[Kevin Roeckl]

Thanks Alexandra. A couple weeks had passed since I asked the question here on the Forum, so I thought I'd better check with PSOA before submitting my entry. If chosen as a finalist I did not want there to be any question about it's eligibility.
The official word is that, as stated before, First, Second, and Third places are awards, Finalists and Honorable Mentions are not. So, not having won an award, an Honorable Mention is completely eligible for entry.

Artists whom I asked about this unanimously agreed that an Honorable Mention is an "award". Of course we would, because all of us who have received an Honorable Mention or any other type or recognition, want to believe that is an important honor bestowed upon our work. In this case, the official definition worked in my favor, as it allowed me to enter a good piece of work in another competition.

This brings another question to my mind. Many art competitions, not necessarily in the field of portraiture, have rules that the entry "not have won an award in any previous art competition". So could one safely proceed with entering any work that did not win, specifically, a First, Second, or Third place? (And obviously a Best in Show). What about a People's Choice award, or any other non-regular award? I assumed any piece which had hung in a competition with a ribbon on it - even if only an Honorable Mention - had "won an award".