Best Art Competitions & Contests to Enter in 2020 [Free & Paid]

Competitions are a part of life and as we all know, life in itself is a competition that tests our abilities and skills on a daily basis. Thus, any kind of competition is necessary if you’re trying to dig deep and see just how good you are in what you do and whether you’re ahead in the race towards success. Coming to art, if you’re struggling to find exposure and clueless about how you can amass an audience for your talent, art competitions are the best option you have.

Art competitions are the best avenues for you to show your masterpieces, through which you can finally break the ice and gain the exposure you want so badly. Art contest are held all over the country and day by day, they’re increasing in numbers as people are starting to have a stronger inclination towards art galleries and purchasing art as well.
At art and painting competitions, you can also build your contacts, meet new people, prospective buyers who might buy your pieces, and all this can pose to be a great starting step towards a successful business you can build with your art. Art competitions have become more of a social event everywhere as people keep meeting newer people and build relationships for future advantages. Juried art competitions can also be a great way for you to earn money through the allotted prize amounts, so start displaying your art at competitions this year 2020!

A lot of artists often struggle with the well-known “starving artist” lifestyle where they fail to gain publicity and exposure and face financial instability as well, as a result of not being able to go the right direction with their art. For such people, a painting competition is the best way to not only gain exposure and publicity but also to attain financial stability by winning prize money. There are numerous kinds of art contests to enter, ranging from regional competitions to world-renowned art competitions where famous artists come as judges as well. Let’s go through the extensive range of competitions you can enter in 2020 with the list below.

The Various Art Competitions

Listed below are the various art contest you can participate in 2020, from digital art challenges to reputed art competitions in major cities.

1. The BP Portrait Award

• Prize - £35,000 for the first prize, and £74,000 for the total prize fund.
• Entry – £40.
• Eligibility – The competition is open to artists all over the world for ages 18 and above.
• Deadline for 2019 – 11 December.

 

The BP Portrait Award, sponsored by BP, is deemed as the most prestigious competition in the genre of portrait painting. Currently, it is in its 41st year of existence and stands as one of the biggest and most posh avenues for artists to not only gain exposure but to display their hard work and talent on a reputed platform. In its 31st year of sponsorship by BP, this painting competition also promises to uplift the careers of the winning artists by providing them the opportunity to exhibit their paintings at the globally-renowned National Portrait Gallery in London. Now that’s a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Type – All the submissions are required to be made predominantly in acrylic, oil, or tempera on a board or a canvas. No works on paper, watercolors, or pastels will be considered as a participation in this award. Each artist has to be 18 years or above in age and will be granted a single entry for their artwork.

2. Annual National Juried Exhibition by the America Impressionist Society

 

• Prizes – A total of more than $70,000 in cash as well as merchandise awards for the prize pool, $12,000 for the Best of Show.
• Date – October 22 - November 21, 2020.
• Venue – Electric Theater, St. George Utah.
• Eligibility – All entries must be a current paid member of the American Impressionist Society or a new member ($60) and must also be a legal resident of the United States.
• Entry fee - $350 for AIS Members, $400 for non-members.
• Deadline – June 8, 2020.

 

The American Impressionist Society is a highly-reputed society of individual that mainly deal with impression art. For impression artists, the annual National Juried Exhibition, held at the Electric Theater, 68 E. Tabernacle St, St George UT, is the perfect platform to display their masterpieces and gain quite the popularity. This art contests held by the AIS is currently in its 21st year and the juror for this year is Kevin Macpherson of the AISM. Impression art is a highly-focused genre of art that requires a lot of mastery and a platform like this is perfect for any impression artist to show his skills and build his reputation.
Types and Regulations – Any artwork in pastel, oil, gouache, watercolor, and oil is accepted, but no digitally manipulated work, painted over photos, or any type of reproductions will be accepted as entries. The maximum size excluding the frame is set as 900 square inches. Any artwork to be considered as an entry must be original in the concept as well as execution and must have been completed within the timeframe of the last 3 years. The entries should not violate any copyrights and an artwork exhibited in any previous show held by the AIS will not be considered as an entry.

3. AcrylicWorks 8

 

• Prize – All the winners of this competition will get the opportunity to appear in AcrylicWorks’ 8th Edition.
• Eligibility – The competition is open to all acrylic artists worldwide.
• Entry Fee - $30
• Deadline – February 28, 2020

 

AcrylicWorks is an art competition held by the renowned art website www.artistsnetwork.com which is a large platform for artists of various genres to collaborate and share ideas and concepts. AcrylicWorks is in its 8th edition this year where the organizers of the platform seek the best acrylic painters of various subjects and styles. This competition is a great way for budding acrylic artists to create an impactful online presence amongst the art community.
Theme – This year, the theme for the AcrylicWorks 8 competition has been kept as “Color and Light” through which the organizers hope that the artists will portray their creativity via their ideas and thought processes. An artist’s colors and lights can often tell powerful stories, and the artists who can successfully do this to win the painting competition will have the amazing opportunity to feature their work in the 8th North Light Book of AcrylicWorks.

