Sign up is required by February 28th. Use the QR code above or via this link: Register Here
Pre-registration via entry form is required and must be received by February 28th in order to be participate. Art will not be accepted without a completed entry sign up. You cannot sign up at the door of the conference. Artwork is to be submitted for display and judging on Friday March 7th between 8:30-noon at the NCHEA Conference and Curriculum Fair.
Contest Guidelines
Who is eligible: Parents and their school age home-educated children currently in kindergarten through 12th grade. Children must have a parent or guardian registered for the conference in order to participate. Only one entry per person is permitted.
Submission Guidelines: Art can be of any medium (paintings, drawings, photography, graphic design, textiles, etc.) submitted on an 8×10 canvas purchased by the contestant. The artwork must be an original creation by the participant; no tracing or AI-generated works will be allowed. Parents may assist children with basic design ideas but the execution of the work is to be done by the child without other’s assistance. Artwork should be fully contained within the perimeter of the 8×10 canvas with no part of the display extending below the bottom edge of the canvas. Artwork may be submitted for work completed by the contestant no earlier than January 1 2024. Each contestant’s art must be submitted with contest registration that includes name of contestant, name of parents, and a contact phone number. NCHEA will not intentionally alter any submitted art but takes no responsibility for damaged or lost items once submitted.
Appropriate Content: Artwork will not be accepted that depicts immoral or indecent activities or conveys concepts not in line with the NCHEA statement of faith, which can be found at nchea.org. NCHEA can reject any submission that it believes violates these terms at its discretion.
Judging and Announcement of Prizes:
Art will be judged by individuals selected by NCHEA and judges winning selections are final. Winners will be notified in advance of announcement if a phone number is provided during sign up. Winners will be announced Saturday afternoon at a time and place to be determined, check back for an update on this closer to the conference. The prizes will be provided to the parents/guardian of the winning children. If you do not pick up the prize by the conclusion of the conference, the prize is forfeited.
Pickup of Submitted Art:
All art must remain in place until the announcement of winners at the closing session of the conference on Saturday. Art not removed at the conclusion of the conference is forfeited and will be disposed of.
Art Contest Q&A
Why did NCHEA decide to include an art contest this year?
We are including an art contest to celebrate the creative talent of home educator parents and their students from around the state.
Who do I reach out to with questions regarding the contest?
Please email artcontest@fastmail.com with any questions not covered here.
Are the artists required to be present to compete?
Children creating the artwork are not required to be present to submit the artwork or win, however, the individual submitting the art on behalf of the child must be registered for the 2025 conference and must be present to submit the art and accept the prize. In the event no one is present to accept the prize on behalf of the contestant, the prize is forfeited.
What are the categories for entry?
The art judging and prizes will be split up by age as follows – Ages 5-8, 9-13, 14-18, 19+. There will only be one prize for overall conference favorite as chosen by attendees, independent of age category.
How do I enter the contest?
An entry form is available via link on NCHEAs website. Sign up must be completed by February 28th. You cannot sign up at the door of the conference. This is to facilitate entry and display of the artwork without slowing down conference entrance. At the conference, each entry will be numbered and submission recorded. Contestant’s names will not be visible on the artwork.
What will be done with the entries?
Art canvases will be displayed in the hall of the conference for viewing by all adult conference attendees. Please do not remove your entry until the close of the conference. Our best will be done to prevent damaging the art when displaying but by entering, you are agreeing that NCHEA does not take responsibility for any damage that may occur during the contest. Any artwork not picked up at the end of the conference will be forfeited.
How will the winners be decided?
NCHEA has selected judges with art education who will assign winners based on a numerical scale of judging criteria including skill in craftsmanship, use of materials, originality, degree of difficulty, among other criteria.
The overall conference pick will be a vote conducted by ballot by all conference attendees. Each attendee will be allowed one vote to select their favorite art submission.
When will the winners be announced?
Art will be judged by individuals selected by NCHEA and judges winning selections are final. Winners will be notified in advance of announcement if a phone number is provided during sign up. Winners will be announced Saturday afternoon at a time and place to be determined, check back for an update on this closer to the conference.The prizes will be provided to the parents/guardian of the winning children. If you do not pick up the prize by the conclusion of the conference, the prize is forfeited.
What are the prizes?
Prizes are either cash or equivalent gift cards as denoted on the contest flyers.
Why do you need my child’s name?
We need to know who is competing and that an adult registered with the conference is submitting on their behalf. In addition, we would like to announce the names of the winners at the conference.
Why do you need parent/guardian phone and email for entry to the contest?
Email addresses are used solely for confirmation of sign up and reminder emails for the event. It will not be used for any other purposes. Your phone number will only be used if there is a question regarding your child’s entry or to notify you of winning the contest to ensure you are present.
By entering, the parent/guardian verifies that the work is original to the artist listed and agrees to the contest terms listed above. Further, parent/guardian (on behalf of the contestants) agree to use of photos to be taken of the artwork and the winning contestants names for NCHEA to announce the winners. Only the artist’s first name will be used if published online. Images may be edited for publication purposes.