You have landed at the submission manager for the College Book Art Association, where you are able to submit applications, proposals or exhibition entries.

There are very specific guidelines for each type of application, proposal or entry. Please review the guidelines for submitting materials under individual categories.

Please note that you may need be a current member of CBAA in order to submit materials. In order to become a new member, or to renew your membership, please go to this CBAA web page: http://www.collegebookart.org/page-363225

—

For questions about the submission process in any category, please contact: meetings@collegebookart.org


Ends on
SUBMIT to CBAA 2027 Baylor Conference Demo Submissions

Call for Demonstration Submissions

CBAA National Conference, June 10–12, 2027

Baylor University

Waco, Texas

 

BOOK AS CATALYST: From Object to Impact

An artist’s book is more than its pages and binding. It can start a conversation, provoke a question, or set events in motion. CBAA’s 2027 conference theme, Book as Catalyst: From Object to Impact, explores how book art reaches beyond the page; moving into dialogue, community, research, and exchange among different people and different ways of knowing.

 

DEMO NOTES:

We welcome teachers, students, artists, librarians, conservators, art historians, writers, studio managers and anyone with experience in book art, printmaking or related fields to submit proposals for practical demonstrations related to the practice of book art.  Demonstration sessions are 1.5 hours and submitters may opt to give 1 long (1 hour or longer) demonstration or give a 35-45-minute demonstration twice within the 1.5 hour session. Please explain which type of presentation you plan to give in your proposal. Proposals should be no longer than 250 words and include a list of materials, tools and equipment that will need to be provided by the hosting institution. Please note that proposals should be for demonstrations only and not for workshops that include audience participation. Proposals should be limited to demonstrations that can be given using tools and equipment on the following list:

 

Letterpress Printing

  • Challenge Platen Jobbing Press
  • Washington-style iron hand press (R. Hoe & Co., New York and London, 1870)
  • Washington-style iron hand press (F. Wesel Mfg. Co., New York)
  • Vandercook Universal III
  • Vandercook No. 4
  • Potter Model 2 cylinder proof press
  • Book Beetle tabletop press
  • Baltimorean No. 12 Tabletop Clamshell Platen Press
  • 5 Provisional Presses
  • Challenge proofing press
  • Chandler & Price Pilot Tabletop Platen Press
  • Assorted metal and wood type

Bookbinding

  • Nipping presses
  • Hand tools
  • Calligraphy supplies
  • Marbling supplies
  • Typewriters

Riso Printing

  • Risograph MH9450 (2-drum machine) with Yellow, Blue, Black, Light Lime, Sunflower, Green, Orchid & Fluorescent Pink

Digital Fabrication 

Laser Cutting 

  • 2 Epilog Fusion Edge 36 laser cutters — 24" × 36" cutting area
  • Epilog Fusion Maker 12 laser engraver — 12" × 24" cutting area
  • Rotary attachment for cylindrical objects

3D Printing

  • 6 Bambu Lab H2D Pro filament 3D printers — 12.8" × 12.6" × 12.8" build volume
  • Formlabs Form 4 resin 3D printer
  • Formlabs Form 4L resin 3D printer

CNC + Woodworking

  • Carvey CNC Router
  • ShopBot CNC Router
  • Assorted hand tools
  • Wood carving kits

Digital Cutting + Finishing

  • Cameo Plus cutting machine
  • Cameo Pro cutting machine
  • Vinyl cutters
  • Button presses — 1" and 2.25" dies
  • Gold foiling machine
  • Heat press

Textiles + Embroidery

  • 2 Singer Heavy Duty sewing machines
  • Brother combination sewing and embroidery machine
  • 2 Persona PRS100 single-needle embroidery machines
  • Singer 14T948DS serger
  • Leatherworking tools and station

Painting + Other Studio Equipment

  • Dual-action airbrush
  • Painting supplies
  • Drawing and rendering supplies
  • Clay sculpting tools
  • Paper, scissors, tapes, and adhesives 

SUBMISSION NOTES:

1. Membership is not required to submit a proposal. If accepted, all presenters must become current CBAA members by February 1st, 2027, the deadline to confirm participation. To become a new member, or to renew your membership, please visit https://www.collegebookart.org/page-363225

2. In an effort to promote original scholarship in the field of academic book art, abstracts submitted to CBAA should not be concurrently submitted for consideration to another conference.       

