Together with

Proudly presents

Visual Arts Festival

2023 Syllabus

ENTRIES SUBMISSION: Friday 4th August 2023 (9am - 4pm)

Excel entry form MUST be submitted on email in excel format AND hard
copy WITH entries
Entries will only be accepted at St Christopher’s School on this date
AWARDS CEREMONY: Date and venue to be advised (By Invitation only)
ENTRY FEES: USD 5.00 (individual) USD 10 (group)
PAYMENTS: National Institute Of Allied Arts
CABS USD NOSTRO 1146616996
CABS ZWL 1002617219 (ARUNDEL)
Ecocash Merchant Number 314843
No ZWL payments accepted before 31st July.
Call NIAA office for NIAA ZWL rate
(Send POP; state school name as reference/depositor)
Swipe available at NIAA office & at St Christopher’s
NIAA Office: Flat A5 Northern Heights, 5 J Tongogara Avenue, Harare
Office Hours: 9am - 12:30pm Mon - Fri (during term time)
Phone: 024-2702989; 024-2250921
Cell/whatsapp: 0778 457 773 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.niaazim.co.zw; Facebook: National Institute of Allied Arts Zimbabwe (NIAA)
Instagram: niaazimbabwe
March 2023

Dear Colleagues

We are pleased to announce the syllabus for the NIAA 2023 Visual Arts Festival with the theme
‘The world through my window…’. Please read the supplied syllabus carefully to find the individual titles
falling under our overall theme for this year, to be selected by all grades 0 to 7. As we did last year, senior
school students are not required to select from the supplied titles, and may submit work of their own choice
with their own appropriate title as long as they follow the ‘The world through my window’ theme.

As in 2022 we are planning a physical exhibition and prize giving again this year. Schools will also receive
exhibition and prize-giving dates, times and venue information, closer to the time.

Please read the syllabus for administrative and presentation of artwork guidelines very carefully to ensure
there is no confusion and disappointment when work is not accepted. Some guidelines differ from 2022, so it
is essential that you read through all of them.

Please note that photography is on offer with the following conditions: only available to Senior Schools and
adult candidates, and limited submissions of a maximum of three out of the 10 individual entries.

We are very excited by our upcoming festival and so look forward to receiving your highly creative entries.

Vanessa Hounsell

Festival Director

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES

FRIDAY 4TH AUGUST 2023

Please note that submissions can ONLY be

made on this date at St. Christopher’s School.

Under no circumstances will early or late

entries be accepted.

A PHYSICAL FESTIVAL is planned.

Please take the opportunity to visit this with
your students and advise parents of the
Exhibition too.
 Titles are not age-specific, although they are
divided into Primary School ONLY (Titles A—F)
and Primary and/or Senior Schools (Titles G—I)
TITLES ARE NOT AGE SPECIFIC!

Teachers may choose to work under any of the

following Titles A—I

Students may submit work of their own choice

with their own appropriate title. They may
also choose from the below categories.
ALL work needs to be appropriate to the
overall theme.
They may also choose from Titles G—I

Maximum number of entries for ALL schools

 10 individual and 3 group entries per Grade/Form per school, regardless of Title.
 Any candidate may only enter ONE individual piece and may also be included in ONE group entry.
 ONLY Forms 1 - 6 and Adult may enter photographs.
 MAXIMUM of 3 out of the 10 individual entries per Form may be photography.
 No group submissions for photography are allowed.
.

GRADE CATEGORY
TITLE CODE 0/ECD 0
One 1
A bug’s life. A
Two 2
My furry friends. B Three 3
Four 4
Hairy, scary monsters. C Five 5
Besties! D Six 6
Seven 7
The night picnic. E

Flying carpets. F FORM CATEGORY

One 8
Tangled. G Two 9
The secret life of trees. H Three 10
Four 11
Being me: a portrait through my window. I Six/Open/Adult 12
 All titles are broad and flexible, requiring a unique, creative, individual, innovative and original response.
 Children may respond in either an observational or interpretive manner. Work may be abstract or
figurative.
 Teachers may NOT compose work. Students must each compose their own work, and come up with
their own ideas to ensure that all work is unique. Duplicate compositions from one grade or form will be
marked ungraded.
 Students should explore the use of tone, colour, materials and composition through the use of media
such as watercolour, oils, chalk/oil pastels, ink, pencil, charcoal and other mediums or mixed media.
Artwork may be two or three dimensional.
 Work MUST BE MOUNTED with a 5cm border all around, unless 3D.
 ANY work on hardboard or commercially-frames/mounted work will NOT BE ACCEPTED
 3D work should be well constructed and made to stand or hang easily. It should also be strong to avoid
breakage. Use strong glue to avoid pieces falling off. It should fit through a standard single door.
 PLEASE DO NOT USE BLING, GLASS OR GLITTER FOR ANY ARTWORK WHATSOEVER.
 Collage should not be raised more than 5 cm from the base.
 All work must be original and clearly produced entirely by the student, with merely the required guidance
of the teacher.
 Only original source material should be used i.e. work should not be copied from pre-existing
photographs, or other artwork. The style of work should also not be copied from other drawings, or
cartoons, or copied from the style of artwork produced by adults. It is imperative that the student uses
their own imagination. This is also relevant to all wildlife artwork.
 Submissions are for amateurs only.
 Work must not have been previously published, sold or exhibited.

