General shows are open for participation to all members. Unless otherwise specified, there is a limit of five entries per show and there is no entry fee. The show is judged by the membership, in the case of the "People's Choice" awards and the "Patron's Choice" is judged by the EBSQ Patrons. If there is a prize being offered by a sponsor, the prize is awarded to the "People's Choice" winner.

EBSQ Plus shows are open only to members of EBSQ Plus. This show is judged by an outside juror. There is a limit of three entries per show. There is an entry fee of 7.00 for each item entered. The entry fee goes toward the prize for the three unranked "Juror's Choice" winners. In the event of a tie in either the general shows or the Plus shows, prizes are split between the winners.

Once you have decided that you would like to participate in an EBSQ show, the first thing that you should do is read the prospectus for the show. Read it carefully. The shows have themes and it is important that your piece fit the theme. Your work should fit the entire prospectus, not just a part of it. Also, pay attention to any requirements in the prospectus. These are what the themes rest on need to be included in your entry. This is particularly important if it is a media or genre specific show. And please don't forget your artist's statement. One is required for all entries, for all shows. The prospectus will detail what should be included in each statement.

If there is anything that you do not understand in the prospectus - please ask. We take a lot of time trying to cover everything and to make sure that the requirements are clear. However, we are not perfect and sometimes something may not be as clear as we thought. We want everyone to enjoy their participation in the shows. Being told a piece that you created for a show does not meet the prospectus requirements is not the way to do it. It isn't something that we enjoy having to tell someone, either.

When you enter your piece in a show, make sure that the image of your work is clear. Try to eliminate glare and be sure that the piece is photographed straight on - not distorted with one side larger than the other. Crop your image well - remove as much of the background as possible. Also, consider including detail images. This makes the art more accessible to the viewer and if there is detail, you can make sure that it is seen and appreciated. If you want tips on photographing your art, you can find information on the Education page of the main site.

The FAQ pages have a wealth of information on show participation and the Shows page has step-by-step instructions on how to enter you art in a show. There will be a tutorial on how to enter and edit a piece in an EBSQ show in this month's LIVE! Other tutorials on EBSQ site features will also be a part of July's LIVE!

EBSQ's shows are to give artists a chance to stretch and use "muscles" they may not often use. The themes are varied to allow an artist to move out of their usual zone of operation and give them a chance to "go exploring" in a direction they may not have on their own. If anyone is interested in participating in a media or genre specific show that they do not work in, we encourage the artist to give it a try. There is no telling what might be discovered.

Most importantly, EBSQ's monthly shows are meant to be fun and we hope that the participation continues to grow.