ALT-DC

Call for Artists: Short Films & Stills

Submissions Due: July 31, 2025 at midnight

ALT-DC presents a layered and provocative portrait of
a city too often reduced to headlines and stereotypes.
Because we actually live here.

POSTCARDS ARE FOR TOURISTS BUT THIS ART DIGS IN.

  • About the Exhibition

    Let us see DC how the arts community sees DC. Art represents the stories of what is, what could, and what should be, and we know that DC is raw, complex, contradictory, and constantly evolving.

    ALT-DC is a SITE-SPECIFIC SHOWCASE that makes full use of the unique underground space of Dupont Underground. We're looking for digital art that represents our creative reality.

    This is your chance to project your vision in a unique, underground venue. Selected artists will have their work featured in large-scale projections alongside deep-dive artist profiles that we'll develop together.

  • Themes Artists Might Explore

    Memory and erasure: what's been bulldozed, gentrified, or "conveniently" erased

    Infrastructure and invisibility: what lurks under, around, or behind the surface (yes, even the Metro, though you don't have to be literal)

    DC as muse: wild futures, fever dreams, or dystopias born from the city's bones

    Irreverence and absurdity: the dry and not so dry humor, snark, and gentle weirdness that makes this place home

Submission Requirements

Submission Categories

  1. VIDEO (2-4 minutes)

  2. SHORT-FORM VIDEO (30 seconds - 90 seconds)

  3. STILLS

  4. OR: Show us something we didn't see coming - experimental hybrid formats welcome in any category!

Submission Guidelines

Eligibility

  • Images of DC Proper only, DMV-based artists welcome to apply

  • Open to all career levels - emerging and established

  • All digital mediums considered

Content Requirements

  • ORIGINAL ARTWORK ONLY by DMV-based artists

  • Work that is solely AI art will not be accepted
    If AI is a portion of the work, artists must explain its use

  • Site-specific consideration for underground exhibition space encouraged

  • Work created within last 5 years (if it's older than a couple years, it better bring something strong)

  • Must be ready for large-scale projection in unique underground environment

  • Must be appropriate for public view across wide age range

  • Gratuitous violence will not be accepted

  • We want more than pretty pictures. We want work with attitude - art that has something to say
    Emphasis on being real, raw, humorous, arguably subversive, or wonderfully weird

Technical Specifications

Videos:

  • Format: MP4 ONLY - if your work is not available in MP4 format, we will need to discuss if we are able to show it

  • Resolution: Minimum 1080p (4K preferred for projection)

    • Must be optimized for large-scale projection with standard projectors only, Must work on both large and smaller screens

  • Audio: Include sound if it's part of your work

    • Sound Note: While sound is welcomed, pieces should be visually strong as the space can get noisy when crowded - audio is unlikely to carry the creative weight of the full piece

Stills:

  • Format: JPEG, PNG, or TIFF

  • Resolution: Minimum 300 DPI at 8x10 inches

  • A single still should stand alone. If you have a set, you should collage them and it needs to work as a single projectable image

  • High contrast recommended for projection

Application Process

Required Materials

  1. Artist Statement (500 words max) - Describe your connection to DC and your artistic vision

  2. Project Description (300 words max) - Explain your specific submission

  3. Complete Work Submission - Submit the full, finished piece (not excerpts or samples)

  4. Artist Bio (150 words max)

  5. Contact Information - Include phone, email, website, and social media

Submission Method

  • Submissions must be made through our FORM ONLY

  • We will NOT guarantee review or response of submissions sent outside the FORM or after the deadline

  • If filesizes are too large to attach, include a link to view the piece in your submission

Rights and Usage

Artist Rights

  • Artists retain full rights to their work

  • Work that is not accepted and displayed will not be used in any capacity

  • Artists must own all rights to their submitted work, including any music, footage, or other elements used. By submitting, if selected artists grant Dupont Underground non-exclusive rights to display the work during the exhibition period and use images of the work for promotional purposes, documentation, and archival materials.

  • Selected artists' work may be featured in marketing materials and exhibition guides

  • Public Documentation: Artists should expect that the public will likely take photos and videos while in the space

Artist Benefits

Selected Artists Receive:

  • Deep-dive artist profile developed collaboratively with curatorial team

  • 10 free tickets to distribute for entry during the exhibition (does not apply to performances during the exhibition period)

  • Artists with work for sale: Connect with interested buyers through artist profiles. Selected artists can sell/send prints that are changeable and sale ready - we will work with selected artists on this with their deep dive profiles. For any work displayed and sold through DU, DU will retain a 10% commission which we will outline again in the artists agreement.

Public Choice Award:

  • $500 prize for top winner voted on by viewing public (democracy in action)