Call for Submissions: NEOLAiA Art Exhibition

The NEOLAiA alliance invites all University of Nicosia students to participate in the upcoming cross-university NEOLAiA Art Exhibition.

This event celebrates creativity, diversity, and the power of art to connect members of the NEOLAiA community across borders. Selected works will be exhibited at all nine partner universities to showcase our cities, regions, universities, and, no less importantly, the talents and visions of our student communities.

The partner institutions in NEOLAiA are as follows:

  • University of Ostrava (Czech Republic)
  • Bielefeld University (Germany)
  • University of Jaén (Spain)
  • University of Nicosia (Cyprus)
  • Örebro University (Sweden)
  • University of Salerno (Italy)
  • “Ştefan Cel Mare” University of Suceava (Romania)
  • University of Tours (France)
  • Šiauliai State University of Applied Sciences (Lithuania)

Who can participate?

This call is open to all students enrolled in the University of Nicosia in the academic year 2025-2026. No prior experience or professional background in art is required – we welcome contributions by both budding and experienced artists.

Theme

We invite you to explore and interpret the essence of your university, region, city, and/or student life. Highlight the connections, cultures, and experiences that shape your everyday environment and identity as a member of the NEOLAiA community.

Accepted forms of art

We accept submissions of the following artworks in digital formats only (through a digital or scanned work/photo of the piece):

  • Paintings & Drawings
  • Photography
  • Mixed Media & Digital Art
  • Calligraphy

If you are unsure whether the artwork you are planning to submit is acceptable, do not hesitate to contact [email protected]

Submission guidelines

  1. The submission must be your original work.
  2. You may submit a maximum of two pieces of art per person.
  3. The artwork must be submitted in high-resolution digital format, and its size must not exceed 100 MB.
  4. Participants should include a brief description of their work (maximum 250 characters).

Submission deadline: March 28,2026.

How to submit

Step 1: Prepare your artwork in accordance with the guidelines above.
Step 2: Fill out the submission form below.
Step 3: Upload your file through the submission form.

Selection process

Competition Phases and Applicable Law

  • Phase I – Initial Collection of Competition Entries
    The conditions of collecting competition entries within this phase shall be governed by the relevant legal regulations and internal rules of the university at which the work is originally submitted.
  • Phase II – Storage, Evaluation and Handling of Competition Entries
    All actions involving the storage, evaluation, and subsequent handling of competition entries submitted to the University of Nicosia shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of Cyprus.

A committee formed by members of the UNIC Student Advisory Group (SAG) Representatives of the NEOLAiA alliance will review the submissions sent. A selection of 3 artworks will be chosen on the basis of their creativity, originality, and alignment with the theme. Finalists will be notified via e-mail by April 25, 2026.

Prizes

There will be 3 prizes The prizes will be:

  • 1st prize: (value equivalent to 300€)
  • 2nd prize: (value equivalent to 200€)
  • 3rd prize (value equivalent to 100€)

Prizes are non-transferable and non-exchangeable and any tax liability arising from the receipt of a prize rests solely with the winning participant.

COPYRIGHT AND LEGAL TERMS

By submitting their work, participants grant the University of Nicosia and the NEOLAiA partner universities a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide and perpetual license to use the submitted works for purposes directly related to the competition and exhibition. In doing so, they confirm that:

  1. Copyrights are respected, and the photos are free from third-party rights.
  2. The depiction of individuals does not violate personal rights.

Regarding Point 1:

Participants guarantee that they hold all rights to the submitted photos and will only submit images they have personally taken. By taking part in the contest, participants also confirm that they will not submit material that violates legal regulations. Any unlawful content is strictly prohibited, particularly sexist, racist, antisemitic, or inhumane content or depictions.

If third parties assert claims due to violations of their rights, the participant shall indemnify the partner universities of NEOLAiA against any such claims. The sole responsibility for the content (images, files, texts, etc.) lies with the creator of the submitted works.

Regarding Point 2:

If the work contains recognizable individuals who are the main subject, they must consent to its publication.

Photographed individuals have the so-called “right to their own image.” This right does not apply if people appear as incidental elements in a landscape or another location. A person is considered an incidental element when their presence is so subordinate to the environment that the image’s overall character would remain unchanged without them.