3. Please limit abstracts to no more than 250 words; longer abstracts will not be considered.       

4. Bios, synopses and abstracts must be submitted as Word docs.       

5. This is a blind jurying process; please do not include your name or the names of any other potential participants on any of the uploaded files. 

Use the title of your talk as your file name. You should enter a short bio in the biography section of the submission form.

6. A CBAA member may make more than one submission but only one submission will be accepted per member.

 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: 

You will be asked to submit the following information when prompted by the online submission manager for each entry separately:         

Member’s address       

Member’s phone number       

Job title, institution, city and state of institution       

50-word bio (this can include the member’s name and will be included in the printed program if accepted)       

Title of proposal       

50-word synopsis (to be printed in the conference program if accepted)       

250-word abstract (no names)

 

SUBMISSION DEADLINES: 

Abstracts MUST be received no later than November 30th, 2026. Submissions received after this date will not be     considered for acceptance.

November 30th, 2026: Deadline for submission of proposals      

January 15, 2027: Notification of acceptance or rejection of proposals      

February 1st, 2027: Deadline for confirmation of acceptance by presenters

 

CONTACT:

For questions about the submission process in any category please email:

Erin McAdams

CBAA Vice President for Programming

emcadams@collegebookart.org

Ends on
SUBMIT to CBAA 2027 Baylor Conference Individual Presentation Submissions

Call for Individual Presentation Submissions  

CBAA National Conference, June 10–12, 2027

Baylor University

Waco, Texas

 

BOOK AS CATALYST: From Object to Impact

 

An artist’s book is more than its pages and binding. It can start a conversation, provoke a question, or set events in motion. CBAA’s 2027 conference theme, Book as Catalyst: From Object to Impact, explores how book art reaches beyond the page; moving into dialogue, community, research, and exchange among different people and different ways of knowing.

We invite presenters to think beyond what a book is and consider what a book does. Books can open new exchanges, activate spaces, fuel collaboration and dialogue, expose and expand ideas, or offer a call to action.

We welcome proposals for papers, discussions, pre-formed panels, roundtables, facilitated conversations, and demonstrations that explore how book art functions as a catalyst. We are interested in what your work activates, who it brings into conversation, and how its materials, structure, process, or circulation create impact beyond the object itself.

In addition, the conference will include a juried CBAA members exhibition, members showcase, and vendor fair.

 

Possible topics include:

· Community Engagement and Collective Making: Book projects that gather people, encourage participation, share authorship, respond to community needs, or build relationships that extend beyond a single event.

· Research as Material Practice: Making as a method of inquiry, including what structure, material choice, touch, time, repetition, or the experience of viewers and makers can reveal that text or analysis alone may not.

· Learning in Many Forms: Book arts as a tool for teaching, mentorship, discovery, access, and knowledge-sharing in classrooms, studios, libraries, museums, community spaces, and beyond.

· Activating Archives, Collections, and Memory: Creative engagement with archives, collections, histories, institutional memory, gaps, silences, and questions surrounding whose knowledge is preserved, interpreted, or made accessible.

· Expanded Forms, Collaboration, and Impact: Book art in conversation with performance, installation, sound, film, technology, public space, interdisciplinary collaboration, and social, cultural, political, or environmental work.

We welcome teachers, students, artists, librarians, conservators, art historians, writers, studio managers, and anyone interested in the field to offer unique perspectives and pose additional questions and approaches related to the conference theme.

 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: 

Please note that you must be a CBAA member in order to make a submission through the Submittable platform. and that the only way to submit proposals is through this online submission manager. All categories are open to all CBAA members except for the student lightning round which is only open to undergraduate and graduate students.

Individual Paper Presentation proposals: 

Please include a proposal title at the top of the page. Proposal should take the form of a 200–250 word abstract for a 10-minute talk or artist presentation. Accepted proposals will be grouped into panels of talks with compatible themes or approaches.

 SUBMISSION NOTES: 

1. Membership is not required to submit a proposal. If accepted, all presenters must become current CBAA members by February 1st, 2027, the deadline to confirm participation. To become a new member, or to renew your membership, please visit https://www.collegebookart.org/page-363225

2. In an effort to promote original scholarship in the field of academic book art, abstracts submitted to CBAA should not be concurrently submitted for consideration to another conference.       

3. Please limit abstracts to no more than 250 words; longer abstracts will not be considered.       

4. Bios, synopses and abstracts must be submitted as Word docs.       

5. This is a blind jurying process; please do not include your name or the names of any other potential participants on any of the uploaded files. 

