Guide11 min read
Art Competitions and Prizes: How to Enter and Win
A comprehensive guide to art competitions, prizes, and awards—how to find them, evaluate which are worth entering, and strategies for successful competition entries.
Artsumé Team
A comprehensive guide to art competitions, prizes, and awards—how to find them, evaluate which are worth entering, and strategies for successful competition entries.
Art competitions are juried opportunities where artists submit work for evaluation against predetermined criteria, competing for prizes, recognition, and exhibition opportunities. Unlike open calls focused primarily on group exhibitions, competitions explicitly rank entries and award prizes to standout works.
Competitions serve multiple purposes in artists' careers. Beyond potential cash prizes (ranging from $500 to $50,000+), winning or placing in reputable competitions generates CV credentials, media coverage, and collector attention. Many artists credit competition success with catalyzing career momentum.
These competitions offer monetary awards as primary prizes. Major competitions like the Bennett Prize ($50,000), Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition ($25,000), and AXA Art Prize ($10,000+) provide life-changing support for winners. Smaller regional competitions typically offer $500-$5,000 prizes.
Cash prizes enable investment in your practice—new equipment, studio space, or time away from employment. Even modest prizes can fund significant creative development.
Many competitions culminate in exhibitions showcasing winning and selected work. The exposure from competitive exhibitions often proves more valuable than modest cash awards. These exhibitions frequently occur at notable venues—museums, university galleries, and established arts organizations—adding significant CV credentials.
Some competitions include purchase awards where winning work enters institutional or private collections. Having work acquired through competitive selection demonstrates market validation and curatorial endorsement. Purchase awards typically range from $1,000 to $10,000, with the artwork permanently entering the collection.
Themed competitions focus on specific subjects, media, or concepts—portraiture, landscape, social justice, sustainability, or specific materials. Themed calls allow you to position existing work within a focused context or develop new work responding to competition themes.
Many competitions target specific career stages—emerging artist prizes, mid-career awards, or lifetime achievement recognition. Matching your career stage to appropriate competitions increases competitiveness and ensures evaluation against appropriate peer groups.
Regional competitions celebrate and support artists from specific geographic areas. National competitions draw broader applicant pools but offer greater visibility. Consider both scales—regional wins build local reputation while national recognition extends your reach.
Understanding the competition landscape helps you target appropriate opportunities and plan applications strategically.
The largest prize for women figurative realist painters ($50,000), The Bennett Prize has launched numerous careers since its establishment. Winners receive substantial publicity alongside prize money, and the competition's biennial cycle generates significant media coverage.
Organized by the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, this competition awards $25,000 to first prize with winning work acquired for the permanent collection. Inclusion in the Smithsonian collection represents extraordinary career validation.
This competition focuses on emerging artists with substantial prizes and exhibition opportunities. The program combines monetary awards with mentorship and professional development, providing comprehensive career support.
One of the most prestigious international portrait competitions, the BP Portrait Award at London's National Portrait Gallery draws thousands of entries worldwide. Prize money totals over £74,000, with winners exhibited at a major international venue.
Canada's most significant portrait prize, the Kingston Prize offers $50,000 CAD with extensive touring exhibition of finalists' work. The competition's rigorous selection process ensures genuine career impact for winners and finalists alike.
This program recognizes excellence across multiple categories and career stages. Multiple awards in various disciplines make this accessible to diverse artistic practices.
Most regions have significant competitions—the Hopper Prize, Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series, and numerous state-level arts awards. Research competitions in your region for more accessible entry points.
Understanding jury processes helps you submit more strategically.
Competition juries typically include curators, critics, collectors, and established artists. Jury composition varies—some competitions use rotating panels; others maintain consistent voices across years. Research previous juries to understand evaluation perspectives.
Stated criteria guide jury decisions. Common criteria include:
Read criteria carefully. Applications ignoring stated criteria rarely succeed regardless of work quality.
Competitions differ in what they request:
Match your submission strategy to competition requirements. A strong portfolio approach differs from selecting your single best piece.
Some competitions conduct blind review, evaluating work without knowing artist identities. Others review applications with full artist information visible. Blind review processes prioritize work quality alone; identified review may consider career trajectory and context.
Strong competition entries require strategic preparation and professional presentation.
