COPYRIGHT, SHIPPING, IMAGE REQUIREMENTS

By submitting an entry, each contestant agrees to the rules of the contest and states that they are 18 years old or older.

The contestant certifies that he/she/they are the sole creator and copyright owner of the submitted work.

In the case of work in non-digital format, the contestant will be responsible for shipping their artwork at their own expense, both to/from the contest and to/from any resulting exhibitions.

Images should be JPEG files with a dimension of at least 1800 pixels in the larger direction, RGB format, saved with maximum quality.

ETHICS

Entrants must disclose the circumstances under which the art was produced as well as any instructions given to a subject.

The welfare of a subject and its environment must be placed ahead of the desire to produce an artwork. Upon entering the contest, entrants certify that subjects were treated with respect and dignity, and that no people, wildlife or the environment were harmed in creating a photograph.

Artwork that contains sexually explicit, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content, as determined by the Organizers in their sole discretion, are ineligible for all categories of this contest.

WHO MAY ENTER

The contest is open to artists who are 18 years old or older. Individuals affiliated with the UCL Statistics Department, University of Durham Mathematics Department, University of Warwick Statistics Department, DPMMS and Brown University Mathematics Department, including staff, emeriti, PhD students, interns, volunteers, fellows, research associates and their immediate families (children, parents, siblings and spouses) and others living in their households, are not eligible for any prize.

HOW TO ENTER

The entry must connected to the mathematical themes as described on the "Stochastic systems for anomalous diffusion" programme website. The competition is held between December 4th 2024 00:01 GMT – 31st March 2025 23:59 GMT at the Isaac Newton Institute (INI), UK, in connection to the "Stochastic systems for anomalous diffusion" research program. Please submit photographs of the artwork and the accompanying text, and/or the details of your physically shipped work, as well as other requested information online through our form at https://forms.gle/SKbU6tHjBCuWibXZ9 . For larger videos, or physical objects, we will contact you to receive them after you have entered the contest using the form. You may submit up to a contest total of 3 submissions. You must complete a separate form for each submission.

There will be three competition categories:

• Photograph, painting, film, print, animation;

• Textile, sculpture or other medium (such as 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC routing)

• AI and computer-generated art, which maybe also contains digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered photos

The judges reserve the right to change the category for a submission after entry.

To be eligible for any category, a work must have been produced by the entrant not before May 31st 2024, and not after March 31st 2025. After the entry has been submitted using the form on the site, the entrant will get confirmation by email by April 15th 2025.

To highlight the originality, the underlying mathematical inspiration and content of the work, each submission should be accompanied by an explanation of the mathematical significance of the work, which can be in free text or oral form, or in some other suitable format. This explanation is meant not only for the judges, but also for the general public, to highlight the mathematical content of the work, and it should be no more than 200 words.

The submitted work can be in the form of photographs in digital form, or in other formats adapted for presentation in a mainstream art gallery.

Up to 3 submissions per artist will be allowed. A submission can include more than one photo, or more than one artefact.

We do not accept photographs of the artworks submitted through the mail and do not accept more than one contestant per e-mail address. High-quality scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Digital photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible.

Finalists must be prepared to submit an original, unedited digital file or an original negative, print, slide or artefact. Original negatives, prints or slides will be returned to finalists. The Organizers reserve the right to disqualify incomplete entries and/or contestants who are unable to submit, upon request, a high-resolution photograph of at least 300 dpi at 3,000 pixels on the longest side or an original photo negative, print or slide. Mobile photographs are exempt from this size requirement but must be submitted at their highest resolution upon request.

The Organizers may collect a photograph’s metadata upon entry.

You retain your rights to your artwork and to the photographs of your artwork; however, by entering the contest, you grant the Organizers (and those authorized by them) a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of the competition and its website, for exhibition etc. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. The Organizers will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.

JUDGING 

The Organizers will notify winners via the contact information provided at the time of entry; the Organizers may disqualify anyone who fails to respond to the notification within 14 business days.

There will be 11 cash awards, of which 9 will be picked by a panel of judges, 1 will be picked by an online vote on the competition website, and 1 will be picked by the participants at the "Stochastic systems for anomalous diffusion" research programme.

The judges will select 10 finalists per category. There will be the following awards:

• £750 award for the best photograph, painting or print, £750 for the best textile, sculpture or other medium, and £750 for the best AI and computer-generated art.

• There will also be one £300 runner up award and one £150 honourable mention award in each of the three categories.

• Furthermore, a public vote on the contest website will select from all submissions an additional £750 award for the People’s Choice Prize artwork.

• Finally, there will be a £500 Programme Participants’ Choice Award, voted by the participants at the “Stochastic systems for anomalous diffusion“ research program from a choice of all the 30 finalists.

The 30 finalists will be notified of their status and will appear on the website in April 2025. At that time, the public will be able to vote on our website for the People’s Choice Prize from among all the submissions. We will also create a public discussion forum accessible to all.

Additionally, the participants at the program will be able to vote till the end of May 2025 for the Participants’ Choice Award. The winner of the People’s Choice Prize, the category winners and the Participants’ Choice Award will be revealed online at the end of May 2025.

The review criteria include:

• The art and its description should be an interpretation of the title of the contest "Anomalous Mathematical Patterns", and they should be connected to the mathematical themes as described on the "Stochastic systems for anomalous diffusion" programme website.

• Originality (Pushing the theme of Anomalous Mathematical Patterns in new directions.)

• Aesthetic appeal (This is admittedly highly subjective.)

• The panel is particularly interested in art that affects a transformation in the eye of the viewer in translating or communicating the mathematical subject that they portray, and in conveying the deep structure and beauty of mathematics to the general public.

There will be one cash prize per person; winners may receive additional non-cash prizes. The judges will determine winners’ eligibility in their sole discretion.

Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.

ONLINE FEATURES

The Organisers may select photos of artwork for highlight on the contest website or display in a publicly accessible contest archive. Additionally, some physically shipped artwork may be displayed in UCL or at the Isaac Newton Institute. Such selections will be made in the Organisers’ sole discretion, though the artists can opt out from their work being highlighted or exhibited, at the time of their entering the contest. 

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

All entrants hold the Sponsors and their respective officers, employees, emeriti, fellows, interns, research associates, and volunteers (the “Indemnified Parties”) harmless from and against all claims of any nature arising in connection with entrant’s participation in the contest and acceptance or use of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not liable for any costs, damages, injuries, or other claims incurred as a result of entrants’ participation in the contest or winner’s acceptance and usage of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not responsible for incomplete or misdirected entries, technical or network malfunctions or failures, or causes beyond their control. Entrants are solely responsible for their entries. Entrants may not submit materials that introduce any software viruses, worms or other programs designed to damage software, hardware or telecommunications equipment or are off-topic, partisan-political, contain advertising, nudity, personal attacks or expletives, or is otherwise abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, discriminatory, libelous, obscene, false, sexually explicit, or that infringes on the rights of any third party.

The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. The Organisers reserve the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at their discretion. In the event of a dispute regarding the winners, the Organisers reserve the right to award or not award the prizes in its sole discretion. The Organizers reserves the right to disqualify any entrant whose entry or conduct appears in any way to: inhibit the enjoyment of others; tamper with the competition; violate these rules or other applicable law or regulation; infringe on the rights of third parties; or act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. DECISIONS OF THE JURY ARE FINAL AND BINDING.