Use the title of your talk as your file name. You should enter a short bio in the biography section of the submission form.

6. A CBAA member may make more than one submission but only one submission will be accepted per member.

 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: 

You will be asked to submit the following information when prompted by the online submission manager for each entry separately:         

Member’s address       

Member’s phone number       

Job title, institution, city and state of institution       

50-word bio (this can include the member’s name and will be included in the printed program if accepted)       

Title of proposal       

50-word synopsis (to be printed in the conference program if accepted)       

250-word abstract (no names)

 

SUBMISSION DEADLINES: 

Abstracts MUST be received no later than November 30th, 2026. Submissions received after this date will not be     considered for acceptance.

November 30th, 2026: Deadline for submission of proposals      

January 15, 2027: Notification of acceptance or rejection of proposals      

February 1st, 2027: Deadline for confirmation of acceptance by presenters

 

 CONTACT:

For questions about the submission process in any category please email:

Erin McAdams

CBAA Vice President for Programming

emcadams@collegebookart.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ends on
SUBMIT to CBAA 2027 Baylor Conference Pre-formed Panel Submissions

Call for Pre-formed Panel Submissions

CBAA National Conference, June 10–12, 2027

Baylor University

Waco, Texas

 

BOOK AS CATALYST: From Object to Impact

An artist’s book is more than its pages and binding. It can start a conversation, provoke a question, or set events in motion. CBAA’s 2027 conference theme, Book as Catalyst: From Object to Impact, explores how book art reaches beyond the page; moving into dialogue, community, research, and exchange among different people and different ways of knowing.

We invite presenters to think beyond what a book is and consider what a book does. Books can open new exchanges, activate spaces, fuel collaboration and dialogue, expose and expand ideas, or offer a call to action.

We welcome proposals for papers, discussions, pre-formed panels, roundtables, facilitated conversations, and demonstrations that explore how book art functions as a catalyst. We are interested in what your work activates, who it brings into conversation, and how its materials, structure, process, or circulation create impact beyond the object itself.

In addition, the conference will include a juried CBAA members exhibition, members showcase, and vendor fair.

 

Possible topics include:

· Community Engagement and Collective Making: Book projects that gather people, encourage participation, share authorship, respond to community needs, or build relationships that extend beyond a single event.

· Research as Material Practice: Making as a method of inquiry, including what structure, material choice, touch, time, repetition, or the experience of viewers and makers can reveal that text or analysis alone may not.

· Learning in Many Forms: Book arts as a tool for teaching, mentorship, discovery, access, and knowledge-sharing in classrooms, studios, libraries, museums, community spaces, and beyond.

· Activating Archives, Collections, and Memory: Creative engagement with archives, collections, histories, institutional memory, gaps, silences, and questions surrounding whose knowledge is preserved, interpreted, or made accessible.

· Expanded Forms, Collaboration, and Impact: Book art in conversation with performance, installation, sound, film, technology, public space, interdisciplinary collaboration, and social, cultural, political, or environmental work.

· Shop/Lab Talks: Best practices for lab and studio management for both traditional and digital equipment

We welcome teachers, students, artists, librarians, conservators, art historians, writers, studio managers, and anyone interested in the field to offer unique perspectives and pose additional questions and approaches related to the conference theme.

 Pre-formed Panel proposals: 

Include a panel title at the top of the page. Each pre-formed panel will be assigned a moderator. You may use one of the following formats: 4 presenters each giving 15-minute talks or 5 presenters each giving 10-minute talks. The proposal should take the form of a 200–250-word overview plus individual 200–250-word abstracts from each of the participants.  

SUBMISSION NOTES:

1. Membership is not required to submit a proposal. If accepted, all presenters must become current CBAA members by February 1st, 2027, the deadline to confirm participation. To become a new member, or to renew your membership, please visit https://www.collegebookart.org/page-363225

2. In an effort to promote original scholarship in the field of academic book art, abstracts submitted to CBAA should not be concurrently submitted for consideration to another conference.       

3. Please limit abstracts to no more than 250 words; longer abstracts will not be considered.       

4. Bios, synopses and abstracts must be submitted as Word docs.       

5. This is a blind jurying process; please do not include your name or the names of any other potential participants on any of the uploaded files. 

Use the title of your talk as your file name. You should enter a short bio in the biography section of the submission form.