4. New American Paintings Competitions

 

• Prize – A full cover spread of 4 pages in the New American Paintings Magazine for the winner.
• Entry Fee - $50
• Eligibility – Only available to artists residing in the United States.
• Deadline – April 30, 2020

 

New American Paintings is a reputed art magazine within the art community of the United States. Every year, they hold six sponsored and juried art competitions to select winners whose artworks will be displayed on a four-page full spread in their magazine. This is quite the prestigious opportunity as 10,000 art collectors read the magazine every month and it also possesses a very loyal reader following. The first five competitions focus on the geographic regions and the sixth one stays open to candidates of Masters of Fine Arts who currently attend school in the US, as well as current year graduates. A total of 40 winners are selected from thousands of candidates who submit their works.
To Remember – All artists from the United States are welcome to participate in the competition. However, the activity of painting is defined by the organizers and as long as the artist’s work is singular, all media and styles are welcome to participate. No specific educational requirements are there for the competitions except for the MFA one, where the artists may also participate in their respective regional competitions in the very same year of applying in the MFA one.

5. Paint Annapolis Competition

 

• Prize - $15,000
• Eligibility – None. Anyone is free to enter this competition.
• Entry Fee - $35
• Date – June 7 – 14, 2020 Paint Annapolis Competition

 

Paint Annapolis is quite the rare art contest and quite a prestigious one as well. Held in Annapolis, the sunny capital city of Maryland, this art competition is a Plein air competition which started 20 years ago and is held every year where hundreds of visitors and residents explore not only the beautiful city of Maryland but the beautiful pieces of artwork of this competition as well. The French term Plein air refers to painting outdoors rather than a studio, and that is the beauty of this painting.
Why Paint Annapolis?– Paint Annapolis is a great initiative for artists from all walks of life to get to know each other, be part of a wonderful community, and to appreciate each other’s works. The artist’s paintings are displayed all week long and it is a great way for all the painters to receive valuable exposure.

6. CGTrader Digital Art Competitions

 

• Prizes – A total of $60,00 worth of various prizes available for the winners of the competition
• Entry Fee – Free
• Eligibility – Open to only CG artists globally.
• Deadline – 30th September, 2020

 

CGTrader is an online marketplace that is well-renowned for providing 3D models that are used for computer graphics, virtual reality, and computer games. This year, they’re calling CG artists (both 3D and 2D) from all around the world to take part in their digital art competitions to explore the vast potential that CG possesses.
Categories, Prizes, and More – This free art competition consists of 6 categories for the submissions, namely: object design, concept art, environmental concept art, environment illustration, character illustration, and object concept design. Winners of each category can get their hands on exciting prizes such as a GT-221 PRO Pen Tablet Monitor ($1,150), as well as several graphic software licenses. Each participant is allowed to submit a total of 6 entries maximum.

7. Splash 22 by Artists Network

 

• Prize – All the winners of the competition will be featured in Splash’s 22nd edition.
• Entry Fee - $35
• Deadline – March 2, 2020
• Eligibility – No restrictions, open to artists globally.

 

Artists Network is a renowned online community and painters with their dedicated website that hosts all their artworks as well as artworks of other artists whose skills impress the developers. Splash 22 is a painting contest held by Artists Network to search for skilled painters who reflect their creativity through the mood of their artwork. The theme for this year’s Splash 22 is “Mood”, and the organizers will observe which of the artists can capture the mood and portray excellence in the best way.
Remember – All participants must remember that every single entry has to be rendered predominantly with watercolors. Minor use of other mediums may be accepted as well. This competition provides a great opportunity for the winners to get exposure by appearing in the 22nd edition of Splash, that celebrates watercolor painting.

8. World Illustration Awards

 

• Prize – Publicity opportunities for the winners as well as a £2,000 cash prize.
• Deadline – 25 February, 2020
• Entry Fee - $33
• Eligibility – Open worldwide to illustrators over the age of 18.

 

The World Illustration Awards held by AOI is a world-renowned art competition for illustration artists and has been a tradition for the past 45 years amongst the art community. Just like every year, this year they’re organizing the painting contest as well in which the awards are delivered in partnership with the Directory of Illustration (USA-based). This competition not only tests the creativity and mettle of the illustration artists worldwide but also provides the winners as well as all participants, a prestigious and magnificent avenue to gain exposure as well as to showcase their skills on a grand platform. The artworks are judged by some of the best professionals in the illustration industry.
Rules – This competition is spread throughout 8 categories that represent the commissioned work of the illustration industry. Though there are no major rules, it is stated that all illustrators must submit any work that has been published and created since January 2019 and not before that. The WIA is a magnificent establishment that not only provides cash prizes to the winners but also other wonderful opportunities like invitations to the Awards Evening (held in October), marketing packages in the Directory of Illustration, and features in central London’s major exhibition. Pretty amazing!

9. The Lumen Prize for Digital Art

 

• Prize – A total prize fund of $11,500 with $4,000 for the first prize winner.
• Eligibility – No requirements, this competition is open to artists worldwide.
• Entry Fee - $48 for 2 entries, $24 for every additional entry of work.
• Deadline – 8 May 2020.

 

Digital artists worldwide are often familiar with the Lumen Prize, which is a one of a kind digital art competition that mainly deals with any kind of art that is created with the help of technology. Every year, Lumen Arts Projects arranges a worldwide juried digital art contest to provide a number of opportunities to digital artists to showcase their skills in this new and upcoming genre of art.
Rules and more – The sole rule of this competition is that any kind of work to be considered as an entry has to engage with technology in some way or the other. Other than this, the parameters are wide open and artists are free to use any equipment and method. Each category such as interactive, still image, virtual or augmented reality, moving image, etc. have their own awards. All the participants gain a lot of meaningful exposure in the community of digital art through this competition and get the chance to showcase the rare skill of digital art and its beauty.

10. Artist Grants by the Hopper Prize

(Art Jobs)

• Prizes – A total prize fund of $5,000. 5 artists will be chosen as winners who will each be provided with a $1,000 grant.
• Entry Fee - $40
• Deadline – 21st May, 2020
• Eligibility – This art competition is worldwide to all artists age 18 and older working in any media..

