AP Art and Design Portfolio Policies
For details about the portfolio requirements, see Sustained Investigation Overview and Selected Works Overview.
When you submit your portfolio components as final through the AP Digital Portfolio, you must agree to the following Artistic Integrity Agreement:
Artistic Integrity Agreement
It is unethical, constitutes plagiarism, and may even violate copyright law for students to copy another work or image (even in another medium) and represent it as their own. The work they submit as final through the AP Digital Portfolio must be an entirely original creation, made by them, and reflecting their own unique vision. When submitting their portfolio, they must attest: “I hereby affirm that all works in this portfolio were done by me and that these images accurately represent my actual work.”
Preexisting Works
Any submission that makes use of preexisting photographs, images, or works of any kind must both:
- Give full credit to any preexisting work.
- Extend beyond mere duplication and demonstrate your observable transformation of materials, processes, and ideas through practice, experimentation, and revision. The final piece must offer a demonstrable, fresh perspective and interpretation of the preexisting work in new or unexpected ways.
Examples of plagiarism can be found in the AP Art and Design Plagiarism and Artificial Intelligence Policy.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Editing Tools
The use of generative AI tools and features is categorically prohibited at any stage of the creative process.
Generative AI tools use predictive technology to produce a wide array of new text, charts, images, audio, and video. This includes not only ChatGPT, Dall-E, Midjourney, and similar large language models (LLMs), in addition to those features embedded in digital tools and mobile apps that are built on these or similar AI technologies (e.g., generative fill option in Photoshop). Students may not use AI features embedded in such digital tools. Examples of unacceptable digital tools and features can also be found in the AP Art and Design Plagiarism and Artificial Intelligence Policy.
Students may edit digital images of their work. However, the goals of image editing should be to present the clearest, most accurate representation of the student’s finished artwork and to ensure that images meet the requirements of the AP Digital Portfolio. Students must indicate in their submissions when digital tools are used.
Multiple Portfolio Submission
The same artwork may not be submitted for more than one AP Art and Design Portfolio Exam. Redesigning or repurposing artwork submitted to another AP Art and Design Portfolio Exam is not considered new work. Each portfolio must be an entirely new inquiry consisting of new work not previously submitted for any other portfolio exam in this year or any prior year.
Consequences of Plagiarism
If College Board determines in its sole discretion that you have violated any part of this artistic integrity agreement, such as by failing to properly attribute preexisting works, using generative AI tools, or attempting to pass off another’s work as your own, College Board may cancel your score.
Citation Examples—and When to Use Them
When your artwork is inspired by or references another source, such as a photo, artwork, or still image, you must include a short citation to give credit. In 100 characters or fewer, include the type of use (e.g., reference, inspiration), creator’s name (if known), title or description, year (if known), and primary source link (if known).
Formal citation styles like APA or MLA are not required. Just be clear and concise. Refer to the Artistic Integrity Agreement for more information on ethical use of sources.
| Use This Format when You | Example |
|---|---|
| Use an artist’s work as creative inspiration or mood board for your own idea. | Inspiration: Van Gogh Collection, 1890, https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection |
| Use a mix of texts and pictures from different magazines for collage or mixed media. | Text, Images, from multiple mags including Time and Popular Mechanics, photos, designers vary |
| Recreate or base a drawing or design off a product photo or object. | Reference photo: The Rug Company; carpet design by Barber Osgerby |
| Use a still image from a movie or TV show. Great for character study or storytelling. | Still: Warner Brothers Harry Potter, https://www.imdb.com/list/ls000493663/ |
| Use multiple images from a royalty-free site (Pixabay, Pexels, etc.). | Free use digital assets: various unnamed photographers from https://pixabay.com/ |
| Use a single image from a free-use site — useful for graphic design or direct references. | Free use: Photo by unnamed photographer from https://pixabay.com/photos/bird-warbler-nature-ornithology-8469368/ |
| Create a new work based on or influenced by a famous artwork (e.g., remix, parody, update). | Derived from Vermeer, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Girl-with-a-Pearl-Earring-by-Vermeer |
| Create a digital collage using found pre-existing images. Cite exact sources. | Digital images from online sources: Instagram@[name] and iStock domain free images |
| Practice or learn a new technique through an online tutorial such as TikTok or YouTube. | Drawing tutorial: https://www.tiktok.com/@[inserthandle]/video/7422607323455114529 |
| When you direct a photograph, film still, but are not the photographer/videographer. | Photo taken by [name] under my photo shoot/film concept, instruction, and set-up |
Overlap Among Portfolio Types
There is possible overlap among the three portfolio types. For instance, a student whose work focuses on 3-D art and design could submit, in their AP 3-D Art and Design Portfolio Exam, drawings and/or 2-D compositions associated with their 3-D work. These could include concept drawings of a sculpture or the floor plan of an architectural structure, for example.
Remember: No work may be duplicated or repurposed between portfolios or from artwork submitted in previous years.
In planning for and developing your body of portfolio work, you should select a particular focus of 2-D art and design, 3-D art and design, or drawing. As you work, you may make pieces that diverge in format from your selected portfolio type.
For the Sustained Investigation section, portfolio exams are more likely to be successful in terms of the assessment rubric if divergent forms (e.g., 2-D art and design submitted for an AP Drawing Portfolio Exam) are clearly related to the investigation of stated questions.
For the Selected Works section, portfolio exams are more likely to be successful if divergent forms demonstrate synthesis of materials, processes, and ideas using skills related to the designated portfolio type.
Digital Portfolio AP Exam Terms and Conditions
When you submit your portfolio components as final in the AP Digital Portfolio, you’ll be required to acknowledge the Digital Portfolio AP Exam Terms and Conditions.