6. A CBAA member may make more than one submission but only one submission will be accepted per member.

 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: 

You will be asked to submit the following information when prompted by the online submission manager for each entry separately:         

Member’s address       

Member’s phone number       

Job title, institution, city and state of institution       

50-word bio (this can include the member’s name and will be included in the printed program if accepted)       

Title of proposal       

50-word synopsis (to be printed in the conference program if accepted)       

250-word abstract (no names)

 

SUBMISSION DEADLINES: 

Abstracts MUST be received no later than November 30th, 2026. Submissions received after this date will not be     considered for acceptance.

November 30th, 2026: Deadline for submission of proposals      

January 15, 2027: Notification of acceptance or rejection of proposals      

February 1st, 2027: Deadline for confirmation of acceptance by presenters

 

CONTACT:

For questions about the submission process in any category please email:

Erin McAdams

CBAA Vice President for Programming

emcadams@collegebookart.org

 

 

Ends on
SUBMIT to CBAA 2027 Baylor Conference Roundtable Discussion Submissions

Call for Round Table Discussion Submissions

CBAA National Conference, June 10–12, 2027

Baylor University

Waco, Texas

 

BOOK AS CATALYST: From Object to Impact

An artist’s book is more than its pages and binding. It can start a conversation, provoke a question, or set events in motion. CBAA’s 2027 conference theme, Book as Catalyst: From Object to Impact, explores how book art reaches beyond the page; moving into dialogue, community, research, and exchange among different people and different ways of knowing.

We invite presenters to think beyond what a book is and consider what a book does. Books can open new exchanges, activate spaces, fuel collaboration and dialogue, expose and expand ideas, or offer a call to action.

We welcome proposals for papers, discussions, pre-formed panels, roundtables, facilitated conversations, and demonstrations that explore how book art functions as a catalyst. We are interested in what your work activates, who it brings into conversation, and how its materials, structure, process, or circulation create impact beyond the object itself.

In addition, the conference will include a juried CBAA members exhibition, members showcase, and vendor fair.

 

Possible topics include:

· Community Engagement and Collective Making: Book projects that gather people, encourage participation, share authorship, respond to community needs, or build relationships that extend beyond a single event.

· Research as Material Practice: Making as a method of inquiry, including what structure, material choice, touch, time, repetition, or the experience of viewers and makers can reveal that text or analysis alone may not.

· Learning in Many Forms: Book arts as a tool for teaching, mentorship, discovery, access, and knowledge-sharing in classrooms, studios, libraries, museums, community spaces, and beyond.

· Activating Archives, Collections, and Memory: Creative engagement with archives, collections, histories, institutional memory, gaps, silences, and questions surrounding whose knowledge is preserved, interpreted, or made accessible.

· Expanded Forms, Collaboration, and Impact: Book art in conversation with performance, installation, sound, film, technology, public space, interdisciplinary collaboration, and social, cultural, political, or environmental work.

· Shop/Lab Talks: Best practices for lab and studio management for both traditional and digital equipment

We welcome teachers, students, artists, librarians, conservators, art historians, writers, studio managers, and anyone interested in the field to offer unique perspectives and pose additional questions and approaches related to the conference theme.

 

Roundtable Discussion Proposals: 

Roundtables are facilitated conversations around a shared topic or question. Please include a discussion title at the top of the page. The proposal should include a 200–250-word description of the topic or question, the goals of the discussion, and who may be interested in participating. The submitter will serve as the moderator and give a brief 5-minute introduction to begin the conversation, attendants to the talk will participate in the discussion. 

 

SUBMISSION NOTES:

1. Membership is not required to submit a proposal. If accepted, all presenters must become current CBAA members by February 1st, 2027, the deadline to confirm participation. To become a new member, or to renew your membership, please visit https://www.collegebookart.org/page-363225

2. In an effort to promote original scholarship in the field of academic book art, abstracts submitted to CBAA should not be concurrently submitted for consideration to another conference.       

3. Please limit abstracts to no more than 250 words; longer abstracts will not be considered.       

4. Bios, synopses and abstracts must be submitted as Word docs.       

5. This is a blind jurying process; please do not include your name or the names of any other potential participants on any of the uploaded files. 

Use the title of your talk as your file name. You should enter a short bio in the biography section of the submission form.

