New Deal Museum
9th Annual New Deal Writing Competition
GVCA is excited to announce the ninth annual New Deal Writing Competition! This competition challenges writers to use a painting chosen by the staff at GVCA as inspiration for a short story. This year’s painting is “Playtime” by Fred Ross.
Due: March 15th, 2024
Title:Playtime Artist: Fred Ross
In subject matter if not in style, there are resemblances between this painting and Georges Seurat’s famous “Grande Jutte-1884”, but even more so William Blake’s “The Echoing Green.” The spirit of the piece seems exuberant as the painting’s colored balloons, due perhaps to its “American” setting and youthful subjects. A gently sloping parkland ends alongside a pond occupied by a pair of swans, delighting a young child tended by a watchful nurse. Boys and girls of all ages manifest their play at different stages of childhood, save for two pensive young women: one looks out across the water toward adulthood, the other muses upon the hill.
The application portal for submissions will be open from February 15th - March 15th 2024.
The first place winner will be awarded $200, the second place $100 and third place $50. The first place winner will also be published in our Artsphere newsletter and all three top submissions will be on our website. This is an international competition and we hope to receive a wide array of submissions; however, it should be noted the prize money will be given in US dollars. This contest will use blind judging; the author’s name will be withheld from the judges until after the competition is complete, so we ask that each author omit their personal information from their piece. Instead, please include a one-page cover sheet for each submission that includes title, author and email address. Winners will be announced in early May!
Additional guidelines and requirements:
$5 entry fee for each work submitted
Entrants must be 18+ years of age
The work submitted must be previously unpublished
All entries must be 10,000 words or less
There are no genre restrictions
To help us restore this painting see our Adopt-A-Painting Fundraiser!
2023 contest winners
Last year’s painting is “Small Town” by Edmund Yaghjian, an oil painting.