Call for Artists - 2025 Boulder Star Holiday Card: $1,000 paid commission! DEADLINE Jan. 31st, 2025

Open to All Professional Visual Artists, Illustrators, and Designers in the Boulder Region

Help keep the beloved Boulder Star shining during the 2025 holiday season!

The Boulder Chamber, in collaboration with Boulder County Arts Alliance, seeks to commission a professional local artist, illustrator, or designer to create an original image that it can license for the 2025 Boulder Star holiday card, a wine label, and possibly other items, such as a puzzle produced by Liberty Puzzles. The sale of items that carry the original image supports stewardship of the beloved Boulder Star.

The selected artist will receive $1,000 under the terms of a license agreement to create an image of the Boulder Star that reflects Boulder (see Summary of the License Agreement, below). Fresh interpretations of iconic Boulder imagery are welcomed.

There is no application fee to enter the Artist Selection Process. Finalists will be chosen by the Boulder Chamber, primarily based on examples of their work and the completeness and quality of their application. Prior experience working with clients on a commissioned basis is necessary, and the Boulder Chamber will work with the selected artist to approve the final design.

The selected artist should be amenable to attending a summer reception of the Boulder Chamber and its members (date TBD) to promote the Boulder Star holiday card, as well as agreeing to the other terms outlined in this Call for Artists.

The Artist Selection Process begins now, while the Boulder Star shines over our community, as inspiration to artists interested in this commission. The Star will remain lit through the first Sunday of the New Year.

Boulder Star Holiday Card History

The Boulder Star on Flagstaff Mountain was first lit by the Boulder Chamber in December of 1947 and has made its holiday appearance every year since. The Boulder Star has also been lit out-of-season to provide hope to the community during difficult times, including the COVID-19 pandemic and following the Marshall Fires.

The Boulder Chamber is now the proud joint steward of the Boulder Star with the City of Boulder. First launched in 2001, the Boulder Star holiday card program supports Boulder Star operations and maintenance through proceeds from sales of the card and other promotional items featuring the selected artistic image

The Boulder Star image enjoys high visibility in the community. It is featured on the holiday cards, wine labels and other items, and is the subject of a great deal of marketing to encourage sales of these items. There is additional visibility due to sales of the holiday cards in boxed sets at the Boulder Chamber and other retail outlets. The Boulder Star wine is sold by the producer, BookCliff Vineyards, and at other retail outlets. The new Boulder Star puzzle is produced and sold by Liberty Puzzles.

Click here for information about the 2024 Boulder Star card program, prior Boulder Star card artists and their designs, the Boulder Star wine, and the 2024 Boulder Star puzzle.

Artist Selection Timing

December 1, 2024: Call for Artists opens through Boulder County Arts Alliance (BCAA)
January 31, 2025: Deadline for submissions to BCAA (see Application Process, below)
On or before February 28, 2025. Up to three semi-finalists will be selected at the sole discretion of the Boulder Chamber
On or before March 24, 2025: Boulder Chamber selects the 2024 Boulder Star artist (artist will have 5 business days to execute the License Agreement)

Art Licensing Agreement – Key Terms

Licensing Fee/Payment Schedule – $1,000

$200 on initial signing of the License Agreement by the Artist (“Licensor’)
$300 after the Licensor provides the Boulder Chamber with two design options
$500 after the Licensor provides the Boulder Chamber with the digital file of the completed artwork

Artwork Production Schedule: The creation of the artwork is an iterative process with the following key milestones:

On or before April 25, 2025: Boulder Star artist presents at least two preliminary artwork designs at in-person meeting with the Boulder Chamber. Note: The Boulder Chamber will share the designs with the Boulder Star wine producer and Liberty Puzzles)
By May 12, 2025: Boulder Chamber provides feedback on the preliminary artwork design
June 13, 2025 Final completed artwork is submitted

Artwork Requirements

Will show the Boulder Star on Flagstaff Mountain plus the Flatirons in an image that reflects Boulder, CO. (Note: Prior successful Boulder Star holiday cards have also depicted Chautauqua, the Pearl Street Mall, or other locations / landscapes that have ties to Boulder, CO)
Shall not depict children (due to the use of the image on a wine label). If the image includes adults, it should reflect the diversity of our community.
Will be built to 4.843” wide x 7” high with a 1/8” bleed on the top, bottom and right-hand side. Any text or signature must be at least 1/8” from the trim. (Note: vertical format is required to accommodate a wine label.)
Shall be sent to the Boulder Chamber (and up to three other designees – TBD) as a digital file that meets the following specifications: Tiff Uncompressed; CMYK; 300 dpi

Other

The final Artwork will be made public at a Boulder Chamber event to be scheduled in July – September 2025. It is anticipated that the Licensor will be invited to the event and will attend, if possible.
The Artist will be invited to help select the Boulder Star holiday card font, offer an interior design for the card, and participate in the Boulder Chamber’s selection panel for next year’s Boulder Star Artist.

Summary of the License Agreement/Licensor Rights

License provides exclusive rights to the image for a period of three years from the date that the Boulder Chamber receives the “completed artwork.” Thereafter, the Boulder Chamber shall retain the above rights, in a non-exclusive fashion.
Notwithstanding the above, the Artist/Licensor may sell the original artwork. If the Artwork is digital, and therefore has no “original form”, the Artist/ Licensor has the right to produce a limited print run of up to 25 prints of the artwork for sale by the Artist.
Note: A copy of the License Agreement will be shared with all semi-finalists for signoff before the selection of the finalist.

Application Process

In the form below, please provide:

A brief biography and/or artist statement (500 words max);
An explanation of your connection, if any, to the Boulder Star and why this commission is of interest to you;
Evidence of prior experience working successfully with clients to create commissioned work: and,
Link to an online portfolio or website.

Please attach six examples of your landscape and/or cityscape work in the Boulder region that reflect the type of work you would produce if awarded this commission (could represent a range of possible styles). The images must be in JPEG format and may not exceed 3000 KB in size (3 MB).

Please also make sure to provide links to your website, Instagram or other social media account showing examples of your work.

For more information, please contact BCAA at [email protected]