8 Hacks for an Edge in Any and All Art Competitions

Photo by Khara Woods on Unsplash
Showcase your talent and win big in Artists Network prestigious art competitions! Discover competitions in a variety of media and enter for your chance to win cash prizes, publication in leading art magazines, global exposure, and rewards for your hard work. Plus, gain valuable feedback from renowned jurors. Let your passion shine through – enter an art competition today!

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!

All art competitions -- 8 Hacks. Getty Images
Getty Images

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.

Be sure to get a professional involved if you aren't confident about shooting your artworks yourself. It takes some know-how! Getty ImagesBe sure to get a professional involved if you aren't confident about shooting your artworks yourself. It takes some know-how! Getty Images
Be sure to get a professional involved if you aren’t confident about shooting your artworks yourself. It takes some know-how! Getty Images

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.

Stalk the jurors in a friendly non- law breaking way. Photo by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash
Definitely look up the jurors in all art competitions you are participating in. It can give you an indication of what they are drawn to, visually speaking. Photo by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash

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.

Submit your work in an art contest or competition with categories and you assure yourself a better chance at success.
Submit your work in an art contest or competition with categories and you assure yourself a better chance at success. Getty Images

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.

Photo by Khara Woods on Unsplash
Technique is not the way to win over an art juror. It is all about your unique take. Photo by Khara Woods on Unsplash

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.

Technique is definitely part of the battle but in all art competitions, the winner brings something more to the table.
Technique is definitely part of the battle but in all art competitions, the winner brings something more to the table. Getty Images

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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