Amateur artists and hobby painters are being invited to participate in the upcoming Malfestival25, an art competition that will take place on September 14 in the courtyard of the Vonderau Museum in Fulda, Germany. The event is jointly organized by the Osthessen-Zeitung newspaper and the Friends of the Vonderau Museum association, offering local artists a platform to showcase their work to a broader audience.
While artists still have some time to create new works for the competition, organizers remind participants that their paintings should be completely dry by 10 a.m. on September 14, when the festival begins. Klaus Becker, chairman of the organizing Friends of the Museum Fulda association, notes with a smile that this gives artists sufficient time to tackle new projects before the deadline.
The festival has been running for several years with the specific goal of providing hobby artists with opportunities to display their work to audiences they might not otherwise reach. In a unique feature of the competition, there have been comprehensive exhibitions showcasing previous Malfestival winners, giving participants the possibility of having their work displayed in the museum itself. "We want to show this exhibition of winners approximately every three years," Becker explains.
Participating artists will face evaluation by two separate juries during the competition. A professional jury will select and award three exceptional artworks, while the general public will also choose their favorites during the event on Sunday, September 14, starting at 10 a.m. Each participating artist selects one of their works for the competition, which can include watercolors, oil paintings, ink drawings, or other hand-drawn pieces, though photographs and similar works are not accepted.
The judging process is designed to be straightforward and fair. Each artwork is assigned a start number, allowing both the professional jury and museum visitors to identify and vote for their personal favorites in the museum courtyard. Winners will receive various material prizes and books, with an additional special recognition provided by the Fulda Art Association in the form of a development prize that includes participation in a painting course and a one-year membership.
Registration for the competition is simple and completely free of charge. Interested artists can send an email to info@freundedesmuseums.de with the subject line "Malfestival" to receive registration materials. Alternatively, participants can register in person at the museum ticket office at the Vonderau Museum, which is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The registration deadline is August 31.
