Bayt Al-Sinnari

The First Bi-annual Competition (Painting)

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) invited artists from the ages of 12-15 and 18-34 to enter its Bi-annual Painting Competition.

The Painting Competition is the first event to be held under the Bi-Annual Art Production Competitions. The competition was organized by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) in the framework of the program Support to Cultural Diversity and Creativity in Egypt, a project co-funded by the European Union and orchestrated by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The competition was hosted by the Bayt Al-Sinnari Center for Science, Culture and Arts in Sayeda Zeinab district in Cairo.

Through this competition, the BA aimed to give young Egyptian talents the chance to showcase their work in an exhibition organized by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the historic Bayt Al-Sinnari. The winners of the competitions were selected by a team of judges composed of experts and renowned Egyptian artists. All young talents participating in the Bayt Al-Sinnari’s painting exhibition received certificates of participation and their works were featured in a publication documenting the event. All submissions were made in accordance with the criteria specified below.

The Bi-annual art production competitions are held twice a year and are centered on various art forms including; photography, graphic design, film making, painting, and essay writing (creative writing). These competitions strive to connect the participants and create visibility for their works, as well as provide them with the opportunity to network with each other and other artists.

Criteria for Participation:

• The Painting competition was opened to young artists from the ages of 12-15 years and 18-34 from all governorates in Egypt.
• The Painting competition was opened to amateurs, with an understanding of the rules and artistic principles of the art form.
• Each entrant had to fill out the attached application form.
• Announcement of the Competition results and exhibition of artworks took place on the 20^th July 2014 at Bayt Al-Sinnari, Haret Mongue, Sayeda Zeinab (near the Saneya school for girls), from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition was held for three consecutive days.

Criteria for Submission:

• Participants of ages 12-15 had to submit Watercolor Paintings only.
• Participants of ages 18-34 had to submit Oil paintings only.
• All paintings had to touch upon the theme of friendship.
• All submitted paintings had to be original in concept, design, and execution.
• All paintings must not had been submitted in a previous competition.
• Participants had to produce their work on standard white paper size 30x40 (A3).
• All paintings had to be delivered to Bayt Al-Sinnari Center for Science, Arts and Culture in Cairo by hand or by mail with the information of the participant on the back or on the envelop.
• Participants had to fill out the attached ِApplication Form and send it to bayt.alsinnari@bibalex.org.

Bayt Al-Sinnari:

Address: Haret Mongue, Sayeda Zeinab (near the Saneya girls school)

Email: bayt.alsinnari@bibalex.org

Contact number: 01026005033

Criteria for Selection of Winners and Artworks that were Exhibited:

• A panel of experts in the field of painting were responsible for selecting the winning artworks.
• The paintings submitted were assessed on the basis of the:
• Interpretation of the theme to the viewer.
• Creativity and originality.
• Quality of artistic composition.
• Following the exhibition, Bayt Al-Sinnari kept all the winning paintings. These paintings were showcased in another exhibition at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. All other works were returned to the participants by Bayt Al-Sinnari.

Winners of the competition received non-cash gifts and awards, and certificates of participation.