Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality would like to invite submissions to the August 2024 edition of the Smashing Times Newsletter, which goes out on Thursday, 1 August. The theme is ‘Sport and Culture’.

Sport can be defined as an activity involving physical exertion and skill, in which an individual or team competes against another, or others, for entertainment. We’ve seen a lot of it recently, with the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship (the Euros) in its final stages, and the Paris Olympic Games beginning at the end of the month, not to mention the ongoing All-Ireland Football, Hurling, and Camogie championships closer to home, which have provided plenty of entertainment so far.

In terms of the origins of sport, cave paintings found in the Lascaux caves in France appear to depict sprinting and wrestling in the Upper Paleolithic around 15,300 years ago. Various representations of wrestlers have been found on stone slabs attributed to the Sumerian civilisation (around 3000 BCE). It was in Greece that sports were first instituted formally, with the first Olympic Games recorded in 776 BCE in Olympia (from which the Olympics takes its name).

But how does sport fit into our understanding of culture? Culture can be described as the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society, in addition to its arts and sciences. Today, association football (football/soccer) – the world’s most popular sport, with an estimated four billion fans worldwide – occupies a prominent place in the culture of many nations. In Brazil, for example, football is deeply interwoven with the country’s national identity; they have won a record five FIFA World Cups, three of which were won by Pelé, one of the greatest footballers of all time. The sport offers a recreational reprieve – as player or spectator – for Brazil’s population of 215 million, many of whom endure difficult living conditions. Football offers hope for Brazil’s millions, who consider their homeland ‘o País do Futebol’ (‘the country of football’) – a claim with far more credibility than others we have heard recently (it’s not coming home).

Meanwhile, in Ireland, Gaelic games have consistently been intertwined with Irish national identity, particularly during British colonial rule. Remarkably, hurling is said to be older than the recorded history of Ireland, having been a distinct Irish pastime for at least 3000 years. References to stick-and-ball games can even be found in Irish mythology. Today, Gaelic games represent probably the most popular aspect of traditional Irish culture.

So sport can be considered a part of culture. But can it be described as an artform? When a Serena Williams, a Lionel Messi, or a Katie Taylor pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in their respective sport, is this tantamount to what Nina Simone did with a microphone, Jack B Yeats with a paint brush, or Shakespeare with a pen? In art there are general principles, but not rules, per se – while sport cannot exist without rules. The greatest artists learn the general rules of their artform, before breaking them, as they break new ground in their field. Sportspeople, on the other hand, cannot break the rules; furthermore, over the course of hours, weeks, years, usually from a very young age, they have the rules of their sport – and principles of best practice that optimise their chances of success – drilled into them by dint of repetition and expert training plans. This repetitive conditioning is quite militaristic in nature, which is unsurprising given sport’s origins in military training. And yet, while it is no doubt effective, I imagine this practice can feel a little stifling towards self-expression at times (particularly for those whose talents are less divinely endowed than the aforementioned greats).

And yet sportspeople can break the general principles they have been taught their entire lives – if they are capable enough, that is; if they possess the requisite powers of innovation, creativity, and raw talent. An example: Lionel Messi dribbling past multiple defenders, something which most professional footballers are advised against in high-stakes scenarios, as the chances of success are low. Another example: the South African men’s rugby union team calling for a scrum from a mark in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, a previously unheard of practice which has now, notably, been outlawed by World Rugby, as scrums are viewed as slowing the game down. (Imagine Picasso being told he couldn’t employ geometric forms anymore because it was too unpalatable to the public?)

An overarching question, then, is this: compared to art, does sport contain less scope for self-expression, and true, unbridled creativity? If so, does this mean it doesn’t qualify as an artform? Does this even matter? Whatever your response to this theme, we can’t wait to see how you approached it. Please have a read of the guidelines below.

Féilim James, Smashing Times Newsletter Editor

Artist Submissions

Artist submissions can be in any genre or form. International submissions are of course welcome. A few notes:

