FAQs

row of multicolored color pencils

Originality

All artwork submitted to an ESD 123 art exhibit must be completely original.

  • If artwork is determined to be a copy, it will be disqualified from the show.
  • Do NOT submit any artwork that has been copied, replicated, or manipulated from published photographs, magazines, book illustrations, or other artwork, including the Internet. If a photo is used, the original must be reviewed by the student’s teacher and approved to authenticate originality.
  • Teacher’s signatures attesting to the originality of the artwork being submitted is required.
  • If there is any doubt as to the originality of a piece, the teacher should not submit it. The integrity of the teacher and student in submitting only original artwork is expected and appreciated.
  • By signing the Student Registration Form, students and teachers indicate their understanding of these rules.

What is Copyright and Plagiarism?

Educators and students are responsible for educating themselves on copyright and plagiarism issues.
Copyright is a form of legal protection prohibiting others from copying one’s creative work without permission. A copyright is a property right. Copyright law grants the creator of an original work the exclusive rights for its use and distribution.

Plagiarism is an ethical violation resulting from failure to cite sources and engaging in the act of passing someone else’s work or ideas off as one’s own. This applies even if you have only copied a part, rather than the whole, of another’s work. How do I know if my work is original? An original work is one that is new and different from what others have created. This means that you are the author of the work, and the work is not copied from someone else’s original work.

Even if there is no exact or literal copying, but the average person may notice substantial similarities between the submitted work and the source material, it is possible that the work is not considered original and should not be submitted. For example:

  • A pencil drawing that directly copies a celebrity portrait that was taken by another artist is not original work.
  • Changing the medium—for example, creating a painting based on a photo that was taken by someone else is not original.
  • A painting or drawing of a photograph taken from the Internet or a magazine is not considered original and should not be submitted.
  • Cropping or resizing an image does NOT make the work transformative.

Educators: if a classroom assignment involves any copying of a another artist or writer’s work, even if it’s just for the purpose of practicing and learning, please direct students not to submit these works. If you have any doubt about whether a submission is original, please do not submit that artwork.

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.