To those still under the impression that user generated content (UGC) typically consists in little more than happy snaps and home videos, a contest announced today by online artist community
myartspace.com may come as a revelation of user-created media?s more sophisticated side.
The competition presents itself as a scholarship program for arts students of outstanding ability in multiple fields of artistic expression, especially photography, video and music. A total of six cash scholarships are in play, three for undergraduate and the others for graduate students. The first, second and third prize in each category are worth $5000, $2000 and $1000 respectively.
Entrants must be members of myartspace.com - a requirement that does not constitute a meaningful restriction since registration is free. Submissions are to consist in an online gallery, built from the candidate?s original images, videos and/or music, an unlimited amount of which can be uploaded to the site. Entries can be either contemporary or traditional in their style and inspiration. The closing date for submissions is 21 November 2008, and the winners will be declared on 19 December.
Company founder Catherine McCormack-Skiba notes that, "The student body within myartspace is significant in size and importance.? Presenting the program as a means of nurturing this core segment of the site?s audience, she explains that, ?We devised a scholarship program for both our MFAs and undergraduate students to compete for consideration and win a meaningful cash scholarship."
Created and administrated by CatMacArt Corporation, myartspace.com is a community site dedicated to contemporary artists. At the time of writing, it lays claim to a worldwide audience of nearly 30,000 artists, as well as over 40,000 collectors, galleries and other art world professionals.