OTTAWA.- Attention artistic teens, aged 16 to 19! The National Gallery of Canada (NGC) is challenging you to show off your talent in its nationwide So You Want To Be an Artist? contest. Find your inspiration in a visit to the NGC's art collection or online at cybermuse.gallery.ca. Then create an original two-dimensional artwork in any media, submit a digital reproduction of it online and encourage your Facebook friends to vote for your work. The NGC will invite the top 12 contestants whose entries obtain the most votes to mail in their original works for entry into the final juried phase of the contest. Enter for your chance to win exciting prizes—the contest began on January 10, 2011.

Eligibility
The contest is open to residents of Canada who are aged 16 to 19, as of May 31, 2011

One Contest, Three Phases:

1. Online Submission Phase
The NGC will accept entries from January 10 to February 28, 2011 via the contest website at makeart.gallery.ca.

2. Online Voting Phase
The NGC will post all accepted entries online at makeart.gallery.ca. During the voting phase of the contest, visitors to the contest website will be able to vote once for every artwork that appeals to them by using the Facebook® "Like" feature. The voting phase takes place from March 1–31, 2011.

3. Public Display and Jury Selection Phase
The NGC will invite the top 12 contestants with the most online votes to submit their original artwork for display on its Artissimo Gallery wall, located in the concourse. The works will be on view from May 2–31, 2011. At the end of the display phase, a jury appointed by the NGC will evaluate the artworks based on: the clarity of the theme and message; originality and imaginativeness; and the thought and feeling provoked in the viewer.

Jury Members
The NGC has appointed an exciting panel of judges to evaluate the 12 finalists: Montreal's famous graffiti artist, Roadsworth, the Ottawa Citizen's arts editor at large, Peter Simpson, Radio-Canada's cultural reporter, Jhade Montpetit, and contemporary curator and the NGC's former Elizabeth Simonfay Curatorial Resident of Indigenous Art, Candice Hopkins.

Announcement of Winners
The jurors will choose three finalists who will be awarded exciting prizes as outlined below. The NGC will announce the winners on June 3, 2011.

First Prize
First prize includes travel, accommodation and meals for a two-night stay in Ottawa for the winner and one accompanying adult as well as an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit of the NGC that will focus on careers in the visual arts. The winner will also gain expert advice on his or her art portfolio and receive a $500 online gift certificate for art supplies. (Note: If the winner lives within a 100 km radius from downtown Ottawa, a $1,000 online gift certificate for art supplies will be awarded instead of the travel portion of the prize.) Total maximum value: $3,500.

Second Prize
A $1,000 online gift certificate for art supplies.

Third Prize
A $500 online gift certificate for art supplies.

Official Rules
Visit makeart.gallery.ca for the contest's full official rules.