 

The Hopper Prize is an online platform with an amazing initiative of helping out individual artists who very often struggle for not having the right avenues and opportunities. They successfully do this in two ways, firstly by providing a digital archiving platform for the artists to display their work, and secondly by an unrestricted grant-making procedure. Every year, they host the artist grants awards, an online art program where 30 artists are shortlisted, whose artworks are archived on the website. Out of them, 5 winners are chosen who are awarded grants of $1,000. All 30 artists get the mutual opportunity to get valuable exposure by having their biographies as well as artworks archived on the website which can be viewed by the audiences from various parts of the world.
Regulations – The artists who participate in this competition are required to submit artworks in the following media: sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, conceptual, installation, experimental, and video performance. This is a juried art competition and the jurors for this year are Leilani Lynch AND Rachel Adams, respected individuals of this industry.

11. Annual Competition for Society of Illustrators

 

• Prizes – Medals for the winning entries, artworks will be published in the full-color catalog by the Society of Illustrators, and the winning artworks will also be exhibited at the New York Gallery of the Society of Illustrators.
• Eligibility – No restrictions, this competition is open to artists globally.
• Entry Fee - $35 publication fee for non-members and $20 for existing members.

 

The Society of Illustrators is a prestigious community of illustrators and all individuals who are a part of the illustration art genre. The annual competition held by the SOI is a grand platform for all illustrators to showcase their artworks and gain an enormous reputation. Every year, this competition showcases over 400 art pieces of the most brilliant works created every single year. This competition is open for all artists from any part of the globe where a jury of designated individuals scrutinize and select the best artworks.
Rules – There are 6 categories and all participants are allowed to provide artworks for any one of these categories, namely: Book, Advertising, Institutional, Surface or Product design, Editorial, and Uncommissioned.
Why SOI’s Annual Competition? - There are few other juried art competitions around the world that provide as big opportunities as this Society of Illustrator’s competition does. Not only do the participants get the opportunity to build connections and meet influential people of the illustration art world, but the winners get magnificent once in a lifetime opportunities to showcase their works in a highly-renowned full-color catalog as well as to showcase their masterpieces in the New York Gallery, which is visited by several art collectors and critics. The winners are also honored with medals and awards which helps them establish a profound identity amongst the world of illustration art.

12. Annual Competition by the Artists Magazine

 

• Prizes – A total of $24,000 in prize money as well as publications of the winner’s artworks in the Artists Magazine.
• Eligibility – No requirements, the competition is open to artists globally, but only those working in traditional mediums. Students or beginners must be 16 years or above in age.
• Entry Fee - $35 per image for the Regular Division, $15 for the Beginner or Student Division.
• Deadline – 2nd April, 2020

 

Artists Magazine is a very well-known art magazine in the American art community and has quite a loyal reader base. As a result, they arrange an annual art contest every year, mainly to celebrate the traditional mediums of art such as painting and sketching. This competition is held at quite a large scale as artists from all over the world are encouraged to participate and send in as many entries as possible to get selected and ultimately win the coveted contest. With the opportunity to be published in the famous Artists Magazine, budding artists who are eager to gain recognition and publicity are often encouraged to try and win the competition, in order to get the full spread to publish their artworks in the magazine. This is a juried art competition where the jury consists of revered individuals of the field who carefully scrutinize and select the worthy candidates of winning the competition.
Rules– Participants can send as many entries as they want in one of the following categories: Still Life or Interior, Figure or Portrait, Landscape, Animal or Wildlife, and Abstract or Experimental. Entries have to be submitted as digital files and they have to be original two-dimensional artwork in traditional media.

13. animago Award

 

• Prize - € 3,000 for the first prize winner.
• Eligibility – No such requirements as the competition is open to production companies, studios, as well as artists worldwide.
• Entry Fee – None
• Date – 2nd to 5th November, 2020
• Venue – Munich, Germany

 

All the individuals who are active in the 3D animation and any digital art genre are probably familiar with the animago AWARD, a German award that bestows quite the prestige and distinction to the winning artists. A world-renowned digital art contest held in Germany, the animago AWARD has been going strong for the past 21 years with submissions from various parts of the world. The award competition also consists of a wonderful conference program where international and national experts, as well as creatives, discuss various topics and an exhibition as well where companies and individuals present product portfolios and works. As so much goes on in this particular competition, it poses as the perfect avenue for digital artists to explore more about their genre of work as well as showcase their own works to gain exposure and publicity.
Rules – There are no such rules of this free art competition. It is open to all artists around the world and they’re free to submit as many entries as possible for the following categories: CG character, Virtual Reality, Still, Visual Effects, 3D Animation, and Advertising Production. the competition is organized by Germany’s prestigious magazine, Digital Production, which aims to bring together artists and experts of the digital art world under one roof to not only brainstorm concepts but to also build a dedicated community for the years to come.

14. The Frieze Artist Award

 

• Prize – A prize money up to $25,000 is allotted for the winner to help him/her in project production.
• Eligibility – No requirements, the competition is available for artists globally.
• Entry Fee – No entry fee required.
• Deadline – January 22, 2020.

