National Battle of the Bands in the Palm Beaches Poster Artist Call for Qualifications

The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County (CCPBC) requests qualifications from professional artists to create an original 2D artwork to celebrate and commemorate the National Battle of the Bands (NBOTB) in The Palm Beaches at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton on MLK weekend 2027. The artwork will be used to create a poster for distribution and promotional purposes for the 2nd Annual NBOTB. It may also be used on signage and other marketing materials related to the event. The theme of the artwork should celebrate music, dance, and the limitless energy that embodies this invitational showcase of bands from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This call will consist of two parts: a call for qualifications, followed by a selection of up to three finalists who will develop concept proposals for the artwork.

The selected artist will be paid $5,000 for this piece and will grant the Cultural Council and NBOTB the full license to use the image in marketing and promotion.

PROJECT OPPORTUNITY

The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County (CCPBC) requests qualifications from professional artists to create an original 2D artwork to celebrate and commemorate the National Battle of the Bands (NBOTB) in The Palm Beaches at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton on MLK weekend 2027. The artwork will be used to create a poster for distribution and promotional purposes for the 2nd Annual NBOTB. It may also be used on signage and other marketing materials related to the event. The theme of the artwork should celebrate music, dance, and the limitless energy that embodies this invitational showcase of bands from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This call will consist of two parts: a call for qualifications, followed by a selection of up to three finalists who will develop concept proposals for the artwork.

The selected artist will be paid $5,000 for this piece and will grant the Cultural Council and NBOTB the full license to use the image in marketing and promotion.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE (for Qualifications): June 15, 2026

PROJECT GOALS

·         The artwork is of high artistic quality.

·         The design honors the mission of the NBOTB to enhance the exposure of HBCUs and the role they play in educating aspiring musicians and developing future leaders.

·         The design is expressive and echoes the theme of the project.

·         The design is inspired by some of the colors, ideas or themes of HBCU bands and their milieu (colleges, band names and logos may be provided to the selected finalists dependent on timing, however these elements are not required).

·         The artwork should not contain any images or likenesses that could be construed as advertising for any product or service (i.e. national athletic brands).

BUDGET

The commissioning budget for the selected artist is $5,000 and is all-inclusive of design, artist fee, and materials.

ELIGIBILITY

Open to professional visual artists aged 18 and over who reside in Palm Beach County, Florida.

QUALIFICATION APPLICATION

All interested artists must submit their qualifications by uploading their application to the Call to Artists on Café. There are no exceptions.

Applications must contain all the following materials:

1.     Professional Resumé: Resumé or CV (limited to 2 pages)

2.    Statement of Interest (max. 500 words): Statements should address the artist’s interest in this specific commission and provide context to their conceptual and aesthetic approach, highlighting prior artworks, projects, or commissions.

3.    Documentation of Past Projects: A minimum of five (5) images and maximum of seven (7) images of work completed within the past five years are required. Image specifications: JPG, PNG, 300dpi, 5MB max.

4.    Image Information: Title of work, year completed, medium, dimensions. No composite images.

SELECTION PROCESS

Artists will be selected through the following process:

1.     Qualification Review. Cultural Council staff will preview submissions for completeness and compliance with qualification requirements. Staff may reject incomplete applications or non-qualified or non-responsive submissions.

2.    Selection. A selection panel consisting of visual art professionals and staff representatives from the Cultural Council, Palm Beach County Sports Commission, Tourist Development Council for Palm Beach County, and Webber Marketing will review artists’ qualifications. Three (3) artists will be selected and notified as finalists for the call.

3.    Concept Creation. The finalists will create a concept for the original artwork responding to the thematic requirements. The finalists will each be paid a stipend of $500 to develop their concept proposal. Each artist will present their concept to the selection committee.

4.    Final Artwork. The committee will then reconvene and select the final artist to create an original artwork. The selected artist will be paid a $5,000 commission for their work and may be required to make some minor changes/tweaks to their artwork to meet licensing/sponsorship criteria. This work is considered part of the commission fee.

CRITERIA:

Selection of the final poster artwork will be based on the project goals and the following criteria:

1.     Artistic quality: Artwork should incorporate a high level of craftsmanship and artistic excellence.

2.    Appropriateness to NBOTB: Artwork should be innovative, engaging, and compatible with the goals of the event. Artwork should be conceptually appealing to a wide audience of varied ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities. Artwork should exhibit originality of concept and demonstrate a strong conceptual alignment with the goals of the project.

3.    Artist qualifications: Artwork must be of equal quality to the work submitted in the call for qualifications. Factors to be considered include media, form, and execution.

OVERVIEW OF COMMISSIONED ARTIST RESPONSIBILITIES

· Develop and refine artistic concepts and design with staff and key stakeholders working on the project.

· Develop final drawings, presentation materials, and other visual and written items by deadline.

· Deliver completed artwork to the CCPBC.

· Attend proposal presentation and VIP event (Artist may also be invited to other key events leading up to or around the NBOTB).

· Agree to releasing the artwork to CCPBC for reproduction as a commemorative poster and other promotional materials. The artwork will become property of the Tourist Development Council/Webber Marketing and may be sold or raffled off to benefit the NBOTB scholarship program.

TIMELINE (subject to change)

May 13                      Call opens

June 15                      DEADLINE FOR QUALIFICATIONS

June 30                      Finalists notified

July 24                       DEADLINE FOR FINALIST PROPOSALS

Week of July 27         Proposal presentations/Final artist notified

September 30            Artwork completed/delivered to Cultural Council

January 15                 VIP event/poster signing

CCPBC reserves the right to decline all applications submitted in response to this Call to Artists, to terminate the selection proceedings, or to combine, eliminate, or otherwise amend the commission opportunity at any time. Artists identified through this process are not guaranteed a commission or the opportunity to develop a proposal. The release of this Call to Artists in no way binds CCPBC to the commissioning of any artist or artwork.

All interested artists must submit their qualifications by uploading their application to the Call to Artists on Café. There are no exceptions.

Applications must contain all the following materials:

1.     Professional Resumé: Resumé or CV (limited to 2 pages)

2.    Statement of Interest (max. 500 words): Statements should address the artist’s interest in this specific commission and provide context to their conceptual and aesthetic approach, highlighting prior artworks, projects, or commissions.

3.    Documentation of Past Projects: A minimum of five (5) images and maximum of seven (7) images of work completed within the past five years are required. Image specifications: JPG, PNG, 300dpi, 5MB max.

4.    Image Information: Title of work, year completed, medium, dimensions. No composite images.

Open to professional visual artists aged 18 and over who reside in Palm Beach County, Florida.