ISSUE
159
MARY BLAIR AWARD
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FOR ART
CONTEST SUBMISSIONS JUNE 1 - NOVEMBER 1
$1,000 Prize
$20 Entry Fee
The Mary Blair Award for Art honors exceptional artists’ work across various media. With a prize of $1,000, this award is constantly seeking new and fresh artist perspectives to create a dialogue with our audience. Works can be stand-alone pieces or part of a larger series. Artists may submit up to five (5) pieces of studio art, including photography, per submission.
Please be sure to:
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provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information in the works themselves)
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include a brief bio, up to 50 words
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include available art credits: title, medium, dimensions, year
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render submissions in an easily accessible format, such as .jpg
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size submissions to at least 300 dpi
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check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date
The contest submission fee is $20, which includes a free copy of the latest edition of Reed Magazine. (Submitters with US addresses on file will receive print copies of the journal, whereas those with international addresses may receive digital copies.) Multiple submissions are accepted as separate entries. The winner of the Mary Blair Award may have a portfolio of their work featured in the journal and/or online (as space permits). Contest submissions not selected for final judging may still be considered for publication in the journal and/or online. Submitted pieces may be considered for the cover.
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Mary Blair Award for Art submitters can expect to hear back from Reed Magazine by the end of December 2025.
Mary Blair (1911-1978) graduated from San José State University in 1931 and continued her education at the prestigious Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. After a brief stint at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, she began working for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Blair is credited with introducing modernist style to their animated productions, and at the personal request of Walt Disney worked on the artwork and murals for Disneyland’s Tomorrowland and It’s a Small World attractions. Blair also worked as a color stylist on the films Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), and Peter Pan (1953). Her work as a freelance designer includes several illustrations for Little Golden Books and stage sets for Radio City Music Hall. Posthumously, Blair was honored as a Disney Legend and awarded the Winsor McCay Award.
