8 Hacks for an Edge in Any and All Art Competitions
Once you are ready to take the step to show your art, the exciting part starts. You can put an image on your website so your friends, family and a collector or two can take a look. Look into opportunities to display your painting or drawing publicly, both in traditional galleries and more unconventional spaces, near and far. You can also submit your work for inclusion in an art contest. All art competitions offer you yet another opportunity of getting your work seen. Here are a few hacks to give you an edge. Enjoy!
And when you are ready be sure to put these hacks to good use by seeing all the Art Competitions & Contests available to you at Artists Network.
More than a Snapshot
Many art competitions have gone online and submissions take the form of hi-res digital images of your work. Be sure to do justice to your painting by shooting your painting like a pro and getting a good reproduction made that is cropped to the edge of the image with no background visible.
F(r)ee Feedback
Many art competitions offer additional services like juror feedback, sometimes for free and sometimes for a fee. Either way, if getting a seasoned juror’s take on your work is an option, don’t let it pass you by.
Local Visibility
If an art competition is running locally or regionally you stand a better chance at being included so start by searching based on your hometown and state and work out from there.
A Little Friendly Stalking
If you are entering a competition and the jurors have been announced, take the time to research them. Many of them can be gallery owners or professional and established artists who have websites that can visit to give you a sense of their tastes and backgrounds. What you do with that knowledge is up to you.
Categories Are Good
It’s great to enter an appropriate artwork in a category- or media-based art contest. You know that the judges are first looking for a specific subject or works in a certain medium. Play by those rules and you’ll stay in the final running.
Fine Print
There is usually a lot of fine print with all art competitions. From prizes to how to submit to what to submit, be sure to read the prospectus in detail and consult any FAQs. For instance, there are art contests where works have to be of a minimum or maximum size. With a juried show, sometimes works need to be framed and sometimes not, same with being ready to hang. Don’t let your work get set aside on a technicality.
Variety Show
All art competition judges want to see something exceptional and that definitely means variety within their category or medium. A unique interpretation counts for a lot.
Tech for the Win?
Nope. Nine times out of 10, winning art isn’t about technical skill first. It matters, certainly, but it is all about your creativity and what you do with it.
When you are ready be sure to put these hacks to good use by seeing all the Art Competitions & Contests available to you at Artists Network.
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