Formatting Your Work for the Skowhegan
Application Website
The Skowhegan Application Website has a few idiosyncrasies that differ from other applications. If you’re not aware of the specific requirements for still images and videos, your work could either not upload, or not be viewable in the review process.
Our application has undergone a few changes, so even if you have applied in the past, we encourage you to at least skim this document. Please read and follow the directions carefully.
Skowhegan Help Desk
Still encountering issues with the Application Website? Contact:
Email: help@skowheganart.org
Help Line: +1 (646) 681-6426
Hours: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, EST (UTC -5:00); Monday–Friday.
The Basics
There are three portfolio options:
10 images
5 images and 2.5 minutes of video
5 minutes of video
You can upload up to five videos, as long as the total duration of the videos does not exceed the specified limit. Choose the one that makes the most sense for your work.
Upload your images/videos in the order you wish them to appear!
You cannot reorder items. You must delete them and re-upload them in your desired order.
We encounter the most problems with video portfolios! We have made back-end changes to hopefully make the process easier, but user error is still the biggest reason videos cannot be reviewed by our jury. Make sure you read the video section carefully!
After submitting payment information, the website may stall on this page for up to a minute. Please wait! When the payment has processed, you will be moved to Step 8.
Formatting Images
Requirements
All images must be JPEG (.JPG) files.
The longest side of your image must be less than 2000 pixels.
If your image is more than 2000 pixels on the longest size, it will not upload!
File names:
cannot exceed 15 characters
can only include the Roman alphabet and Arabic numerals. Do not include spaces, punctuation or any special characters (example: ñ, ß, é)
are encouraged to follow a LastnameFirstname01 format (example: RoeJane02.jpg)
are not seen by the jury at any step of the application process.
Uploading tips
You must upload the image, fill out all accompanying text, then select “Finish Upload.”
If you need to change any of the text relating to an image, you must reupload the image.
You cannot reorder images after they have been uploaded.
We encourage you to write your image details ahead of time and upload everything at once to minimize issues.
The following instructions are for Preview on a Mac.
If you need further assistance, please contact the Skowhegan Help Desk at help@skowheganart.org . Note that we cannot offer general technical support.
Resizing your image
Open image in Preview, and then select Tools > Adjust Size.
In the resulting dialogue box, adjust the dimensions to ensure no side is more than 2000 pixels.
Only make the image smaller! It is not a requirement that images be 2000px. Do not make a small image larger. It will decrease quality.
Converting your image to a JPEG
Open image in Preview, and then select File > Export.
In the resulting dialogue box, simply change the file type to JPEG and save.
Video Uploading
We encounter the most issues with video uploads!
The Skowhegan Application website does not host or retain any of your videos, and instead just embeds your videos for us to review. Your videos must be hosted on either Vimeo (recommended) or, for the first time this year, YouTube.
To make a free Vimeo account, go to https://vimeo.com/sign_up
We are aware that this page makes it seem like you must pay for an account, but you can click “No thanks” when it asks you to select a plan.
As this is our first year allowing YouTube as a video host, we ask for your patience when seeking our help using that platform.
Common Mistakes
Video removed or made private before the conclusion of the application review process.
Until you have heard a definitive response about your admission to the program, do not change your videos’ privacy settings or remove them.
YouTube comes with a higher risk for having your video removed for Adult Content or Copyright Claims. If you still elect to use YouTube, please monitor your video’s status throughout the duration of the review season. If your video gets removed, you can send a new link to help@skowheganart.org however we cannot guarantee that we will be able to edit your application, and the jury may not see your video.
Incorrect video links
Many people mistakenly submit the back-end links to their videos that are not publicly accessible.
INCORRECT LINK EXAMPLES:
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/556220329
https://vimeo.com/[USERNAME]/review/556220329/f9a89d94ed
https://vimeo.com/[USERNAME]/download/556220329/c380440a4a
https://player.vimeo.com/video/556220329
https://studio.youtube.com/video/IMonOjryTZ4/edit?cCORRECT LINK EXAMPLES:
https://vimeo.com/556220329
https://youtu.be/tbk3uF3WKQI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbk3uF3WKQI
Incorrect Privacy Settings
We appreciate that you may not want your videos publicly accessible, but if you do not allow your videos to be embedded, we cannot review them!
See below for more information on how to ensure your videos are viewable to the jury.
Vimeo Privacy Settings
You must make sure that for “Where can the video be embedded?,” the answer “Anywhere” is selected.
“Nowhere” will result in your video being unviewable, and thus unable to be reviewed.
The “Specific Domains” option does not work because the application is not hosted on a static domain.
The only Vimeo privacy setting that we cannot accommodate is “Private.”
Please note that the “Password Protected” option is only available to paid Vimeo users, however you do not need to have a paid account to use Vimeo.
YouTube Privacy Settings
The only YouTube privacy setting that we cannot accommodate is, again, “Private.”
Embedding is enabled by default, but to double check, go to the “Video Details” page, and click “SHOW MORE.” The “Allow Embedding” checkbox is under “License”