 

If you’re more into architectural art and site-specific work, the Frieze Artist Award is something you should definitely participate in. Supported by the Luma Foundation, the Frieze Artist Award is held in New York, predominantly as an art fair, where thousands of budding artists are called upon from various parts of the world to showcase their skills and try to win the Frieze Artist Award. All participants must provide creative and interesting proposals for ambitious, site-specific new works that complement the New York fair dynamics in the Randall’s Island Park.
Rules – The participants of the Award will be judged based on their creativity and their idea’s innovative nature and ultimately, the amount of potential their realization will have. The proposals are judged by designated curators and artists and the winner gets exciting cash prizes of $25,000 for research, development, travel expenses, and artist fees. This provides the artist with a great opportunity to not spend too much and simultaneously gain recognition as well as to establish a firm identity of himself amongst the art elite.

15. NordArt International Exhibition of Visual Arts

 

• Prizes – Works will be displayed at NordArt and a winner prize cash of €10,000.
• Entry Fee – No entry fee required.
• Eligibility – No requirements, the competition is open to artists globally.
• Date – 6 June – 11 October 2020.

 

The NordArt in Europe is one of the most renowned establishments for contemporary art and culture where visitors, curators, artists, etc. visit feast their eyes on some of the best contemporary art pieces in Europe. An internationally established avenue, the NordArt strives for building a mutual understanding amongst people through art and its beautiful language. Every year, they organize the NordArt Prize where several participants are called upon to show their masterpieces and build a personal network with other artists from different parts of the world. The winner is awarded 10,000 Euro and thanks to the visitors, a Public Choice Award is given as well, where the visitors choose their favorite artist.
Rules – The participants must submit their work in mediums such as installations, paintings or sculptures. Three winners are usually selected for the Public Choice Award where each of the winners is awarded with a thousand Euros. The chic atmosphere and the prestigious platform of this competition allows artists to gather a lot of knowledge about contemporary art and to also create their own identity amongst the community. 10 artists are selected to attend the NordArt Symposium where they can create their work.

16. Sunny Art Prize

 

• Prizes – A total cash prize of $6,000 is given to the first 3 winners, as well as a solo exhibition in London and a month-long stay in China.
• Eligibility – The competition is open to artists worldwide of age 18 years and above.
• Entry Fee - $30 for a single artwork, $60 for four artworks.
• Deadline – 30th June, 2020

 

The Sunny Art Prize is a fine art competition held by Sunny Art Centre in London and is an international platform that offers several art opportunities to established as well as emerging artists to help them exhibit their artworks on a global platform. The Sunny Art Prize 2020 is considered to be one of the most diverse and inclusive art competitions of the UK and is a great avenue for budding artists to gain meaningful exposure as well as to achieve the experience of a lifetime by developing their work in the month-long stay in China and exhibiting a solo exhibition in London as well.
Rules – In this competition, all artists are required to submit their artwork in a very diverse media range such as ceramic art, printmaking, painting, drawing, video art, photography, installation art, sculpture, and mixed media. The month-long stay is organized by the Sunny Art Centre in collaboration with famous Chinese institutions that provide the winners to get the opportunity of experiencing the rich culture and heritage of China.

17. Future Generation Art Prize

 

• Prize – A total cash prize of $60,000 is available as well as a total fund of $40,000 for investing in the practice of the winning artist.
• Entry Fee – None
• Eligibility – The art competition is available for all artists globally within the age parameter of 18 to 35 years.

 

The Future Generation Art Prize, organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, is a bi-annual art contest that is organized without any kind of entry fee for all artists all over the world. Victor Pinchuk Foundation is a philanthropic organization that strives for empowering the youth of the world for a better tomorrow. With a similar aim, they organize this art contest to help the artists of tomorrow to gain exposure and a better platform to showcase their skills and beautiful artworks. Through this competition, the organizers seek to discover talented artists, to recognize and support them in every possible way for a bright future. This is possible through the enormous cash prize of $60,000 as well as an investment fund of $40,000 for the lucky winner. In addition to all this, another $20,000 is split up equally amongst five top artists who are recognized by the designated jury.
Rules – The beauty of this competition is the fact that all forms of art and any category of media is accepted, which provides an even wider range of artists to take part in the competition and try to win it.

18. Artistic Excellence Competition

 

• Prizes - $2,000 cash prize for winner as well as work being published in the Southwest Art magazine.
• Entry Fee - $30
• Eligibility – No restrictions, the competition is open to all artists globally.
• Deadline – 14th June, 2020

 

The Artistic Excellence Competition is yet another art competition that is arranged by the renowned Artists Network. This competition is yet another great option for artists to not only earn cash prizes but also gain valuable exposure and popularity by getting their works published in the famous Southwest Art magazine. The beauty of this competition is the fact that it accepts art of all mediums, subjects, and styles, which increases the participant range by quite the large margin.
Rules – All the entries for this competition are to be made online only. The works submitted by the artists will only be considered as entries if they’re original. No representation or duplication of other artist’s works is to be considered as eligible entries. All the artworks are judged by the magazine staff and they ultimately choose the winners of the competition.

Extensive Range of Prizes –This competition attracts quite the number of participants mainly because of its extensive prize range.
• First Place Winner - $2,000 cash prize, artwork to be published in Southwest Art’s December/January issue.
• Second Place Winner - $1,000 cash prize, work to be published in Southwest Art’s December/January issue.
• Third Place Winner - $500 cash prize, artwork to be published in Southwest Art’s December/January issue.
• 10 Honorable Mentions - $100 worth of North Light Books for each, artworks to be published in Southwest Art’s December/January issue.
One lucky winner will also get the chance to get their artwork featured on Southwest Art’s cover. The 13 winners will also be featured on Southwest Art’s website.

