The Foreign Affairs ministry has called on artists to donate works of "high artistic value" for it to auction in aid of victims of last month's earthquake in central Italy. 

While artists have been asked to give away their work for free, they will also have to bear any costs of transporting it to the ministry, must submit works in "ready-to-be-framed" format and may have their submission rejected by the ministry without explanation. 

In a statement announcing its "Helping through Art" initiative, the ministry laid down a list of 12 conditions artists must adhere to before submitting works to the charity auction. 

Works must not be "controversial" and must be of "high artistic value and quality." An "unbiased evaluation board", which will be set up by the ministry, will decide which submissions are entered into the auction, and submissions may be refused "without giving any explanation." 

Funds raised by the auction, which will be held Monday October 10 at Palazzo Parisio in Valletta, will be donated to an "authorised authority identified by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs." The statement did not clarify any further. 

Selected paintings will be available for the public to view during this year's Notte Bianca event as well as throughout the subsequent week. 

Submissions must be accompanied by a short 100-word description which includes details about the work and artist as well as an estimate of the artwork's price, the ministry said. 

Artists interested in submitting works to the charity auction can email helping-thru-art.mfa@gov.mt or call 22042266. Submissions will be accepted until Friday September 23.