CALL TO ACTION
For the sixth time we announce the art competition in three different categories – photography, film and collage. This year´s motto is:
„Modern means of communication give power.“
This sentence by H.G. Wells is quoted by Edward Bernays book „Propaganda“, published in 1928. He is considered as the founder of modern public relations in political and corporate communication. At that time, the author have already had a career as a propagandist for the entry of the U.S. into the I. World War and used his experience for the election of an American president and increasing cigarette, book or truck sales for politics and advertising. „Propaganda“ became the standard work of PR.
In the year the book was published, the Workers International Relief (WIR) and the magazine „ArbeiterIllustrierteZeitung“ (AIZ), both founded by Willi Münzenberg, had existed for seven years. In the struggle for solidarity, education, mass mobilization and self-empowerment, both rely on the use of modern means of advertising. Important in this was the conquest of modern means of communication such as photographs, collages, reportages, films, plays, belletristic texts, drawings, etc.. They consistently follow the rules of PR campaign development listed by Bernays.
At the same time, the Nazi-Party (NSDAP), especially in the person of Joseph Goebbels, appropriated the same instruments, approved the means and symbols of left-wing mobilization and put them at the service of its reactionary ideology. Willi Münzenberg will analyze and expose these mechanisms of fascist propaganda in his 1937 writing „Propaganda as a Weapon“ in Paris exile. He calls for an offensive of counter-propaganda. His call comes too late.
2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of IAH and WIR. It is the time of a long-lasting pandemic and waypoint of important political decisions. An important year for the future.
THE COMPETITION
We expect submissions in the individual categories, which deal with/address today’s socio-political conditions and developments. In each category, prize money of up to 5.000 € will be awarded. A jury decides on its division among the winners. The deadline for all categories is August 8th 2021.
The works of all prize winners will be shown in an exhibition from October 01st to October 31th 2021, at the foyer of FMP1 (Franz-Mehring-Platz 1, 10243 Berlin). In addition, the winning entries will be published on the website, as well as in the social media channels of the MÜNZENBERG FORUM BERLIN. Also we plan an insert with the works of the winners, which will be included in the daily newspaper neues deutschland.
Find more background Information about the competition.
PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION: „USE PHOTO AS A WEAPON“
The photography competition is open to all photographers in Germany and abroad who have not yet reached the age of forty by 01.04.2021. Up to three individual images or a consistent series/reportage of up to eight images can be submitted. These must be sent directly to foto@muenzenbergforum.de or via a fileshare platform (e.g. wetransfer.com) by August 08, 2021. Images must be high-resolution jpegs with an edge length (long side) of 3500 pixels. Do not send PDFs! The application should also include the titles of the photos, the year in which the pictures were taken, an explanation of the work on a maximum of one A4 page with reference to the competition motto, as well as a curriculum vitae showing the artistic development. Photo collages please take part in the collage competition.
A selection of the pictures of the winners will be published on the website of the MÜNZENBERG FORUM BERLIN, as well as its social media channels. In addition, we plan to publish an insert with the winners‘ works in the daily newspaper neues deutschland. The selection of the published works will be determined in consultation with the photographers.
FILM COMPETITION: „CONQUER THE FILM“
The film competition is open to all filmmakers in Germany and abroad who have not yet reached the age of forty by April 1, 2021. A film with a maximum length of 30 minutes can be submitted. This must be sent directly to film@muenzenbergforum.de or via a fileshare platform (e.g. wetransfer.com) by 08 August 2021. The film should have HD resolution (720p or higher) with 16:9 aspect ratio. Desired file formats are mp4, wmv, avi and mov. The application should include the title of the film, the year of release, an explanation of the work on a maximum of one A4 page with reference to the competition motto, as well as a curriculum vitae showing the artistic development.
The films will be shown at the award ceremony and published on the website of the MÜNZENBERG FORUM BERLIN, as well as its social media channels. At least one trailer of the film is required for this purpose. We will also show the films as part of the exhibition. In addition, we are planning an insert with the works of the winners, which will be included in the daily newspaper neues deutschland. Stils from the film are needed for this.
COLLAGE COMPETITION: „TAKE SCISSORS“
The collage competition is open to all artists in Germany and abroad who have not yet reached the age of forty by 01.04.2021. Up to three individual works can be submitted. A high-resolution photo of the work must be sent directly to collage@muenzenbergforum.de or via a fileshare platform (e.g. wetransfer.com) by August 08, 2021. Artworks of image and photo montage, as well as collage can be entered into the competition. Plastic collages/montages and sculpture are not allowed. The application should also include the titles of the works, the year of creation, an explanation of the work on a maximum of one A4 page with reference to the competition motto, as well as a curriculum vitae showing the artistic development.
Pictures of the winners‘ works will be published on the MÜNZENBERG FORUM BERLIN website and its social media channels. In addition, we plan to publish an insert with the winners‘ works in the daily newspaper neues deutschland. The selection of the published works will be determined in consultation with the artists.
GUIDELINES for the art competition in all three categories
1) The artists participating assure that they own the copyrights on the submitted works (text/lyrics, image etc.). Furthermore they asssure that no rights to the submitted works and used material are held by third parties and that, in cases where individuals or enterprises are shown, no individual rights or corporate rights are infringed upon.
2) The artists participating release the organizer of all liability claims by third parties concerning the violation of copyright issues mentioned in paragraph 1.
3) The organizer of the competition respects the image and exploitation rights of the participants. By submitting the works the participant guarantees the organizer to publish/ and use the images of the submitted works and to exhibit the works free of charge in the context of the competition and the following exhibition.
4) Submitted contributions and data are stored for the purposes of the competition. They will not be passed on to third parties. Participants who receive a prize money will be published on the web pages and social media channels of the organizer with their (artist) name and, if applicable, a web presence.
5) Post-submitted contributions can not be returned.
6) The legal process for the competition is excluded.
Data privacy agreement
Specified, personal participant data are stored, processed and used solely for the purpose of carrying out this competition and contacting the winners. This data is not passed on to third parties.