19. Progressive Young Artists Awards

 

• Prizes – Three scholarships worth $1,000 each are awarded to the 3 winners of the competition.
• Eligibility – The competition is only available for high school as well as college students all over the world.
• Entry Fee - $5

 

If you’re a high school or a college student and you are struggling to find the right avenue to showcase your artistic skills, fret no more. The Progressive Young Artists Award arranged by www.pyaawards.org is a wonderful platform for students to submit their artwork and gain popularity and recognition early on. This competition mainly focuses on progressive art and themes to encourage the culture of positive changes and to instill positivity amongst students.
Why PYAA? – The PYAA is truly a wonderful initiative that discusses progressive ideas and through its art contest, it provides an established platform where topics such as gender rights, equal rights, the LGBTQ Community, personal progression, and sustainability can be discussed amongst the younger generation to shape a better tomorrow for our world.

20. Moho Art Prize

 

• Prizes –A total cash prize of €30,000 is allotted for the winners of the competition.
• Entry Fee – Starts from €75
• Deadline – 12th July, 2020
• Eligibility – The competition is available for artists all over the world under the age of 50 years.

 

The Moho Art Prize, organized by the Moho Foundation, is a significant contemporary art competition that seeks to recognize and reward international artists of this particular art genre. The Moho Foundation is an organization that has always been all about art as they keep collaborating with foundations, galleries, private and public organizations for various art contest and activities. Every year, Moho manages and organizes various exhibitions in various European cities and beyond. Along with these, they collectively arrange various art contests to provide a platform for international artists to gain exposure and showcase their works. The Moho Art Prize is their headliner art competition that takes place annually.
Rules – The following categories are allotted for the Moho Art Prize 2020 competition: photography, painting, sculpture and installation, and new media (digital, performance, video, and others). Participants applying for a single project must submit a minimum of 3 works, where all the artworks belong to a single series. Applicants applying for an entire production must have all the artwork under the same artist. Artists can also apply for both single project as well as entire production.

Prize Range – The extensive prize range arranged by the Moho Organization for this competition is quite impressive.
• Painting Category - €2,500 for the single project winner, €5,000 for the entire production winner.
• Installation and Sculpture Category - €2,500 for the single project winner, €5,000 for the entire production winner.
• Photography Category - €2,500 for the single project winner, €5,000 for the entire production winner.
• Other Media Category - €2,500 for the single project winner, €5,000 for the entire production winner.

21. Small Works Summer

• Prizes - $150, $100, $75 for the first three winners respectively.
• Date – 13th December to 23rd, 2020
• Venue – NAWA Gallery, New York, USA
• Entry Fee - $50
• Deadline – 23rd May, 2020

 

If you’re looking for a low-key art competition where you can spend a little time, showcase your art and earn some money while doing so, then the National Association of Women Artists’ Small Works Summer exhibition is definitely a must-try. Small Work is an exhibition held by the NAWA in the NAWA Gallery, New York. Though it is a small arrangement as compared to established exhibitions, this art program has a jury that selects the winners and every year, the entries keep increasing for this program. The Small Works Summer program is usually arranged during summer-time by 75 non-member as well as member artists and poses as the perfect small avenue for people to take some time off from their busy schedules and not only exhibit their art, but also meet similar artists and people.
Rules – NAWA’s Small Works Summer program covers a wide spectrum of mediums and styles, and there are usually the following categories of artworks: sculpture, oil and acrylic paintings, photography, original prints (intaglio), watercolors, mixed media, and soft pastels. All entries are to be made online through the ShowSubmit website. The maximum allotted size for all 2D wall works including their frames is 15”x15”x5”. The maximum allotted size for all sculptures is 15”x15” and for weight, it is 30 lbs. other than the cash prizes, the exhibition chooses 2 Honorable mentions as well.

22. SpaceTime Student Poster Competition

 

• Prizes – Free registration for the SIGGRAPH Conference which will be held in Los Angeles, USA, as well as an opportunity to exhibit artwork internationally.
• Entry Fee – No fee
• Eligibility – This competition is available for high school and college students globally only. All the entries have to be made online.
• Deadline – May 15, 2020
• Theme – “Thrive”, similar to the theme of the conference.

 

There are very few art competitions in 2020 out there that are made with the sole focus on academic students at both high school and college levels. The SpaceTime Student Competition and Exhibition, organized by the ACM SIGGRAPH Education Committee is one such brilliant program that gives the students a platform to showcase their art skills and earn a name for themselves. This free art competition is for digital artists and aims to bring together global innovators, who make advancements regularly in the fields of virtual reality, graphics, gaming, as well as emerging technology.
Rules - Since this is a very formal event organized by a prestigious organization, there are several hard and fast rules that all participants must follow.
• All the entries are judged by the jury based on artistic merit, design, technical excellence, content, originality, and solution of the theme.
• Only one entry will be allowed per student.
• No copyrighted imagery will be allowed for any posters.
• Minimal use of text can be allowed.
• All submissions are to be done online.

23. Chelsea International Fine Art Competition

(Agora Gallery)

• Prize – A total cash fund of more than $70,000 is allotted for this competition.
• Deadline – August 12, 2020
• Entry Fee - $45
• Eligibility – This competition is only available to visual artists all over the world at any career stage they’re in.

