Artists from around the world are invited to take part in an international visual arts competition dedicated to the Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt. The competition is organised by the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy and runs from 1 October to 10 December.
According to the organisers, the initiative aims to showcase artistic interpretations of the Flight into Egypt, exploring both its spiritual significance and themes such as family, motherhood, childhood, child protection, hospitality and respect for strangers.
Competition rules
The competition accepts paintings and graphic artworks created in classical styles or through contemporary, symbolic, abstract or conceptual approaches. It is open to professional and amateur artists aged 18 and over.
Entries must be original, created entirely by the artist and must not have previously been exhibited, published, entered into or awarded prizes in other competitions.
In the first stage, artworks must be submitted exclusively in digital format, accompanied by an artistic statement of no more than 100 words and a short biography of no more than 500 words.
Further details about the application process are available on the competition’s official website.
The jury comprises 15 members from 13 countries. Among them is Romanian artist Mihai Coman, a lecturer in the Sacred Art Department of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology at the University of Bucharest and an associate lecturer at the National University of Arts in Bucharest.
‘A defining moment in Christian history’
The organisers emphasise that the Flight of the Christ Child into Egypt represents “a defining moment in Christian history and a profound symbol of refuge, faith and divine protection”.
They also note that the tradition associated with the Holy Family’s journey in Egypt was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2022.
All participating artworks are expected to be included in a two-volume publication, to be issued in four languages by the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy in 2028, marking the organisation’s 35th anniversary.
The publication will be distributed free of charge to museums, libraries, churches and monasteries around the world, and each participant will receive two copies.
An international conference entitled The Flight of the Holy Family: A Living Image and a Cultural Bridge between East and West is also scheduled for October 2028.
The conference will feature an exhibition of the artworks submitted to the competition and the official presentation of the two-volume publication.
