TRENT, ITALY.- The Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea of Trento, in collaboration with centrale FIES, with the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio of Trento and Rovereto, and Regione Trentino Alto Adige announce the third edition of the International Prize for Performance. The Prize is reserved for young artists, or groups of artists, of all nationalities, who have been born from January 1st, 1972. Among those who intend to participate, 12 (twelve) finalists will be selected to present a performance on the evenings of October 5th and 6th, 2007 at the Centrale di Fies (Dro, Trento).

The first prize is fixed at 5,000 (five thousand) euros (net) and can not be divided. There will also be minor prizes awarded. All artists of all nationalities and origins, from all formative backgrounds (visual arts, dance, music, poetry, etc.) are invited to participate by sending an application, in electronic format, to performance@galleriacivica.it, which can be downloaded at the Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea’s internet site, www.workartonline.net.

In addition to the required application form, participants MUST send: a scan of a current identification document; an original, never before seen performance project (descriptive, no longer than 3,000 characters, spaces included); an artistic resume; 2 (two) to 4 (four) excerpts from previous performances, with a maximum length of 1 (one) minute each. Video files must be compatible with Windows Media Player and/or with QuickTime. The organization does not guarantee that video files can be read with different characteristics. Also, we advise that the dimensions of the video are no smaller than 360 x 288 pixels, in order to be viewed correctly by the jury; a specific explicit text for each performance documented in the video files, no longer than 1000 characters, spaces included for each one.

If one or more of the obligatory materials is missing or does not conform to the specifics listed above, it will exclude the applicant from the competition. In the case of groups of artists, all materials have to belong to the whole group, and not to single members.

Participants may also send: drawings or images to attach to the never before seen performance project; materials relative to previous performances, among which descriptive texts (no more than 3; no longer than 1,500 characters each) or images (no longer than 10 total); no more than 2 (two) reviews appearing in catalogues, magazines or newspapers.

All materials must be produced in either Italian or English languages. The video material may be sent in different languages whenever understanding the discussion isn’t considered a necessary element in understanding the sense of the performance. Together the materials must not exceed 5 Mb (five Megabites).

The expiration date for the application form and materials is fixed at 12:00 AM on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 (Italian time). In the case that the server is overcrowded due to the high volume of applications, submissions can be accepted until 12:00 AM of the following day, August 23rd, 2007, provided that the date and hour of the original email can verify that it was sent before the announcement expired. In order to avoid complications, we ask that all applicants send their materials as early as possible.

The original, never before seen performances can be any length of time. They may not exceed 20 (twenty) minutes whenever the performance is narrative, valued entirely on its development. The performances can be extensive in length, as long as the concept can be understood without needing to be viewed in its entirety. It is also possible to present a project of more than one performance wherever the total length will not exceed 20 (twenty) minutes. The performance can be conducted by the artists in first person, or with the aid of actors, musicians or other personnel. They can also involve the public or take place without the physical presence of people. It is also possible to utilize video or other technical devices; however, performances composed solely of video or video installations are excluded.

Among all the projects presented using this criteria, the organization will select 12 (twelve) artists to present their projects during the final evenings.

The first prize winner and the grantees of minor prizes will be named by an international jury, after having been present at the performances finals on October 5th and 6th, 2007. The international jury is composed of Jimmie Durham, (artist, Jury President), Giacinto Di Pietrantonio (art critic and Artistic Director of Galleria di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea of Bergamo), Rune Gade (Associate Professor at Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen), An-Marie Lambrechts (Artistic Director of Toneelhuis Theater, Antwerp), David Weinstein (Director of Programs of P.S.1, New York), Barbara Boninsegna (Artistic Director of drodesera FIES), Fabio Cavallucci (Artistic Director of Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea di Trento). The jury will stabilize the criteria for the selections before the beginning of the competition. In the case that jury members are unable to participate, proper measure will be followed.

The participants in the final selections are guaranteed travel expenses and hospitality for the time necessary for the realization of their performances. Production costs will be sustained directly by the organization. The relationship between the final effect and the economic commitment required for the production of the performance will be an assessable element in identifying the finalists. The specific request for actors or other possible personnel eventually involved in the performance will be organized by the artist or group.

Those that have a familiar relationship or strict collaboration with members of the jury and/or the organization can not compete for the Prize.