• If submitting poetry, please send a maximum of two poems (of any length).
• If making a prose submission – a short story, non-fiction essay (personal or general), or novel extract – please send no more than one piece, of no longer than 2,000 words.
• If submitting an article, please send one piece, of no longer than 1,500 words.
• If submitting a written excerpt from a play or screenplay, please send no more than one piece, of no more than 1,000 words.
• If sending a photograph, or an image of a painting, sculpture, or architectural work, please submit no more than two. Please ensure that the images are of a high quality, and provide the work’s label: material(s) used, dimensions, and year. Please include a few lines contextualising your piece and explaining how it relates to the theme. Lastly, please remember to state the title of the piece.
• In the case of videos, or video excerpts, of plays, please submit no more than two, with neither submission running longer than 20 minutes. Please ensure that the video is of a high audiovisual calibre.
• If submitting a song, a short film, a video artwork, a feature-film excerpt, or a dance piece, please send no more than two, and ensure neither runs over 20 minutes. Likewise, please make sure that they are of a high audiovisual calibre.
• If submitting in multiple artforms, please send no more than two artworks overall. For example, you may send one short story together with one article. As explained above, please do not submit two short stories, two non-fiction essays, two novel extracts, two articles, two play excerpts, or two screenplay excerpts.
• Submissions may have appeared elsewhere before, though new work is especially welcome. (If a submission has appeared elsewhere before, please state this and include the publication details.)
• Submissions can be made in English, Irish, or in translation. For Irish language submissions, our preference is that they be submitted alongside English language translations, though this is in no way compulsory. For translations of the work of another author, all relevant permissions must be obtained beforehand. We may also look to publish the original alongside the translation.
• Themes are always flexible; any subjective response is considered valid.
• Please submit to smashingsubmissions@gmail.com by midnight on Sunday, 21 July, 2024. Subject lines should read: ‘Artist Submission, August 2024’. Please include a max two-line biography to accompany your piece, making reference to your previous publications (if applicable); any social media/website links you would like to be included in case of publication; a headshot or photograph; whether you would like to be signed up to the newsletter (so that, if selected, you receive the edition in which your work appears); and how exactly you heard of this submission opportunity. In order to ensure your submission’s eligibility, please make sure that you have included everything we have requested.
• Our preference for written pieces is that they be sent in a Word document. Please do not send them in a PDF.
• If we accept a written piece, the editor will contact you with at least one round of suggested edits, so please monitor your email closely.
• Furthermore, if your work is accepted, it will appear not only in the newsletter but on the Smashing Times website and possibly across our social media channels.
• Not all submissions will be accepted, unfortunately.
• The newsletter goes out on Thursday, 1 August, 2024.
• Publication is unpaid, regrettably, as we are a small charity with limited resources. The newsletter reaches around 1,250 people, however, including a range of major organisations in the areas of arts and human rights, both in Ireland and across Europe. Previous newsletter contributors include poets Jessica Traynor and Fady Joudah, Senator Lynn Ruane, 2023 Nobel Peace Prize-winner Narges Mohammadi, rapper-singer Saint Levant, visual artist Erika Diettes, and many more.
• Submissions are especially welcome from individuals who have been underrepresented historically, such as ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, members of the Traveller community, the LGBTQ+ community, and women. Please let us know when submitting if you belong to any of these or suchlike minorities.
• Any questions should be directed to communications@smashingtimes.ie and not the submissions email above, which is solely used to accept submissions.

News Item Submissions

News item submissions are welcome from any organisation or individual either working in the arts, or in human rights, equality, or similar areas. Some notes:

• News items should be 175 words or less. They may be written in either English or Irish. They do not need to have any relevance to the theme. Furthermore, please note that a promotional piece about you or your organisation, or a specific project, with no reference to recent activities or events, is not eligible. For an item to qualify as news it must be based on you or your organisation’s recent, ongoing, or upcoming work, event, or activity in the areas of the arts, human rights, equality, or social justice.
• Please include a photo to go with your news item and ensure it is of reasonably high quality. If there is no relevant photo, please send on your organisation’s logo.
• Any links should be included as hyperlinks.
• Please double-check for spelling, grammar, accuracy, and clarity.
• We will endeavour to include as many submissions as possible – though this of course depends on the number we receive. (In the event of a surplus, we will hold onto any items which would still be relevant in the following month’s edition, with your permission.) We will prioritise submissions from Smashing Times members. Sign you or your organisation up as a Smashing Times member here.
• The newsletter reaches around 1,250 people, including a range of major organisations in the areas of arts and human rights, both in Ireland and across Europe.
• Please submit in a word document to smashingsubmissions@gmail.com by midnight on Sunday, 21 July, 2024. Subject lines should read: ‘News Item Submission, August 2024’.
• The newsletter goes out on Thursday, 1 August, 2024.
• Submissions are especially welcome from individuals who have been underrepresented historically, such as ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, members of the Traveller community, the LGBTQ+ community, and women. Please let us know when submitting if you belong to any of these or suchlike minorities. Likewise, we welcome submissions from organisations that advocate for any of these, or similar, causes.
• Any questions should be directed to communications@smashingtimes.ie and not the submissions email above, which is solely used to accept submissions.

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