Entry Fees and How You Pay Them

Each organization sets its own entry fee, and the call page shows what yours will be before you start. This guide explains the different ways a fee can be worked out, how the cart and checkout behave, and what happens when a fee is charged only on acceptance.

Every amount you see is in the call's own currency. Crafted Call operates in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and a call never charges you in a currency other than its own.

The ways a fee can be worked out

Four models exist. The call page tells you which one applies.

The same price per entry charges one price for each submission, so three submissions cost three times as much. Organizations can set a lower early price with a cut-off date, and a higher late price for submissions after the main deadline.

First entry + each additional charges one price for your first submission to the call and a different price for each further one. The additional price is flat, not cumulative.

A price table prices by how many works you enter, using a table the organization sets, often with a better rate for its members. Your second and third submissions cost whatever that table says they cost.

A sliding scale lets you choose your own fee level from a small list, each with its own reduction. It is an honor system: the form says outright that no verification is required. See Tiered, sliding-scale and fee-waiver entry fees.

Some calls charge nothing at all, and some charge nothing up front and only bill you if your work is accepted.

The cart

Submissions with a fee go into a cart at Shopping Cart, under a Call Submissions heading. Each line shows the piece, the call, the price and the deadline of that call, so you can see at a glance which submission needs paying first. A deadline within a week is highlighted, and one within two days is highlighted more strongly.

The Order Summary shows your Subtotal, any Discount with the code that produced it, any referral credits, tax if the organization charges it, and the Total. The button reads Proceed to Checkout with the amount on it.

One checkout covers one organization and one currency. If your cart mixes two organizations, the button explains that and asks you to check out one at a time. Remove the other lines, pay, then add them back.

Coupons

If an organization gave you a code, enter it in the Promo Code field in the cart and click Apply. The discount appears on the summary immediately. Remove takes it off again. See Using coupon codes if a code will not apply.

A withdrawal coupon from a previous submission works here too.

Paying

Payment runs through Stripe. Card details go straight to Stripe and are never stored by Crafted Call. You get a receipt by email, along with your submission confirmation. If you paid for several pieces at once, one confirmation email covers them all.

If a payment does not go through, nothing is submitted. Your submission stays a draft and stays in your list, so you can try again without redoing the form.

Fees charged on acceptance

Some calls collect nothing when you enter and charge only if your work is selected. On those, your submission sits at Accepted with a Pay entry fee button on your dashboard.

The organization can also email you a payment link. That link opens a page titled Complete Your Submission which works without signing in, so you can pay from a phone, or from a device you are not signed in on. The link is good for a week. If yours has expired, ask the organization to send a fresh one.

An organization can also cover the fee for you. When it does, your submission stays accepted and owes nothing.

See Charging the entry fee on acceptance for the full picture.

Refunds and withdrawals

An entry fee pays for the call being run and is not refunded because your work was not selected.

Two things do return value to you:

Withdrawing before the deadline, on a call that allows it, produces a one-time coupon for the full amount you paid, good for a year at the same organization. See Editing and withdrawing your submission.
A refund issued by the organization, at their discretion. When they issue one, you get an email confirming the amount, the piece, the call and the reason, and the money returns to your original payment method. It usually takes five to ten business days to appear on your statement.

If you think you were charged twice, contact the organization with your receipts rather than paying again.

Keeping records

Every payment sends you a receipt by email. Keep them. Entry fees are ordinarily a business expense for a practising artist, but how they are treated depends on where you file, so ask an accountant in your own country rather than assuming.