CHAIYA ART AWARDS: Now in its second year, this UK art competition explores spirituality through the visual arts. The theme for 2019/20 is “God is . . .” The finalist entries will be brought together for a public exhibition at gallery@oxo in London on April 10–19, 2020, with the winners announced on opening night. Any media are welcome, including painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, glass, textiles, photography, and video. You are allowed up to three entries.
Top prize: ₤10,000
Deadline: October 18, 2019
Entry fee: ₤20 (or early-bird rate of ₤15 for submissions sent by July 18)
Restrictions: Must be a UK resident age sixteen or over
Judges: Marcus Lyon, Deborah Tompsett, Mark Oakley, Clive Davis, Katrina Moss
Sponsors: Bible Society, The Jerusalem Trust
I featured a 2018 Chaiya Art Award finalist in a previous roundup—a beautiful Holy Saturday image that uses pregnancy as a metaphor; click here.
+++
JANET B. MCCABE POETRY PRIZE: There is no prescribed theme or topic for this annual poetry contest presented by Ruminate, a contemplative literary arts magazine with Christian roots. Fifteen finalists will be selected by a panel, and then the first- and second-place winners and honorable mentions will be chosen by poet Craig Santos Perez. Besides a cash prize of $1500, the winner will also have his or her poem published in Ruminate. (Note: If nothing happens when you click the Enter button on the submission webpage, be sure your ad blocker is turned off.)
Top prize: $1500
Deadline: May 15, 2019
Entry fee: $20 (includes submission of up to two poems and a free digital copy of Ruminate)
Judge: Craig Santos Perez
Presenter: Ruminate
You may also like to know that Ruminate runs contests for short fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art—though the entry periods for those are currently closed.
+++
ROSS AND DAVIS MITCHELL PRIZE: This biennial prize presented by Image journal “seeks to recognize Canadian poets whose work wrestles with the beauty and complexity of religious faith.
“The Mitchell Prize will be awarded to a poet who is hammering out new forms and new language to express the ineffable today. Our goal is to encourage writers whose poems provide access to spiritual experience, awakenings that cast light on the world and make it known. We want to hear from poets who are grappling with transcendence and the divine, those for whom poetry is—as Christian Wiman would describe it—a form of theology.
“Poets engaged with all faith traditions are encouraged to submit work, however this prize is not designed to erase distinctions or paper over conflict. There are meaningful differences between Muslims and Christians, Hindus and Orthodox Jews that cannot, and should not, be erased, suppressed, or ignored. Instead, this prize seeks to honor writing that explores the distinctive contours of belief and the shape it gives to modern life.”
Top prize: $20,000 CAD
Deadline: June 30, 2019
Entry fee: $25 CAD (includes a one-year digital subscription to Image)
Restrictions: Must be a Canadian citizen or resident
Judges: Scott Cairns, Lorna Goodison, Chelene Knight
Presenter: Image, with support from Cardus
Art & Theology 