6. A CBAA member may make more than one submission but only one submission will be accepted per member.

 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: 

You will be asked to submit the following information when prompted by the online submission manager for each entry separately:         

Member’s address       

Member’s phone number       

Job title, institution, city and state of institution       

50-word bio (this can include the member’s name and will be included in the printed program if accepted)       

Title of proposal       

50-word synopsis (to be printed in the conference program if accepted)       

250-word abstract (no names)

 

SUBMISSION DEADLINES: 

Abstracts MUST be received no later than November 30th, 2026. Submissions received after this date will not be     considered for acceptance.

November 30th, 2026: Deadline for submission of proposals      

January 15, 2027: Notification of acceptance or rejection of proposals      

February 1st, 2027: Deadline for confirmation of acceptance by presenters

 

CONTACT:

For questions about the submission process in any category please email:

Erin McAdams

CBAA Vice President for Programming

emcadams@collegebookart.org

 

 

Ends on
SUBMIT to CBAA Member Juried Exhibition, Baylor 2027, FIRST SUBMISSION

CBAA 2027 Juried Members Exhibition

Book as Catalyst: From Object to Impact

2027 CBAA National Conference  June 10–12, 2027  Baylor University | Waco, Texas

Hulse Gallery, ART Center Waco https://artcenterwaco.org

 

The College Book Art Association (CBAA) invites members to submit work for the 2027 Juried Members Exhibition, held in conjunction with the national conference, Book as Catalyst: From Object to Impact.

Books have the capacity to do more than hold information or exist as objects. They can initiate conversations, preserve histories, build communities, challenge conventions, and create connections across disciplines. This exhibition invites artists to consider the book not only as a physical object, but as a catalyst for ideas, experiences, and exchange.

We welcome a broad range of approaches to book art, from traditional and experimental structures to works that move beyond the conventional form of the book. Submissions might explore:

  • Books as tools for dialogue, storytelling, and social engagement
  • Works that activate archives, histories, memory, or collective knowledge
  • Collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to bookmaking
  • Experimental structures, materials, and processes that expand the possibilities of the book
  • Books that engage audiences through interaction, participation, or performance
  • Works that explore the relationship between the book, its audience, and the world beyond the page
  • Hand-crafted book works (editioned or unique) which have been made within the last 3 years

These are suggested areas of exploration rather than requirements. We encourage members to submit work that reflects the breadth of contemporary book art practice and offers new perspectives on what a book can be and do.

 

ELIGIBILITY Submissions by CBAA members are welcomed in any medium, any style. Work submitted must have been made within the past 3 years in order to be considered. Preference will be given to work under 24” height and 18” in width. Wall-hung work must be ready-to-hang. Performance and/or installation art will also be considered. The jury and exhibition committee reserve the right to decline work based on the venue’s ability to host the work due to limitations of space and/or technology. This exhibit is open to book arts related artworks created as either an edition or one-of-a-kind. 

 

PRIZES & AWARDS

  • CBAA Member awards
  •  

 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Please note that the only way to submit artwork is through this online submission manager (Submittable). CBAA membership must be current to submit. In order to become a new member, or to renew your membership link here: https://www.collegebookart.org/page-363225

CBAA Members can submit up to 2 works for consideration. Each entry must be submitted separately so the jurors can select separate pieces. For a second entry, please select the SECOND SUBMISSION, ALL MEMBERS category. This will ensure that you do not have to pay the entry fee twice.

 

Categories & Fees

REGULAR MEMBERS — $30, includes up to 2 submissions

STUDENT MEMBERS — $10, includes up to 2 submissions

A non-refundable entry fee ($30 Regular Members/$10 Student Members) for up to two works must accompany each submission. When entering online you will pay via PayPal or any major credit card.

This is a blind jurying process. Please do not include your name or press name in the image, image file name, image file description or supplemental information (see IMAGES below for information on how to format your image file). You will be asked to enter your name only in the appropriate sections of the submission form. 

