Rules

TECHNICAL TERMS
International Art Competition
The Holy Family's Flight into Egypt

1. Aims and organizers The contest is organized by The Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO). The competition aims to bring to light artistic interpretations of the Sacred Journey, which—whether situated within or beyond its specific historical and geographical context—approach both the spiritual dimensions and the timeless, profoundly human aspects of this event.
Aims of the Competition
• The presentation of artistic interpretations inspired by The Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt,
• the encouragement of creative dialogue between tradition and contemporary artistic expression,
• the documentation of the spiritual, cultural, and human dimensions of the Route,
• the creation of a distinguished international collection of artworks dedicated to this Sacred Journey.
2. Framework of the competition Within the framework of the competition, works may be submitted that either directly depict the event itself or, based on the central theme, highlight the concepts of family, motherhood, and childhood, the need for the protection of children, as well as issues of hospitality, the protection of strangers, and respect for otherness. 3. Artistic Fields of the Competition The artistic fields participating in the Competition are Painting and Graphic Arts (Printmaking). The competition is open to the international artistic community, and artists are free to create their works in the manner they deem appropriate, including both classical and contemporary visual approaches that employ imagination, symbolism, and abstraction. 4. Objectives of the Competition The objectives of the Competition are:
• the visual expression of Christian values inspired by a significant event in the life of the God-Man,
• the contribution of art to the promotion of fundamental humanitarian values,
• the affirmation of art’s creative capacity for diversity and renewal through contemporary, classical, abstract, or conceptual approaches.
5. Competition Categories • Painting and Drawing
• Graphic Arts (Printmaking)
6. Technical Specifications 6.1 Artwork Dimensions
• Maximum height must not exceed 100 cm
• Minimum height must not be less than 35 cm
These dimensions apply to all works, including framed or mounted pieces.
6.2 Painting and Drawing
Permitted techniques include oil painting, acrylics, tempera, watercolor, ink, charcoal, pastel, mixed media, and other traditional or contemporary painting and drawing media.
Works must be executed on stable surfaces, such as canvas, wood, or exhibition-suitable paper.
Digital prints are not accepted in this category.
6.3 Graphic Arts (Printmaking)
Permitted techniques include etching, engraving, lithography, woodcut, linocut, silkscreen, and other recognized printmaking techniques.
The use of fragile or perishable materials is not permitted.
Digital graphic works are not accepted.
7. Participation in the competition 7.1 Phase I of the Competition
Through this competition, the IAO seeks, in addition to recognizing outstanding artists, to create a collection of artworks on the theme The Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt. This collection will become the property of the IAO and will be exhibited in museums, cultural institutions, and exhibitions around the world.
For this purpose, participation in the first phase of the competition shall proceed as follows:
Each participant may submit electronically up to three (3) photographs of original works of art of any medium or technique, for each competition category, in accordance with the technical specifications provided on the official competition website hosted on the IAO website: (www.eiao.org/contest/gr.html) (1 October- 10 December 2026).
The International Jury will evaluate the submitted photographs and will pre-select a total of forty (40) artists, consisting of twenty (20) professional artists and twenty (20) amateur artists.(till the end of December 2026).
7.2 Phase II of the Competition
The selected artists will be notified by email at the address provided during registration. The IAO further guarantees that payment of the agreed remuneration will be made upon receipt and verification of the photographs of the completed artworks. At the same time, the names of the selected artists will be published on the official IAO website (www.eiao.org) and on the organization's official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/eiao.org).
The pre-selected artists shall complete and submit their artworks within a reasonable period of time (January- March 2027).
Immediately upon completing the artwork, the artist shall photograph it in accordance with the instructions provided by the IAO and submit the digital photographs electronically. Once the IAO has received the photographs and verified that the artwork complies with the terms and conditions of the competition, it will transfer the amount of five hundred euros (€500) to the artist's designated bank account.
Thereafter, in accordance with the instructions provided by the IAO, the artist shall carefully package and send the original artwork by courier to the IAO. The shipment shall be accompanied by a signed Declaration through which the artist transfers to the IAO ownership of the physical artwork together with the corresponding economic copyright and exploitation rights.
