production program equipped with all the necessary workshop tools and materials.

10- The Organizers shall procure and provide the necessary materials up to regulatory limits to the guest artists. (Note: Painting canvas of 90 x 90 and 100 x 70 cm and a limited amount of materials required for the volume and pottery workshop shall be distributed at the workshop site). The artists are required to announce the list of their non-portable equipment and materials before the start of the Festival to enable their procurement. Otherwise it will no longer possible to order them during the course of the Festival.

11- Given the importance of the specialized and general session, a full day (preferably the first day of Festival) shall be dedicated to the purpose. It should be mentioned that the attendance of all participants is mandatory, and a certificate of attendance shall be provided at the end of the Festival.

12- The Festival Organizational Committee accepts all prior suggestions, articles or plans by participants for greater diversity and richness of the side events.

13- Decision on contingencies shall be made by the President of the Festival Organizational Committee and the Art Secretary on the case basis.

14- The Organizers expect all participants to comply fully with the Islamic rules and norms, and follow the Festival regulations very accurately. In the event of violation, the Festival shall have the right to refuse admission and demand compensation. 

 Festival’s Calendar:

• Deadline for registration and submission of works through the site of www.yafestival.ir: 16^th July 2013
• Announcement of the list of selected artists: 27^th July 2013
• Deadline for submission of a work by selected artists to the Festival’s Secretariat: 16^th August 2013
• Presence of artists in Gorgan: 23^rd August 2013
• Festival’s opening ceremony: 24^th August 2013
• Festival’s closing: 27^th August 2013

 Organization Committee of the 20^th International Visual Arts Festival for Young Artists