 Photographs should be printed, and NOT framed., but “Mount” in the usual way, with a 5cm border all
around.
 Digital 2D art will be accepted under the following categories:
 Photography, Digital Drawings, Digital Manipulations, Digital Collages.
 Necessary submissions should be labelled with the category in the title e.g. The secret life of
trees (iPad Drawing).
 Submission may be:
 Photographs WITHOUT using design software OR
 Photographs USING design software such as Procreate, Photoshop or similar,
 Relevant photography/imagery MUST be attached to the submission to show proof of first hand
observation where necessary e.g. pupils first hand photos of trees (or other) showing the conceptual
stages for The secret life of trees. It is very difficult to judge the authenticity of digital work without this i.e.
we need proof that the artwork produced was self-created, and not taken off google.
 ANY submission may not be larger than A3 size
ENTRY DEADLINE: FRIDAY 4th AUGUST
 All entries need to be submitted on the 2023 excel entry form (no other forms will be accepted) on
email to [email protected] AND in hardcopy when entries are submitted
 Please leave a line between each Grade/Form on the excel entry form.
 Please use the specific sheets on the entry form for each Grade/Form entering.
 Enter individual entries on the sheet labelled “Individual Entry”.
 Enter group entries on the sheet labelled “Group Entry”.
 Pen names must be used on entry forms.
 Please limit to 12 characters and place in the spaces provided.
 Pen names MUST be UNIQUE WITHIN EACH SCHOOL, regardless of Class/Grade/Form.
 Senior Students please give your artwork an appropriate title (to be recorded in appropriate
column on the entry form).

Artwork Submission: FRIDAY 4th AUGUST ONLY

 At St. Christopher’s School.
 Between 9 am and 3.30pm ONLY.
 Entries WILL NOT be accepted at ANY other time.
 OUT-OF-HARARE SCHOOLS
 entries being sent by courier MUST reach the NIAA offices before 12 NOON on THURSDAY
3RD AUGUST.
 DO NOT SEND TO ST. CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOL.

Entry Fees:
 Entry Fees are: INDIVIDUAL— USD 5.00; GROUP— USD 10.00
 Please call the office cell number for the NIAA rate when making payments.
 No payments will be accepted before Monday 31st JULY.
 NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED; NO ENTRIES ACCEPTED WITHOUT PAYMENT OR
PROOF OF PAYMENT.

Labels:
 Please SECURELY attach the appropriate labels provided to the bottom left corner at the front of
each entry. The right hand part of this label is to be folded under so as not to disclose the candi-
date’s name to the adjudicators. These will be unfolded to reveal the candidate’s name at
the exhibition.

ATTACH THIS SECTION TO BOTTOM THIS SECTION TO FOLD UNDER

LEFT HAND CORNER OF FRONT OF PEN NAME SECTION
EACH SUBMISSION
 Adjudication:
 THE ADJUDICATORS’ decision is final and not open for discussion under any circumstances.
 THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE is the administering body and reserves the right to:
 Accept or reject any submission without being bound to give any reasons.
 Appoint new substitute adjudicators should the need arise.
 Settle all disputes concerning candidates or procedures. No public protests are permitted.
 Reject any work which does not conform to the specifications.

Grades, Certification, Awards and Exhibition:

 No award shall be made unless candidates attain the required standard, namely:

AWARDS
Honours
Highly commended
Commended
Ungraded

 Only teachers or their accredited representatives may collect certificates from the Allied Arts offices.
 The committee's decision on the criteria for the selected work for the exhibition is final.

 2D WORK MAY BE A3, A2 OR A1. Alternative sizes and work on hardboard will be disqualified.
 Photography not larger than A3.

 3D WORK should be well constructed and made to stand or hang easily. It should also be strong to
avoid breakage. Use strong glue to avoid pieces falling off. It should fit through a standard single
door.

Please state when submitting entries if the return of certificates and adjudicators’ reports are
required by a specific date. We will try and accommodate such requests where possible.

If you require the office to send to you by courier, please supply name of courier, account
name and number for “carriage forward option”.
 VISUAL ART FESTIVAL 2023 INDEMNITY

I , ........................................................................................................................... on behalf of

…………...........................................................................................................(School/Studio)
hereby undertake to ensure that:

1. All candidates entered have been advised of the rules under which they will submit

2. The Festival’s decision is final and not open for discussion under any circumstance.

Indemnity and Disclaimer

All submissions that are accepted and fall within the syllabus criteria may be uploaded to the
NIAA Website, Facebook page and YouTube Channel, or any other NIAA social media
site.
NIAA will assume that this is acceptable to the candidate/school/teacher unless a written
objection is received by our office.

Date: ……………………...………… Signed: ...................................................