How to Enter Art Competitions

Inspiring both excitement and fear, art competitions can serve as a proving ground and offer opportunities for emerging artists to gain a name and a following. Though the award or prize is nice--and in the case of monetary awards--profitable--the feedback and experience are invaluable to your growth as an artist. Here are some "ins and outs" for entering art competitions.

Instructions

1

Subscribe to newsletters, email lists and magazines to stay up on deadlines and opportunities. Search out your state and local Arts Councils and sign up for their mailing lists, and flip through magazines at the bookstore to see which has the most comprehensive information on upcoming competitions.

2

Start locally, then branch out. Building a name for yourself in a smaller market will give you the opportunity to hone your skills and receive more feedback on average than at national shows. Local shows will also give you visibility that can lead to commissions or sales outside of the competitions.

3

Read the rules, terms and especially the fine print. Some competitions will only allow works that have not been entered elsewhere. Others may require that all rights to the work are transferred to the competition sponsor. Only you can decide whether the terms of a contest are amenable to you.

4

Research the sponsors to know what will and will not be an appropriate submission. Obviously you wouldn't submit something incredibly secular to a church-sponsored exhibition, but if there are corporate sponsors who are looking to use the winning artwork in advertisements, make sure you know what products your work could be associated with.

5

Start early on your artwork to make sure it meets your standards as well as theirs. Especially if it is an original piece created for the contest, use your time wisely and try to avoid rushing through it. If you are submitting tear sheets for published items, make sure the sheets will be available before the deadline or contact the publication for advance copies, if possible.

6

Submit only what they request. Avoid sending too much or too little for the judges to look at. Pay special attention to the number of shots or slides that are acceptable for the submission. Fill out all forms completely. Model waivers should been in order for photographic submissions. Prizes valued over a certain amount require tax information to be filed, so supplying a Social Security or Tax ID number may by mandatory.

7

Allow plenty of time for delivery or use a signature confirmation service if submissions are not electronically delivered. These days, email entries are more common than not, at least for preliminary or selection rounds, though physical delivery of artwork for exhibition-style competitions is still a requirement.

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Inspiring both excitement and fear, art competitions can serve as a proving ground and offer opportunities for emerging artists to gain a name and a following. Though the award or prize is nice--and in the case of monetary awards--profitable--the feedback and experience are invaluable to your growth as an artist. Here are some "ins and outs" for entering art competitions.

Instructions

1

Subscribe to newsletters, email lists and magazines to stay up on deadlines and opportunities. Search out your state and local Arts Councils and sign up for their mailing lists, and flip through magazines at the bookstore to see which has the most comprehensive information on upcoming competitions.

2

Start locally, then branch out. Building a name for yourself in a smaller market will give you the opportunity to hone your skills and receive more feedback on average than at national shows. Local shows will also give you visibility that can lead to commissions or sales outside of the competitions.

3

Read the rules, terms and especially the fine print. Some competitions will only allow works that have not been entered elsewhere. Others may require that all rights to the work are transferred to the competition sponsor. Only you can decide whether the terms of a contest are amenable to you.

4

Research the sponsors to know what will and will not be an appropriate submission. Obviously you wouldn't submit something incredibly secular to a church-sponsored exhibition, but if there are corporate sponsors who are looking to use the winning artwork in advertisements, make sure you know what products your work could be associated with.

5

Start early on your artwork to make sure it meets your standards as well as theirs. Especially if it is an original piece created for the contest, use your time wisely and try to avoid rushing through it. If you are submitting tear sheets for published items, make sure the sheets will be available before the deadline or contact the publication for advance copies, if possible.

6

Submit only what they request. Avoid sending too much or too little for the judges to look at. Pay special attention to the number of shots or slides that are acceptable for the submission. Fill out all forms completely. Model waivers should been in order for photographic submissions. Prizes valued over a certain amount require tax information to be filed, so supplying a Social Security or Tax ID number may by mandatory.

7

Allow plenty of time for delivery or use a signature confirmation service if submissions are not electronically delivered. These days, email entries are more common than not, at least for preliminary or selection rounds, though physical delivery of artwork for exhibition-style competitions is still a requirement.