1.Who can enter

The Loop Culture Award is open to UK residents aged 18 or over.

Entry is free and no purchase is necessary. No professional experience, art qualification or formal art education is required. Students and emerging artists are welcome.

Each person may submit one entry only.

Entrants must be following Loop Culture on at least one of its official social-media accounts when they submit their entry and must provide the relevant social-media username in the entry form.

2.Competition dates

Entries open on 1 October 2026.

Entries close at 11:59pm UK time on 31 October 2026.

Entries received after the closing time will not be accepted.

3.Eligible artwork

Entries must be the entrant's own original, human-created artwork.

Painting, drawing, illustration, digital art, collage, printmaking and other original visual artwork are welcome.

Existing original artwork may be entered; it does not need to have been created specifically for The Loop Culture Award.

Photography itself is not an eligible artwork category, although a photograph may be used to submit a painting, drawing or other physical artwork.

Normal digital creative tools may be used. Generative AI must not have been used to generate or substantially create any part of the submitted artwork.

Artwork must not contain unlicensed third-party artwork, characters, logos, brands or other protected material.

Entrants must own the artwork and have the rights necessary to license it commercially if they win.

4.How to enter

Entries must be submitted using the official Loop Culture Award entry form on the Loop Culture website.

Entrants must provide the requested contact details and information and upload their artwork.

For digital artwork, entrants should upload the best-quality version of their original digital file available.

For physical artwork, such as a painting or drawing, entrants only need to upload a clear, good-quality photograph of the artwork. The physical original does not need to be sent to Loop Culture to enter.

All required declarations on the entry form must be accepted before an entry can be submitted.

5.Originality and verification

Loop Culture may request reasonable evidence that an artwork is original and human-created. This could include sketches, working files, layers, progress photographs, source files or access to the physical original.

An entry may be rejected if Loop Culture reasonably believes it does not comply with these rules or if its originality or human creation cannot reasonably be verified.

6.Selecting the finalists

After entries close, Loop Culture will select up to five finalists from eligible entries.

Artwork will be considered on originality, visual impact, suitability for a belt and fit with Loop Culture.

Only artwork that Loop Culture would genuinely consider manufacturing as a belt will be shortlisted.

Loop Culture may consult its manufacturer before shortlisting an artwork to confirm that it can reasonably work in the belt format.

7.Public vote

The shortlisted artworks will be put to a public vote. Voting dates and instructions will be published before voting opens.

Each person may cast one vote. Live voting totals will not be displayed while voting is open.

Finalists may share and promote their finalist status. Social-media posts specifically asking people to vote should tag Loop Culture's official account.

Bought votes, automated votes, bots, organised vote-swapping or rewards offered in exchange for votes are not permitted.

Loop Culture may disregard votes it reasonably identifies as duplicated, automated, purchased or otherwise manipulated.

The finalist receiving the highest number of valid votes will be the winner.

If there is an exact tie, Loop Culture will select between the tied entries using the published criteria of originality, visual impact, suitability for a belt and fit with Loop Culture.

8.The prize

The winning artist will receive a £200 cash prize plus a 10% royalty on the actual selling price of every Loop Culture belt sold using the winning artwork, excluding postage.

The £200 prize will be paid after the winner has accepted the prize and completed the required artist agreement.

The 10% royalty will continue for as long as Loop Culture sells belts using the winning artwork.

The royalty and licence apply to belts only. Any proposed commercial use of the artwork on another type of product would require a separate agreement with the artist.

9.Copyright and ownership

Artists retain ownership and copyright in their artwork.

Submitting an entry does not transfer ownership of the artwork to Loop Culture.

By entering, entrants give Loop Culture permission to display and promote their submitted artwork where reasonably necessary to administer and promote The Loop Culture Award, including publication on the Loop Culture website and social-media accounts.

Non-winning artwork will not be used commercially by Loop Culture without a separate agreement with the artist.

10.The winning artwork

The winning artist retains ownership and copyright in their original artwork.

The winner will enter into an artist agreement giving Loop Culture the exclusive right to use the winning artwork on belts for as long as Loop Culture genuinely sells the winning belt.

When Loop Culture permanently discontinues the winning belt, that belt exclusivity will end.

Loop Culture may crop or position the winning artwork as reasonably necessary to fit the belt format. Loop Culture will not add new creative elements or substantially redesign the artwork without agreement from the artist.

The winning artist will be shown the final crop before production.

11.Physical winning artwork

If the winning entry is a physical original, Loop Culture may need the original artwork for professional photography or scanning before manufacture.

If this is required, Loop Culture will arrange and pay the reasonable cost of insured delivery of the artwork to Loop Culture and its insured return to the artist.

Digital artists will instead be asked to provide the highest-quality original digital file available.

12.Winner and artist credit

After voting closes, Loop Culture will verify the result and contact the winning entrant privately using the contact details supplied with their entry.

The winner will have seven days to accept the prize and complete the required acceptance steps.

The winner will be publicly announced after acceptance.

If the winner cannot be contacted after reasonable attempts, does not respond within seven days, is subsequently found to be ineligible or cannot verify their artwork as required, Loop Culture may approach the finalist with the next-highest number of valid votes.

The winning artist will receive appropriate credit on the winning belt's product page and in its main launch marketing, for example: 'Created in collaboration with [Artist Name]'.

Finalists may also be featured and credited by Loop Culture during the Award.

13.Personal information

Information supplied through the entry form will be used by Loop Culture to administer The Loop Culture Award, communicate with entrants, verify eligibility, administer the voting and winner process, and fulfil obligations connected with the prize.

Contact details such as postal addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses will not be published as part of the competition.

Artist names, submitted artwork and supplied social-media usernames may be used in connection with administering and promoting the Award, particularly for shortlisted entries.

Personal information will otherwise be handled in accordance with Loop Culture's Privacy Policy.

14.Fair administration

Loop Culture may reject an entry that does not comply with these Terms & Conditions, infringes another person's rights, cannot reasonably be verified as original human-created work, or cannot reasonably be manufactured as a belt.

Loop Culture may suspend, amend or cancel voting where a serious technical problem, fraud, manipulation or other circumstance makes it impossible to conduct the vote fairly.

Any material action of this kind will be taken only where reasonably necessary to protect the integrity of the Award.

15.Promoter

Promoter: Loop Culture, United Kingdom.

Award contact: sales@loopculture.co.uk.

By submitting an entry and ticking the acceptance box on the entry form, entrants confirm that they have read and agree to these Terms & Conditions.