Following receipt of the photographs and/or the original artworks, the International Jury shall evaluate the submitted works and select the winners of the competition. (till the end of the April 2027).
The names of the competition winners will be announced after Orthodox Easter, on 2 May 2027.
The cost of shipping the artworks shall be borne entirely by the IAO, in accordance with the instructions provided to the participants. The artworks will be collected by a courier company from the address declared by the artist during registration.
8. Evaluation of the Works The evaluation criteria shall include:
• Originality and creativity
• Artistic quality and technical excellence
• Conceptual depth and relevance to the theme
9. Instructions, Participation Details • The competition is open to professional and amateur artists worldwide, aged 18 years and above.
• Each participant may submit one artwork per category.
• All works must be original, created exclusively by the artist, and must not have been previously exhibited, published, submitted, or awarded in other competitions.
• All works must strictly comply with the competition theme:
The Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt. Submissions in Phase I are digital only.
• Images must be submitted in JPG or PNG format, high resolution (3–5 MB).
• Each submission must be accompanied by:
◦ a short artistic description (up to 100 words),
◦ a short biographical note (up to 500 words).
• Members of the IAO and its Secretariat are not permitted to participate in the competition.
• There is no participation fee.
• Applications must be submitted between 1st of October and 10 December 2027.
• The IAO reserves the right to extend the competition period, should this be deemed necessary.
10. Intellectual Property and Usage Rights 10.1 Acceptance of the Competition Terms
By participating, each contestant is deemed to have understood and accepted the terms of the competition. Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of the present regulations. Participation in the competition and eligibility to receive the prizes are possible only upon agreement with these terms. These terms constitute a binding agreement between the contestant and the IAO in relation to the competition.
10.2 Artists fully retain the moral rights to their works.
By participating, they grant the IAO a non-exclusive right to reproduce, publish, exhibit, and use the artworks for non-commercial cultural, educational, and promotional purposes, with full attribution to the artist’s name.
Participants guarantee that their works do not infringe upon the intellectual or moral rights of third parties. 11. The Jury of the Competition The Jury is composed of distinguished individuals from various countries, ensuring diversity and plurality of perspectives. The Jury is international and consists of 15 members. The General Coordinator of the competition is the IAO Adviser Dr Kostas Mygdalis (Greece) and the Art Commissioner and Professor at the Faculty of Applied Arts Dr Manal Helal (Egypt), while the Jury is chaired by the renowned iconographer Mr. Georgios Kordis (Greece). Using secure access codes, jurors may review the submitted material but cannot view the names or personal details of the contestants. The names of the contestants and all declared personal data will be stored with absolute security in a protected database. 12. Awards of the Competition The following awards are announced for the major winners of the Competition (per category):
• First Prize – two thousand euros (EUR 2,000)
• Second Prize – one thousand and five hundred euros (EUR 1,500)
• Third Prize – one thousand euros (EUR 1,000)
• Two Commendations, each amounting to EUR 700 (2 × EUR 700)
The five winners will receive an official notification by email at the address provided during the submission of their entry and, if necessary, will also be notified by telephone. At the same time, their names will be announced on the official website of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO) (www.eiao.org) and on its official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/eiao.org).
The five winners will be invited and hosted in the city where the Annual General Assembly is to be held in late June 2027. On that occasion, the exhibition—open to the public—will be inaugurated, and the corresponding awards will be formally presented to the winners. In the exhibition, as well as in the forthcoming two-volume publication, the names of all participating artists will be duly acknowledged.
The winners who receive monetary awards shall be solely responsible for submitting any required tax declarations in their respective countrie
13. Information – Contact For further information, please contact the Secretariat of the IAO at the following telephone numbers:
+30 210 3733601 (Ms. Maria Bakali),
+30 210 3733532 (Ms. Lily Vardanyan),
or by email at: info@eiao.org, eiao@parliament.gr.
For technical support related to the competition, please contact:
+30 694 010 8914 (Mr. Pavlos Alexelis).