Competition success depends on work quality above all else. Submit your absolute best work, even if it means entering fewer competitions. One excellent entry outperforms multiple mediocre submissions.
Consider:
Don't submit work that's strong but poorly documented. Juries see images, not actual work—documentation quality matters enormously.
Professional documentation distinguishes serious artists from casual entrants. For competition submissions:
Weak documentation undermines strong work. Juries can't award prizes to work they can't properly see.
Many competitions require artist statements contextualizing submitted work. Effective statements are:
Describe what viewers see and why you made those choices. Avoid explaining what your work "means"—let the work communicate its own meaning while you provide context.
Competitions disqualify entries failing to meet requirements. Before submitting:
Technical disqualification wastes entry fees and preparation effort. Review requirements multiple times before submitting.
Most competitions charge entry fees ($25-$75 is typical). Consider fees as professional investments, but be strategic. Calculate your "competition budget" and prioritize applications where your work fits strongest.
Avoid fee-heavy competitions with unclear prize structures or unknown organizers. Reputable competitions have transparent processes and established track records.
Random competition entry rarely produces results. Strategic approaches maximize your investment of time and money.
Before entering any competition:
If previous winners share nothing in common with your practice, the competition may not suit your work regardless of its quality.
Competition deadlines cluster seasonally. Create a calendar tracking opportunities throughout the year. Many artists maintain spreadsheets noting:
Planning prevents missed opportunities and spreads effort across the year.
Competition success often requires persistent application. Many prizewinners entered multiple times before winning. Track your applications and refine approaches based on results.
Rejection doesn't mean your work lacks merit—it means that particular jury, in that particular year, selected different work. Sustained effort across appropriate competitions eventually produces results.
Some artists find success by focusing on specific competition types—portraiture, landscape, specific media—where they can develop expertise and recognition. Specialization helps you identify the most relevant opportunities and develop increasingly refined submissions.
Apply to both highly competitive prestigious competitions and more accessible opportunities. Prestigious competitions offer greater career impact but lower success probability. Regional and emerging-artist competitions may offer better odds while still providing valuable credentials.
Competition wins create opportunities beyond the immediate prize.
Reputable competitions publicize winners through press releases, social media, and media outreach. This exposure introduces your work to collectors, curators, and other artists. Maximize publicity by:
Many competitions include exhibition for winners and finalists. These exhibitions generate additional visibility and often attract collectors specifically interested in competition-validated work. Treat opening events as networking opportunities.
Competition success generates momentum. Use wins to:
Don't let wins fade without maximizing their career value.
Competition prizes are taxable income. Budget for tax obligations. Beyond taxes, consider investing prizes in practice development—better equipment, studio improvements, documentation, or time for focused work.
<Callout> Competition success rarely comes overnight. Most prizewinners applied repeatedly across multiple competitions before winning. View each application as practice—refining documentation, statements, and work selection—that eventually produces results. </Callout>Submitting abstract work to realist competitions—or vice versa—wastes entry fees. Study previous winners. If your work shares nothing with typical selections, find better-matched opportunities.
Juries evaluate images, not artworks. Weak documentation kills strong applications. Invest in professional photography or develop proper documentation skills.
Disqualification for technical failures—wrong file format, exceeded word limits, ineligible work—wastes preparation effort. Review requirements obsessively before submitting.
Artist statements that could describe anyone's work provide no value. Write specific, concrete descriptions of your actual practice and submitted work.
Technical problems, platform issues, and oversights increase with deadline pressure. Submit early, verify submission confirmation, and address problems before deadlines pass.
While legitimate competitions charge reasonable fees, excessive fees ($100+) often indicate predatory practices. Research unfamiliar competitions before paying substantial fees.
State and regional arts councils often maintain competition listings. National organizations like Americans for the Arts and discipline-specific groups compile opportunities across the field.
Platforms aggregate competition calls—CallforEntry (Café), Submittable, and artist opportunity platforms collect opportunities across disciplines. Browse current opportunities on Artsumé to find relevant competitions.
Artist communities, social media groups, and professional networks share competition opportunities. Engaging with your field's community surfaces opportunities you might otherwise miss.
Search for competitions in your specific medium or subject area. Many competitions maintain their own websites and mailing lists. Subscribe to opportunities aligned with your practice.
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