 

The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition is one of the most prestigious fine art contest in the world. Organized by the Agora Gallery, this year they’ll be hosting the 35th CIFAC which acts as a great platform for visual artists from all over the world to gain valuable exposure and to show the beauty of fine art to all the viewers as well as esteemed individuals from the same field of work. The CIFAC is also a great way for these artists to break the niche and approach an international audience to show their artworks and gain a lot of publicity as well. The Agora Gallery of Chelsea art district, New York is a world-famous art gallery that showcases artworks of several mediums and styles, in order to build cordial relationships with viewers, collectors, and curators. Thus, for all these reasons, Agora Gallery and its international competition is the perfect venue for artists who are looking to establish their identities.
Rules– For this competition, all artists can submit their entries in the following mediums: sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, print, and mixed media. All the entries submitted are then judged by an esteemed panel that consists of expert jurors, who each represent a particular field in the world of art. A total of $70,000 cash prize is to be distributed amongst the artists who are chosen as the lucky winners by the jury.

24. ArtPrize Competition 2020

 

• Prizes – A total cash fund of $500,000 is allotted for the winners along with $200,000 for 2 grand prize winners.
• Eligibility – This competition is available for artists all over the world who are 18 years and above in age.
• Entry Fee - $50 for an individual artist, $100 for a group.

 

If you’re confident about your skills and talent in art, no matter what medium, and you want to enter the big leagues, then this is it, Art Prize 2020. Deemed as the largest art competition in the world, the ArtPrize, organized by project.artprize.org is a large scale international art contest that accepts artists working in any medium and brings them to a huge platform where they can create a serious identity and showcase everything they have to offer. However, there are 2 sides to every coin. Though this competition is deemed as magnificent, some critics also state that it is disappointing in terms of producing good art and works. Nonetheless, ArtPrize doesn’t fail to deliver when it comes to competitiveness and prizes. ArtPrize 2020 has been announced to be a biennial competition, consisting of a “Project” series that will include city-wide art commissions.
Regulations– Project 1 will be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan where the organizers will select five winning artists to create installations, performances, sculptures, community-oriented projects, and urban interventions throughout the city.

25. V Tragaluz International Illustration Award

 

• Prizes – A contract with a cash prize of 3 million Columbian Pesos (approx. $2,100) will be awarded to a single winner to create illustrations for a book that will be published by Tragaluz.
• Entry Fee – None
• Eligibility – The competition is available for artists worldwide of age 18 years and above.
• Deadline for 2019 –August 15.

 

Organized by Tragaluz Editores of Medellin, Columbia, the V Tragaluz International Illustration Award is an international art competition for illustration artists all over the world. The V Tragaluz is a prestigious Columbian art contest that has been a tradition for many years. This year, the main image for the competition is the house. The house refers to the newest dwelling in Medellin, home to the Tragaluz Editores’ publisher house along with various other spaces created for the reader community, fans of editorial works, illustrators, and so on. Thus, for this year’s competition, the organizers want the artists to draw and portray what the house means to them, what it seems like, who resides in it, what makes it the kind of a place where one would go again and again.
Rules– Only one illustration per artist will be accepted for entries in the competition. Any kind of technique can be used to create the illustrations, and it has to be submitted online to concurso@tragaluzeditores.com only. All illustrators must only submit those works that have not been submitted to any other competitions and are unpublished as well. This competition also provides valuable exposure through its cash prize of 7 million Columbian Pesos which will help the winner create illustrations for the Tragaluz book.

26. 13th Japan International MANGA Award

 

• Prizes – Gold Award and Solver Award will be given to the winners who will then be invited to attend the Award ceremony held in Japan.
• Deadline for 2019 – June 24th
• Eligibility – This competition is open for non-Japanese MANGA artists only, all over the world.
• Entry Fee – None

 

We all know that Japan is a place filled with culture and heritage, and it is the same when it comes to the various forms of Japanese art. MANGA is one of the most integral and popular forms of Japanese art which in layman’s terms, is basically comic books and graphic novels. However, MANGA culture is a prestigious aspect of Japanese life and the seriousness of it is reflected in the fact that there’s a dignified award competition to award MANGA artists who have contributed to the MANGA culture of Japan. This competition is the Japan International MANGA Award that is organized by the Foreign Affairs of Japan and was first established in 2007 upon the recommendation and initiative of Mr. Taro Aso, the then Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The main focus of this competition is to not only reward the brilliant MANGA artists but to also promote the beautiful MANGA culture so that other countries also get to experience it.
Rules – Participants must send all entries to the Japanese diplomatic missions or the 13th Japan International MANGA Award’s P.O. Box. The MANGA submitted by participants has to be in printed form and each participant can submit only one MANGA which can be of 16 pages or more. The Gold Award will be awarded to the best work and 3 Silver Awards will be awarded to three other excellent works that have impressed the organizers. These award winners will have the opportunity to not only attend the Japan Foundation Award Ceremony in Japan but to also visit publishing companies, excursions to local places, and meet various Japanese MANGA creators during their stay. Amazing, to say the least!

27. 11th Annual Nature and Wildlife Art Exhibition

 

• Prizes – A total cash prize of $5,000 is allotted for the winners, along with $2,000 for the Best in Show Award.
• Eligibility – No requirements, this competition is available for artists all over the world in any stage of their careers.
• Entry Fee - $45 for a maximum of 3 artworks.
• Date – All artworks will be displayed from 20th and Thursday 21st MAY, 2020.

 

All you animal lovers out there, if you happen to be artists, this one is definitely for you! Organized by the St. Augustine Art Association, a non-profit art organization located in St, Augustine, Florida, USA, this competition mainly focuses on art that revolves around wildlife, nature, and beauty. The proceeds from this exhibition are invested in the community through art programs, outreach, and activities. This exhibition is particularly beautiful as it consists of hundreds of artworks that depict the beauty of the natural world, the landscapes, the seas, forests, animals, birds, endangered species, etc. that not only educates the viewers but also helps the community with the proceeds.
Rules – For this competition, all kinds of mediums are welcome, but artists must submit original 3D or 2D artworks that they have created in the past 3 years. It is also stated that these artworks must omit any kind of reference to taxidermy or hunting, and no human elements should be present in them either. This competition also has other programs where you can go ahead and have some fun as well, such as the Go Wild for Art Scavenger Hunt, For the Birds, and Wild St. Augustine: Musings on Art.

