By "contemporary visual art," we mean visual art made since World War II. Projects on post-WWII work in adjacent fields—architecture, design, film, theater/performance, sound, etc.—will only be considered if they directly and significantly engage the discourses and concerns of contemporary visual art. Projects with a pre-WWII component will only be considered if the project’s main focus is contemporary.

Writing Sample Instructions

WRITING SAMPLES
  • All samples must be in English.
  • Samples need not be published, but they should reflect your highest accomplishment.

Please refer to the project-specific pages for guidelines regarding the number of writing samples and their word counts.

COLLABORATIONS
  • If you have co-authored texts with your collaborator in the past, please include at least one such text as a writing sample.
  • If you have not co-authored texts with your collaborator in the past, the collaborators should each submit one writing sample of up to 10,000 words (approximately thirty typescript pages).
  • If your project is a collaboration with someone who is not a writer, please contact tech@artswriters.org to discuss your collaborator's sample.

Note: Collaborations are not permitted in the Short-Form Writing category.

FORMATTING
  • All writing samples must be submitted as PDF files uploaded to your online application form (with the exception of websites for Blog and New and Alternative Media applicants).
  • We prefer a PDF created from a computer file, such as a Microsoft Word document. (If you need assistance creating PDFs, see FAQ #33). Prior to generating a PDF, please ensure that 1) the pages are numbered, 2) the document is double-spaced, and 3) the text is in twelve-point font.
  • If you must use a scan from a magazine, please make sure that your text is legible when printed on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper at 100%, and that the orientation of the document is portrait (not landscape).
UPLOADING

PDF

You will need to provide the following information regarding your writing samples

  • Title
  • Description (100 words max)
  • Date
  • Publisher (if applicable)
  • Word Count

Blog/Website

For Blog and New and Alternative Media applicants only


If you are applying for an existing blog, please submit

  • the URL of your blog and the URLs of five representative posts.

If you are applying for a New and Alternative Media project with a website, please submit

  • the URL, including any special navigation instructions