Therefore, participants must obtain written consent from the individuals they photograph for the image to be published. A consent form template is available for download. The consent form does not need to be submitted. It serves for your personal protection! However, if your artwork includes recognizable individuals, you are strongly encouraged to keep a signed copy of this form. This helps protect you in case the photographed person later withdraws consent or raises a complaint.

Participants guarantee that any required consents have been obtained through the signing of a consent form. If individuals appearing in the photographs claim a violation of their right to their own image, the participant shall indemnify the partner universtiies of NEOLAiA against such claims as well.

  1. The artworks selected in the competition are intended to be used in an onsite exhibition. Therefore, by accepting the participation conditions, participants grant all university members of NEOLAiA a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide and perpetual license to use the submitted works for the purposes of the competition, the resulting exhibition and related non-commercial activities, including publications, reports, and public relations. This also includes transferring simple usage rights to third parties, such as publishers producing an exhibition catalog.
  2. NEOLAiA may use photographs or digital representations of submitted works, with credit to the author, for its self-representation in all media., including print, online publications and social media. NEOLAiA is also authorized to transfer these simple usage rights to third parties, such as publishers responsible for producing related publications.
  3. If any partner university of NEOLAiA intends to use an artwork beyond the scope of the competition, exhibition, or related marketing activities, the participant will receive an offer to conclude a specific agreement.
  4. All copyrights remain with the creator. NEOLAiA will strive to credit authors whenever works are used.
  5. Works that are not selected for the Exhibition will be securely deleted from the University of Nicosia’s systems after the selection process concludes.

The granted rights include the right to edit for technical purposes, particularly reproduction on NEOLAiA’s website and publication in printed materias. Editing rights include resizing, cropping, and adjusting color, contrast, and brightness. NEOLAiA undertakes to respect the moral rights of authors, including attribution and integrity, and will not distort or alter works in a way that prejudices the author’s honor or reputation. None of the university partners in NEOLAiA will distribute artworks for commercial use (no sale, or commercial licensing, or monetisation of artworks will occur).

National legislation will be applied alongside the GDPR to address specific legal requirements and provisions within each member state.

All partner Universities in NEOLAiA are responsible for NEOLAiA’s website.

The University of Nicosia acts as the Data Controller for the NEOLAiA Art Exhibition submissions collected under this call. Data processing is conducted for participation in the NEOLAiA Art Exhibition competition. Participants’ data and digital files will be stored within cloud solution provided by Microsoft 365 Service  Data are stored within the EEA. No transfers outside the EEA will occur without adequate safeguards (e.g. Standard Contractual Clauses). Members of the jury (consisting of selected persons from each participating university) will be provided a temporary access to the stored data (Participants’ names and artworks) for purpose only of evaluating the artworks. When artworks are used further, only the participant’s name (first and last) will be published as a copyright/source credit. No additional participant data will be shared with third parties.

The legal basis for processing this data is necessity for the performance of a contract under letter b) within section 1 of the Article 6 of the EU Regulation 679/2016 abbreviated as GDPR).

Personal data and submitted works will be retained only for the period necessary to organize and execute the exhibition and for up to three (3) years thereafter for record-keeping and reporting purposes.

Participants have the right to access, rectify, erase, or restrict the processing of their data, as well as the right to object to processing and to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection (Cyprus).

If the participant is under 18 years of age, written parental or guardian consent is required for participation and data processing. A signed copy may be requested.

Contact for data protection matters:
University of Nicosia Data Management Protection Committee: [email protected]

Additional Information

The University members of the NEOLAiA Alliance do not guarantee the publication of submitted photos. If any provision of these participation conditions is invalid or unenforceable, the validity of the remaining conditions remains unaffected.

If participants violate any of the above terms, they will unfortunately be disqualified from the competition.

Photos that have already been published or submitted to another photography competition may not be entered.

The University of Nicosia and the NEOLAiA partners are not responsible for any loss, damage, or unauthorized access affecting submitted works, nor for disputes about rights in the artworks. Participants remain fully responsible for ensuring that their submissions do not infringe the rights of others and shall cover any claims that may arise.