28. Contemporary Art Awards

 

• Prizes - $3,000 cash prize for first place winner, $1,500 voucher from Fix8 Systems, a 500-word review of the artist’s practice or work, and a 6-month mentoring program as well.
• Eligibility – No requirements, the competition is available to artists all over the world over tha age of 18 years.
• Entry Fee - $40 AUD

 

The Contemporary Art Awards, held in Brisbane, Australia, is an annual art competition that organizes such art events with a noble aim of helping out emerging artists in the early stages of their careers, mainly though mentoring, editing, the annual art awards, and writing services. With the sponsors, Fix8 System and Dynamic Events, this competition has successfully helped many artists to go further in their careers with ease. The Contemporary Art Awards has received a lot of recognition as it continues to help artists by gaining valuable exposure, cutting their expenses by the low exhibiting costs, giving them proper guidance, and creating a competition that accepts all mediums.
Rules – There are no such formal rules to this award as it accepts all mediums as entries, including works on paper, painting, new media, ceramics, sculpture, illustration, installation, photography, and more.

29. Pastel 100

 

• Prizes – More than $10,000 total cash prize for all the winners, all the place winners and top prize winners will be featured in the 2021 issue of the Pastel Journal.
• Entry Fee – $35.
• Eligibility – This competition is available for artists residing in the US as well as outside.

 

Pastel 100 is yet another prestigious art competition arranged by Artists Network. As the name suggests, this competition deals mainly with pastel works and is one of the very few art competitions to do so. Artist Network, through its variety of magazines, successfully organizes a great art contest. This one, sponsored by the famous Pastel Journal, offers prizes, cash, and great publicity to the winners.
Rules – Participants must enter online and all entries should be submitted as digital files. The competition encourages artists to send as many entries as possible. The major rule set by the organizers is that all artworks must be at least 80% soft pastel and all entries must be original.

Prizes: -
• First Prize- $5,000
• Second Prize - $2,500
• Third Prize - $1,500 worth of Pastels and Pastel Surfaces from Jack Richeson and Company.
• Fourth Prize - $1,000 worth of Pastels and Pastel Surfaces from Jack Richeson and Company.
• Fifth Prize - $750 worth of Pastels and Pastel Surfaces from Jack Richeson and Company.
Other than these, there are 25 category cash prizes as well as 70 Honorable Mentions.

30. Arte Laguna Prize

 

• Prizes - €7,000 institutional prizes for every category, artist residencies in Spain, Italy, Belgium, Taiwan, and many more. Winners will also be offered to collaborate with artistic or business projects, and opportunities to exhibit their works in numerous festivals.
• Eligibility – No restrictions, this competition is available for artists worldwide.
• Entry Fee – Starts at €65 for each artwork.

 

The Arte Laguna Prize is a prestigious international art competition that is dedicated to visual arts and strives to promote and support artists as well as their careers. This prize has existed since the past 13 years, collecting thousands of applications from artists globally who are selected by an esteemed jury and exhibited all across the world.
Rules – The various categories for this competition are painting, installations, virtual art, sculpture, digital graphics, photographic art, video art, urban art, performance, short films, design, and land art. As you can see, the Arte Laguna is open to almost all artists in the world, thanks to its wide array of available categories.

31. RBC Canadian Painting Competition

 

• Prizes – A cash prize of $25,000 for the first place winner, $15,000 for Honorable Mention winners, and 12 finalist prizes of $2,500 each.
• Eligibility – This competition is only available for artists who are in the first five years (early stages) of their professional careers and have completed a basic training at any art institution or possess an equivalent experience.
• Entry Fee – None

 

The RBC Canadian Painting Competition is regarded as the most prestigious Canadian art competition to date. This annual art contest has been around since 1999 and has always strived for bridging the gap between emerging and established artists, and successfully does so each year with its magnificent competition. This is one of the best ways for emerging artists to expose their work to the huge Canadian audience, gain publicity and take their career to the right path.
Rules – Once all the entries are submitted by the artists, the 3 regional juries consisting of curators, gallery directors, artists, and industry leaders, will be choosing five paintings from their respective regions to bring up the 15 finalists. This helps to create an honest representation of the talented visual artists from all over the country. The top 3 artworks will be added to the Corporate Art Collection of the RBC, in addition to the many prizes that are allotted for the winners.

32. Salt Spring National Art Prize

 

• Prizes – First prize winner will be awarded $15,000 with a residency, Juror’s Choice winners will be given $3,000 each, and People’s Choice winners will be given $1,000 to $3,000 each.
• Eligibility – This competition is only available for Canadian artists who are 18 years or above in age.
• Deadline for 2019 – 30th September
• Entry Fee - $30

 

The Salt Spring National Art Prize is yet another renowned Canadian art competition, which is a biennial one, organized by the esteemed Salt Springs Art Council. This organization actively represents the artworks for Salt Spring Island which is quite popularly known as the premium art community of Canada. The beauty of this art contest lies in the fact that it is open to a variety of mediums and categories, including varieties of visual art (both 2D and 3D in any kind of medium).
Rules – 50 finalists from all the entries will be selected through a strict judging process, where the organizers will judge the artworks based on creativity, originality, quality, and integrity. These finalists will not only win various cash prizes and awards but will also have the opportunity to exhibit their work in the popular exhibition on Salt Spring Island, which runs for almost a month.

