Cadiz Carnival 2025 poster - disqualified finalist |
|
Cadiz City Carnival poster 2025
The vote for the poster for Carnival 2025 in Cadiz has been mired in controversy. One of the entries was disqualified for using artificial intelligence, and the vote was postponed after the discovery of possible plagiarism in another poster. This turned out not to be the case, so three of the four finalists went through to the final stage, where a public vote would determine the winner, who would receive a prize of 6,000 euros.
The work 'Lágrimas que ríen y cantan' ('Tears that laugh and sing') was disqualified when the jury selecting the finalists found that 'the images in the work are neither original nor unpublished, as there is documentary evidence of the existence of these images on the internet'. The images in the poster were similar to drawings on the Facebook page 'Robot Dreams of Beauty' by artist Charlene McNally.
The 'Carnival Dream' finalist also featured designs that were not original. These were the figure of the Ottoman in 'La Dalmazia Descritta' and the French maiden in the various engravings by Nicolas Lupin. Another finalist failed to include the carnival on the poster.
With so many posters eliminated, the competition was declared null and void and the public vote was cancelled. The poster for Carnaval de Cádiz 2025 will now be commissioned from a local artist.
As one of Spain's major ports during the 16th century, Cadiz copied the carnival of Venice, a city with which it had much trade, and since then it has become the liveliest and most dazzling carnival town in mainland Spain, famous for its amusing and creative characters and satirical song groups.
Cádiz is home to mainland Spain's premier carnival. In fact, numerous groups and associations throughout the city - along with the city hall, of course - spend the entire year preparing for the next carnival. Such dedication does, therefore, deserve more than just a weekend of festivities, which is why this most ancient of European cities keeps the celebration going for at least a good 10 days.
Cádiz City
Carnivals in Andalucia
Festivals in Andalucia