You will be asked to submit the following information when prompted by the online submission manager for each entry separately: 

  • Member’s address
  • Member’s phone number
  • Member’s institution *if relevant
  • Brief Bio (100 word limit)
  • Title of work
  • Year completed (work must have been completed in the last 3 years)
  • Medium/technique
  • Dimensions when closed (inches)
  • Dimensions when opened (inches)
  • Edition size (if applicable) 
  • Insurance value (required) 
  • Sale Value (this is not a sales event, but this is required for purchase awards)
  • Short Description (see SHORT DESCRIPTION below) 
  • Indicate if the work maybe be engaged with (handled) during the opening reception

 

IMAGES

CBAA Members can submit up to 2 works for consideration and up to 5 images per entry. Include at least one full view and at least one detail. Images should be saved as jpg files, at 300 ppi, the smallest dimension should be no less than 1200 pixels, files no larger than 5MB each. Images will be used for jurying, and if piece is selected, images will also be used for the exhibition publications. NOTE: This is a blind jurying process. Please do not include your name or press name in the image, image file name, or image file description. If needed, blur identify information. Un-blurred images will be requested for exhibition publications.

 

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Include a short description of the work, 250 words or less. NOTE: This text, including its name and contents should NOT include the member’s name or press name. This text may be used in exhibition publications and should address the work conceptually and visually.

 SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Entries MUST be received no later than the entry deadline. Entries received after this date will not be considered for acceptance. 12/15/2026: Submissions deadline

01/31/2027: Notification of acceptance or rejection of each entry

05/01/2027: Work must arrive by May 1, 2027, all shipping is the responsibility of the artist

05/23/2027: Exhibition Opens 

06/11/2027: Reception for Member’s Exhibit

06/14/2027: Exhibition closes

06/23/2027: Return of work begins

 SHIPPING

All shipping and insurance in-transit, return label, and reusable packaging is the responsibility of the artist. Artists may use FedEx, UPS, USPS. Details for shipping and return shipping will be sent with the acceptance letter. 

 

CONTACT

For questions about the submission process or content-related questions about entries for the exhibition: Erin McAdams, emcadams@collegebookart.org

 Jurors Bios

Emily Martin

Emily Martin is a book artist and educator based in Iowa City, Iowa. She holds an MFA in Painting from the University of Iowa and has taught at the University of Iowa Center for the Book since 1998. Her work explores sculptural and movable book structures, paper engineering, and the intersection of traditional bookbinding with contemporary book art. Martin has produced numerous limited-edition artists' books, originally under the imprint Naughty Dog Press. Her work is held in collections internationally, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate Britain, and the Library of Congress.

 Ellen Knudson

Ellen Knudson is a book artist, designer, and educator based in Gainesville, Florida. She holds an MFA in Book Arts from the University of Alabama and is a Senior Associate in Book Arts at the University of Florida, where she teaches book arts and letterpress and curates the book arts collection. Working under the imprint Crooked Letter Press, Knudson creates handmade books that combine typography, image, and text to explore subjects ranging from science and mathematics to gender and the environment. Her work is held in national and international collections, including the Library of Congress, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Yale University.

Ends on
SUBMIT to CBAA Members Juried Exhibition, Baylor 2027, SECOND SUBMISSION

CBAA 2027 Juried Members Exhibition

Book as Catalyst: From Object to Impact

2027 CBAA National Conference  June 10–12, 2027  Baylor University | Waco, Texas

ART Center Waco https://artcenterwaco.org

 

CBAA invites members to submit work for the 2027 Juried Members Exhibition, held in conjunction with the national conference, Book as Catalyst: From Object to Impact.

Books have the capacity to do more than hold information or exist as objects. They can initiate conversations, preserve histories, build communities, challenge conventions, and create connections across disciplines. This exhibition invites artists to consider the book not only as a physical object, but as a catalyst for ideas, experiences, and exchange.

We welcome a broad range of approaches to book art, including traditional and experimental book structures, broadsides, prints, and works that move beyond conventional forms. Submissions might explore:

  • Books as tools for dialogue, storytelling, and social engagement
  • Works that activate archives, histories, memory, or collective knowledge
  • Collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to bookmaking
  • Experimental structures, materials, and processes that expand the possibilities of the book
  • Books that engage audiences through interaction, participation, or performance
  • Works that explore the relationship between the book, its audience, and the world beyond the page
  • Hand-crafted book works (editioned or unique) which have been made within the last 3 years

These are suggested areas of exploration rather than requirements. We encourage members to submit work that reflects the breadth of contemporary book art practice and offers new perspectives on what a book can be and do.

 

ELIGIBILITY Submissions by CBAA members are welcomed in any medium, any style. Work submitted must have been made within the past 3 years in order to be considered. Preference will be given to work under 24” height and 24” in width. Broadside, print and wall hung work must be unframed and ready to hang. Performance and/or installation art will also be considered. The jury and exhibition committee reserve the right to decline work based on the venue’s ability to host the work due to limitations of space and/or technology. This exhibit is open to book arts related artworks created as either an edition or one-of-a-kind. 

