Call for Submissions: Artist Still Here

Celebrating original, human-made creativity in the age of AI

A spontaneous moment of creativity – hand-drawn chalk marks found on a sidewalk in Mississauga. Photo: Artist Still Here.

Artist Still Here: Canada-Wide Open Call for Artists

Submissions Open: September 15, 2026
Submission Deadline: October 18, 2026, 11:59pm ET
Location: Online / Canada-wide

About Artist Still Here

Artist Still Here invites artists living in Canada to take part in its inaugural national art competition, celebrating original, human-made creativity at a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how creative work is produced, shared, and valued.

Artist Still Here is centred not only on individual artworks, but also on the people, ideas, processes, and perspectives behind them.

The competition is free to enter and open to both emerging and established artists. Each artist may submit one original work, and existing work is welcome. Every eligible participating artist will receive a public Artist Still Here profile featuring their work and links to their artistic practice.

Key Details

• Free to enter
• Open to artists aged 18 or older who legally reside in Canada
• One original work per artist; existing work is eligible
• Artwork must be created without generative AI
• Top 10 artists share CAD $3,200 in cash prizes
• Each eligible artist receives a public artist profile
• Top 10 artworks may be considered for Artist Still Here baseball caps
• Commercial use requires a separate two-year exclusive apparel licensing agreement
• Licensed artists receive a 2% royalty on Net Sales
• Artists retain ownership and copyright in their original artwork

Hand-drawn concept sketch for Artist Still Here, exploring how original artwork could translate onto a baseball cap. Illustration: Artist Still Here.

Eligibility

Artists aged 18 or older who legally reside in Canada are eligible. Emerging and established artists working in illustration, painting, drawing, photography, digital art, mixed media, collage, and other forms of original visual artwork are welcome.

Submitted artwork must be original and created by the submitting artist without generative AI. Artwork created wholly or partly using generative AI, plagiarism, direct copies, or work containing unauthorized third-party material is not eligible. Artists must own the rights necessary to submit their work.

Artwork & Submission Requirements

Each artist may submit one original work. Existing artwork is welcome, and it does not need to be designed specifically for apparel or a baseball cap.

Initial submissions:

• Format: JPG or PNG
• Colour mode: RGB
• Minimum 2000 pixels on the longest side
• 3000 pixels or higher recommended
• Images must clearly and accurately represent the original artwork

Additional documentation or process materials may be requested for originality, authorship, and eligibility verification.

Awards

The Top 10 artists will share CAD $3,200 in cash prizes:

• First Prize: CAD $1,000
• Second Prize: CAD $500
• Third Prize: CAD $300
• Fourth-Tenth Prizes: CAD $200 each

Artist Profiles

Each eligible participating artist will receive a public Artist Still Here profile featuring their submitted work and links to their artistic practice. Profiles will remain available after the competition.

For artworks selected for production, caps may also include a QR code linking directly to the artist’s public profile.

Selection Process

Following the submission period, eligible entries will move into community voting. Each account may cast up to three votes, with each vote going to a different artwork. Community voting determines the preliminary ranking, and the final Top 10 will be confirmed after eligibility, originality, and authorship verification.

Full voting procedures and competition rules will be available on the Artist Still Here website.

Selected Artwork & Baseball Cap Production

Following the competition, Top 10 artworks may be selected for adaptation onto Artist Still Here baseball caps, with full artist credit. Artist Still Here will work with selected artists to determine how their work translates into the product format.

Any cropping, placement, scaling, colour adjustment, or other production adaptation will be developed in consultation with the artist and approved before production.

Copyright & Commercial Licensing

Artists retain ownership and copyright in their original artwork. Submission to the competition does not grant Artist Still Here or ZIV & GENTLE LTD. permission to use an artwork commercially.

If a Top 10 artwork is selected for production and the artist chooses to proceed, the parties will enter into a separate written two-year exclusive apparel licensing agreement before any commercial use. The artist retains all rights outside the licensed apparel category, receives full credit, and earns a royalty equal to 2% of Net Sales from products featuring the licensed artwork.

The agreement will define Net Sales, applicable deductions, royalty reporting and payment schedules, production rights, and other commercial terms.

How to Submit

Submissions open September 15, 2026 and close October 18, 2026 at 11:59pm ET.

Artists can review the complete competition rules, eligibility requirements, voting process, and submission instructions, and submit their work through the Artist Still Here website.

For questions, please contact:
Guanchen Wang
Founder, Artist Still Here
ZIV & GENTLE LTD.
hello@artiststillhere.com

Artist Still Here
An initiative of ZIV & GENTLE LTD.
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
artiststillhere.com
Instagram @artist.still.here

Accessibility:
Artist Still Here is a primarily online initiative. Competition and submission information is available through the Artist Still Here website.

Image Descriptions:
1. Colourful hand-drawn chalk marks on concrete, including a rainbow, sun, and clouds, capturing a simple everyday moment of creativity and human expression.
2. A hand-drawn concept sketch of a baseball cap with handwritten arrows indicating areas for an artist’s design, name and QR code.