John Fleskes

The Spectrum 25 Call For Entries is Open!

This is an invitation to all professional and student artists, art directors, publishers and artists’ representatives to submit entries to the 25th Annual Spectrum International Competition for Fantastic Art. All artworks in all media embracing the themes of science fiction, fantasy, horror and the surreal are eligible for this show. Fantastic art can be subtle or obvious, traditional or off-the-wall, painted, sculpted, done digitally or photographed: There is no unacceptable way to create art, and there are no set rules that say one piece qualifies while another does not. Imagination and skill are what matters. Work chosen by the jury will be printed in full color in the Spectrum annual, the peer-selected “best of the year” collection for the fantastic arts. Click here to submit.

The Spectrum 25 Call for Entries poster art is by the revered illustrator, Scott Gustafson. This poster mails for free in the U.S.A to our Spectrum mailing list. If you would like to receive a poster you can fill out the online form here.

The Spectrum 25 jury is comprised of a five member panel of some of the most exceptional artists working in the industry today consisting of Terry Dodson, Tyler Jacobson, Tran Nguyen, Karla Ortiz, and Chuck Pyle.

“I am delighted to have this esteemed group of renowned artists as the jury for Spectrum’s twenty-fifth anniversary,” shares Spectrum director, John Fleskes. “I am honored to have gathered this exceptional group. Each is respected by their peers, gives back to the community, and are celebrated by art admirers for their superb works. Additionally, they cover all of the aspects that make Spectrum great: its diversity and core message that all are welcome. They embrace all methods and categories featured within Spectrum by artists from all over the world, while having a profound knowledge of the industry. They have my full trust when selecting the works for inclusion into Spectrum 25, along with the silver and gold recipients who will be recognized during the Spectrum awards ceremony held in the spring of 2018.”

For over twenty-five years the Spectrum annual has been a showcase for the best and brightest creators of fantastic art from around the globe: it serves as an invaluable resource book for art directors, art buyers, publishers and agents world-wide. Hundreds of copies are sent out gratis with the intent of generating additional work and exposure for the artists selected for inclusion in the annual. The circulation of Spectrum far exceeds those of other annuals and resource books; we deliberately maintain a price that makes it affordable for every budget. Our purpose and singular agenda is the promotion of the art and artists. We believe that Spectrum functions as a cost-efficient promotional forum and provides a bridge between creator, client, and aficionado as well. Spectrum is all about facilitating opportunities for creators, about growing the audience for imaginative work in all its forms, without pretension and without prejudice.

The largest of this field’s competitions is also the toughest to make; the act of entering art does not guarantee inclusion in the book. Not everyone gets in. The “excellence bar” is raised every year: the job of the jury to make selections gets increasingly difficult. Not being selected is not a personal criticism of the artist, but having your work chosen by the judges is of significance. Join with us to help celebrate twenty-five years by making this volume the best yet: considering the excellence of the work in the previous twenty-four books, it will be no small task, but we’re confident you all can do it.

For more information on Spectrum please visit spectrumfantasticart.com.

Enjoy,