 

PRIZES & AWARDS

  • CBAA Member awards
  •  Baylor Libraries Distinguished Book Award

 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Please note that the only way to submit artwork is through this online submission manager (Submittable). CBAA membership must be current to submit. In order to become a new member, or to renew your membership link here: https://www.collegebookart.org/page-363225

CBAA Members can submit up to 2 works for consideration. Each entry must be submitted separately so the jurors can select separate pieces. For a second entry, please select the SECOND SUBMISSION, ALL MEMBERS category. This will ensure that you do not have to pay the entry fee twice.

 

Categories & Fees

REGULAR MEMBERS — $30, includes up to 2 submissions

STUDENT MEMBERS — $10, includes up to 2 submissions

A non-refundable entry fee ($30 Regular Members/$10 Student Members) for up to two works must accompany each submission. When entering online you will pay via PayPal or any major credit card.

This is a blind jurying process. Please do not include your name or press name in the image, image file name, image file description or supplemental information (see IMAGES below for information on how to format your image file). You will be asked to enter your name only in the appropriate sections of the submission form. 

You will be asked to submit the following information when prompted by the online submission manager for each entry separately: 

  • Member’s address
  • Member’s phone number
  • Member’s institution *if relevant
  • Brief Bio (100 word limit)
  • Title of work
  • Year completed (work must have been completed in the last 3 years)
  • Medium/technique
  • Dimensions when closed (inches)
  • Dimensions when opened (inches)
  • Edition size (if applicable) 
  • Insurance value (required) 
  • Sale Value (this is not a sales event, but this is required for purchase awards)
  • Short Description (see SHORT DESCRIPTION below) 
  • Indicate if the work maybe be engaged with (handled) during the opening reception

 

IMAGES

CBAA Members can submit up to 2 works for consideration and up to 5 images per entry. Include at least one full view and at least one detail. Images should be saved as jpg files, at 300 ppi, the smallest dimension should be no less than 1200 pixels, files no larger than 5MB each. Images will be used for jurying, and if piece is selected, images will also be used for the exhibition publications. NOTE: This is a blind jurying process. Please do not include your name or press name in the image, image file name, or image file description. If needed, blur identify information. Un-blurred images will be requested for exhibition publications.

 

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Include a short description of the work, 250 words or less. NOTE: This text, including its name and contents should NOT include the member’s name or press name. This text may be used in exhibition publications and should address the work conceptually and visually.

 SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Entries MUST be received no later than the entry deadline. Entries received after this date will not be considered for acceptance. 12/15/2026: Submissions deadline

01/31/2027: Notification of acceptance or rejection of each entry

05/01/2027: Work must arrive by May 1, 2027, all shipping is the responsibility of the artist

06/01/2027: Exhibition Opens 

06/11/2027: Reception for Member’s Exhibit

06/30/2027: Exhibition closes

07/15/2027: Return of work begins

 SHIPPING

All shipping and insurance in-transit, return label, and reusable packaging is the responsibility of the artist. Artists may use FedEx, UPS, USPS. Details for shipping and return shipping will be sent with the acceptance letter. 

 

CONTACT

For questions about the submission process or content-related questions about entries for the exhibition: Erin McAdams, emcadams@collegebookart.org

Jurors Bios

Emily Martin

Emily Martin is a book artist and educator based in Iowa City, Iowa. She holds an MFA in Painting from the University of Iowa and has taught at the University of Iowa Center for the Book since 1998. Her work explores sculptural and movable book structures, paper engineering, and the intersection of traditional bookbinding with contemporary book art. Martin has produced numerous limited-edition artists' books, originally under the imprint Naughty Dog Press. Her work is held in collections internationally, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate Britain, and the Library of Congress.

 Ellen Knudson

Ellen Knudson is a book artist, designer, and educator based in Gainesville, Florida. She holds an MFA in Book Arts from the University of Alabama and is a Senior Associate in Book Arts at the University of Florida, where she teaches book arts and letterpress and curates the book arts collection. Working under the imprint Crooked Letter Press, Knudson creates handmade books that combine typography, image, and text to explore subjects ranging from science and mathematics to gender and the environment. Her work is held in national and international collections, including the Library of Congress, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Yale University.

College Book Art Association