ALUMINIUN, THE SILENT STRENGHT

ART. 1 – OBJECTIVES AND AIMS OF THE COMEL AWARD 2025

Not he who begins, but he who perseveres.

Leonardo da Vinci (plaque mounted on the Amerigo Vespucci ship)

ALUMINIUM, THE SILENT STRENGTH
Aluminium, with its lightness, its great ductility, may appear to be a fragile material. Instead, it hides an unexpected strength. Its resistance, often underestimated, emerges with surprising evidence when it is moulded into bold shapes and imposing structures. It could be said that like the human being, aluminium is capable of withstanding challenges and adapting to change, finding new structures and new forms of balance.
The theme of the 2025 edition of the COMEL award invites artists to investigate the hidden qualities of aluminium, exploring its ability to resist, to sustain, to last. The artists are called upon to use metal as a metaphor for human resilience, the ability to overcome difficulties and find inner strength even in moments of fragility.
Aluminium thus becomes a symbol of silent strength, a discreet but powerful resistance, which manifests itself through the creativity and ingenuity of the artists.

ART. 3 – CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

Participation in the competition is free. There are no age limits and it is open to all artists, 18 years of age and older, of any European nationality as far as they use aluminium as the main and significant material for the realization of the work to be submitted.
Each artist may submit only one work (Sign up by following the instructions in Paragraph 5 – REGISTRATION) The deadline for submission to the COMEL AWARD is June 22, 2025.
All employees of the promoter company and those who are linked by kinship are excluded from participating to the Contest. All third parties and their employees that collaborate in any way for the realization of the Competition are also excluded. The winners of the previous editions of the Prize are also excluded from participating in the Contest.

ART. 4 – ARTWORKS

Works, whether published or unpublished, created using any technique – painting, sculpture, design, photography, and installation – are admitted, provided they use aluminum as the main and significant element. Fundamental criteria for selection will be the quality, research, originality, and contemporaneity of the work. The maximum permitted size for participating works is 150 x 150 x 150 cm.

The work must be completely realized at the time of registration; projects, sketches, or 3D simulations of the works will not be accepted. The works submitted for the Prize must be physically and intellectually owned by the artist presenting them. The selected works, accompanied by all necessary materials and detailed instructions, must arrive ready for installation. The works, under penalty of exclusion, must not have won other contests similar to this one.

ART. 5 – REGISTRATION

To apply for the COMEL Prize 2025, interested artists can participate by fully completing the online application form available on the website www.premiocomel.it.

In both cases, failure to provide the following information will result in exclusion:
a) Full name;
b) Nationality and date of birth;
c) Place of residence (country, city, province);
d) Postal address;
e) Email address and any website or references deemed useful;
f) Contact phone numbers;
g) A series of 3-5 images of the artwork in full format and from different angles (for a total size of 5 MB) clearly showing the aluminum work, with indication of technical characteristics and materials used, dimensions, title, and year of execution;
h) A brief description of the artwork intended for presentation;
i) Brief curriculum vitae, biography, and artist statement;
j) Authorization for the processing of personal data;
k) Full acceptance of the regulations of the prize as stated in this announcement.

ART. 6 – SELECTION PROCESS AND JURY

A professional Committee in the field of art, will select thirteen works, among all the submitted artworks. The thirteen works will be exhibited, from October 18 to November 8, 2025, at the gallery Spazio COMEL Arte Contemporanea, via Neghelli 68, Latina, Italy, in a special dedicated exhibition for the selected artists and the Jury will choose among them the winner for the COMEL Award of Contemporary art 2025. In addition to the above mentioned 13 artworks, the Jury will also identify two additional reserves that will be called to participate in the exhibition, only in the case of exclusion or waiver of the previous selected works. The Jury also may signal, beyond the winner, some special mentions and/or prize.

The selection procedure will be performed on photographic images, so it is recommended for the submission, to send the material as exhaustive as possible.

The judgement expressed by the Jury is final and irrevocable.

The names of the members of the jury of the COMEL award 2025, chaired by Giorgio Agnisola, art critic and writer, will be communicated in the coming months.

ART. 7 – PHASES AND DEADLINES

1. June 22, 2025 (midnight), the registration deadline of the COMEL 2025 Award;
2. Within August 31, 2025, the finalist artists will be contacted via e-mail and announced online, who will be provided with information on sending the work and the exhibition;
3. By September 19 2025, at the latest, the selected artists must send the registered work (see Art. 11 – TRANSPORT, INSURANCE, PREPARATION OF WORKS). Failure to respect the delivery date of the work will result in exclusion from the competition. The works must be delivered in suitable reusable packaging for returning the works at the end of the competition.
4. Exhibition opening: October 18, 2025
5. Proclamation and award ceremony: November 8, 2025

ART. 8 – AWARDS

A) COMEL jury Award 2025
The unique winning artist will be awarded the COMEL Jury Award 2025. The prize consists of a cash prize of € 3500.¹ A withholding tax will be applied to the prize in accordance with the law. The winning artist will also be awarded a solo exhibition to be held at the Spazio COMEL Arte Contemporanea, located in via Neghelli, 68 – Latina. The publication of a catalogue of the exhibition is also included. The dates and conditions of the exhibition to be agreed in advance with the organization and however no later than the calendar year in which the prize has been held.The work will become part of the permanent collection COMEL. By accepting the Prize, the winner relinquishes ownership of his/her work and gives COMEL all rights related to it, including the publication right of the image, while retaining the right to be recognized as the author of the artwork.

B) Audience COMEL Award 2025
The artist who will receive the greatest number of preferences from the exhibition visitors, will be awarded a solo exhibition to be held at the Spazio COMEL contemporary art gallery, located in via Neghelli, 68 – Latina. The dates and conditions will be agreed in advance with the organization and it will be displayed no later than the calendar year in which the prize has been held. The ‘Audience Award’ does not consist of a cash prize and the winning artwork will remain property of the artist.
The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, November 8, 2025, as part of the exhibition. The presence of the competition winners at the ceremony would be highly appreciated.

¹A withholding tax will be applied to the prize in accordance with the law.

ART. 9 – CATALOGUE

The catalog will include pictures of the selected works, short biographical notes of the finalists and critical texts of the jury, in Italian and English. Copies of the catalog will be delivered free of charge to the artists and to all visitors of the exhibition.

ART. 10 – OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION

The inauguration will take place on Saturday October 18, 2025 and the works will remain on display until Saturday November 8, 2025, subject to a possible extension of the exhibition time.

ART. 11 – TRANSPORTATION, INSURANCE, ARTWORKS INSTALLATION

The works not collected within the deadline will be considered as a legacy to the Prize.

ART. 12 – PRIVACY

Each candidate expressly authorizes the COMEL Prize, as well as his legal representative, to process personal data transmitted, pursuant to law 675/96 (Privacy law) and subsequent amendments of Legislative Decree 196/2003 (Privacy code), also for the insertion in databases managed by the aforementioned people.
Each participant in the competition grants the COMEL Award, as well as its legal representative, free of charge, the reproduction rights of the works and texts released to the prize, for the purpose of drawing up the catalog, publication on the Prize website and other forms of communication, promotion and activities of the organization. The material sent for registration only, will not be returned. The organizers of the competition will have the right to make a final decision on anything not specified in this notice.
The organization reserves itself the right to make changes to the notice if the need arises, communicating it on the portal www.premiocomel.it.
Participation in the COMEL Award implies full and complete acceptance of all the articles of this call for submission.