The Whole Plate Project is a community of photographers working in the Whole Plate format (6.5 x 8.5 inches). Whole Plate was the original photographic size, derived from book printing requirements. It is an extremely well-balanced proportion, and offers a comfortable middle ground between the portability of 5x7 and the grand scale of 8x10. With standardization around 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10, whole plate fell out of favor and into obscurity. Along with the revival of historical processes such as wet plate collodion, platinum, and gum bichromate, the whole plate format has been undergoing a contemporary renaissance as more and more photographers are re-discovering their photographic roots.

The purpose of this exhibition is to showcase the work of photographers working in whole plate format. This exhibition is a contemplation of historical themes, genres, effects, or a historical meditation on modern and contemporary movements, events and ideas. Work submitted should interrogate the intersection between historical and modern through the aperture of the whole-plate window.  

The Whole Plate Project show will be held at the Art Reactor Gallery in Hyattsville, Maryland. The show will be curated by Scott Davis, an internationally recognized fine art photographer. A catalog will be prepared from the show and made available for sale. Artists accepted into the exhibition will be given two copies of the catalog. Artists accepted into the show will also be considered for inclusion in the Whole Plate Book Project, a publishing effort underway to catalog and demonstrate the breadth and depth of work being done in the format. 

• Submissions will be accepted of work shot in the whole plate format, and the final images must demonstrate whole plate size. Any images determined not to have been made by an in-camera whole plate medium will be disqualified, and no refund of the application fee will be made. 
• All genres of work are welcome
• All non-digital media will be considered.
• The submission fee is $25 for three images, or $50 for six. Please submit a coherent body of work that demonstrates a consistent theme.
• Collections of "greatest hits" will be rejected.
• Images must be submitted on CD, mailed to Art Reactor Gallery, attention Scott Davis. 
• The CD must be labeled with your name, email address, and phone number. 
• Images must be in JPEG format, 1000 pixels on the long side. Images must be labeled with the photographers' initials, "WPP", and sequence number , separated by underscores (SD_WPP_001).
• A separate document in Word format should have an index of image titles, media used, and date produced. The document should also include a no more than 250 word artists statement that directly relates to the work submitted.
• Entries must be received no later than June 15, 2010. 
• Accepted entrants will be notified via email on July 1, 2010. PLEASE make sure the email address you provide is valid. If you do not get an email, you have not been accepted.
• Accepted entries must be delivered, matted and ready to hang no later than July 15, 2010.  If it is not at Art Reactor by close of business July 15, it is not going up on the wall. Please include a return shipping label with postage paid, and ship in a re-useable shipping container. 
• If the work delivered differs substantially from the JPEGs submitted, it will be disqualified and returned. 
• There will be an opening reception on July 17 from 6-9pm, and prizes will be awarded for best in show. Grand prize will be $100, and 2nd and 3rd prizes will be $50 gift certificates for classes at Art Reactor Workshops. In the event that the second or third place prize cannot be redeemed locally, an alternate prize will be arranged. The show will be taken down on August 21, and works will be shipped back no later than August 28. 
• All works must be for sale- the gallery will take a 40% commission on any sales.