Indiana University East will accept art entries September 20-September 24 for the Whitewater Valley Annual Art Competition.

The competition will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 2, in Whitewater Hall. The top ten entries will receive a monetary award.

Each year 300 to 400 pieces of art are entered for the competition. Previous entries have included works from high schools and universities, art organizations and centers or independent artists. The competition is open to all artists, age 17 and older, who live within a 300-mile radius of Richmond, Ind.

Entries for the competition may include drawings, paintings, mixed media, photography, printmaking, computer graphics, relief sculpture and relief. Entries must be hand-delivered to Whitewater Hall, The Gallery on the IU East campus between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday, September 20 through Friday, September 24. Entries will not be gathered from regional pick-up points this year. Entries will not be accepted after September 24.

Each artist may submit up to three entries. Fees are $15 for one entry, $25 for two entries, and $35 for three entries.

Accepted entries will be on exhibit in The Gallery from October 18 to December 4.

This year the competition will be juried by John McNaughton, a nationally acclaimed 20th century artist. McNaughton has created over 300 wood sculptures and art furniture pieces that are in museums and corporate and private collections. His inventive designs stretch beyond the limits of imagination. Each one entertains with elements of whimsy and mystery, yet maintains a high level of craftsmanship that include ultimate detail and sophistication.

McNaughton was a professor of art at the University of Southern Indiana for 35 years before retiring in 2006. He has won two NEA grants and was listed in the Who’s Who of American Artists. His work has been featured in 28 books and magazines as well as in art galleries in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles.

Prior to the judging, there will be a juror presentation at 12:30 p.m. in Tom Raper Hall, room 124. McNaughton will present “Forty Years in Forty Minutes.”

Entry forms, information on eligibility and a calendar are available at www.iue.edu/gallery or by calling Ed Thornburg, The Gallery curator, at IU East at (765) 973-8605.