33. Sheets: National Exhibition of Paper Arts

 

• Prizes - $500 for 1st, $300 for 2nd, and $150 for 3rd.
• Venue – Norfolk, Virginia.
• Date – 15th June to 13th July, 2019.
• Eligibility – Open to all artists residing in the United States.
• Deadline for 2019 – May 19.

 

Sheets is an art competition for paper arts, a highly-creative competition that is held by the d’Art Center of Norfolk, Virginia, the USA for all paper-artists residing in the States. It is a national juried art show/exhibition where Clay McGlamory is the Juror and is quite the competition where people can feast their eyes on the beautiful genre of paper arts. This particular competition is open to all paper crafts including 2D, 3D, fine art, as well as fine paper crafts that may as well include additional mediums. However, the finished artwork must compose of at least 60% paperwork.
Note – Any kind of prints, paintings or drawings are not considered for participation unless the paper consists of unique handmade component(s).
This art competition is perfect for paper artists and is highly revered as there are very few contests that pay sole focus on paper art, which is quite the beautiful genre of art and craft.

34. Bucks County Plein Air Festival

 

• Prizes – A total of $15,000 cash prize is allotted for awards.
• Date – October 1st to 6th, 2019
• Venue – Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA
• Eligibility – Only open to artists in North America for ages 18 years and above.
• Entry Fee - $50
• Deadline for 2019 – May 24

 

Plein Air Festivals (outdoor art festivals) are probably one of the greatest ways of gathering people, curators, artists, critics, and viewers in a single venue to create a beautiful environment where art can be viewed and appreciated. One such festival are the Bucks County Plein Air Festival, held in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Organized by www.buckscountypleinair.com, this art festival is organized for 30 nationally recognized artists from North America who are selected amongst the many participants to try and win the competition. There are two signature events for this festival, one is the VIP Collector’s preview on October 5th, and the other is the Public Festival on October 6th. It’s a great initiative to help artists meet people, showcase their works, and receive a good publicity.
Rules – Since this is a plain air competition, artists must produce all art from life, as opposed to creating art in the studio. All the entrants of the competition are juried and the total number of participants will be limited to 30. The jurors for this year are Valerie Craig and Joe Gyurcsak.

35. Art for Animals

 

• Prizes – Unspecified cash prizes, the winner’s artworks will be published in NAVS’ online and print publications, social media pages, and greeting cards.
• Eligibility – The competition is open to artists from all over the world.
• Entry Fee – None
• Deadline – 26th July, 2020  

Art for Animals 2020, organized by the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) is one of the very few art competitions out there that is for a strong cause regarding the issue of animal cruelty, an issue that is on a continuous rise today. For the past 90 years, NAVS has been striving towards fighting against animal cruelty and raising their voice for the ones without it. In their 90th year of running as an activist organization, NAVS has organized the Art for Animals program with the motto to show compassion towards the beautiful fauna of our world, through the beauty of art. This is definitely a great initiative, not only for animal-loving artists but artists in general, to show their love for their own animals as well as others.
Rules – The main theme for this competition is compassion towards animals, and keeping this in mind, the artists must create their art. All the submissions have to be digitally-created artworks. Digital images of illustrations, photographs, or paintings can be submitted as well, through CD/DVD-ROM, email, or a portable flash drive. The cash prizes will be awarded to the winners of the first, second, and third place, a youth (aged 12 years or below), and one winner named as “Best in Show”.

36. Young Masters Art Prize

 

• Prizes – A total cash prize of £6,000 is allotted for all the chosen winners of this competition.
• Eligibility – The competition is available for artists all over the world of 18 years and above.
• Entry Fee - £35 for 4 artworks
• Deadline for 2019 – May 31
• Venue – La Galleria, London, UK

 

Organized and initiated since 2009 by the renowned London gallerist, Cynthia Corbett, the Young Masters Art Prize is one of the most prestigious art contests of the UK that is held in London, arranged by the Cynthia Corbett Gallery. A not-for-profit initiative, this competition seeks to provide recognition, publicity, and a prestigious avenue for talented contemporary artists who embrace the art of the past. In the current generation, artists focus more on digital art, the plethora of possibilities of tomorrow, and mainly the art of the future. This competition lays its focus on the art of the past and how artists successfully portray the beauty of past artworks through their own creativity. This is deemed as a biennial prize that gracefully rewards the ceramicists and contemporary artists who have the flair of responding to the art of the past.
Rules – The theme for this year’s prize is to show originality, imagination, and skill in response to the art of the past. The medium in which entries will be selected is any kind of media and ceramics category. All the artworks must be original and not a representation of any other artist’s works.

Prizes – This competition has a total cash prize of £6,000 that is distributed in the following way: -
• First Prize - £1,500
• Highly Commended - £500 (awarded to 2 artists)
• Ceramics First Prize - £1,000
• Ceramics Commended - £500 (awarded to 2 artists)
• Emerging Woman Artist Prize - £1,000
• People’s Choice Prize -£500

37. Hida Takayama Contemporary Woodblock

 

• Prizes – 1st prize of 500,000 yen, 2nd prize of 300,000 yen, and 3rd prize of 200,000 yen
• Deadline for 2019 – October 31
• Eligibility – No restrictions, this competition is available for the general public.
• Entry Fee – 2,000 yen for each artwork on the second screening, once an applicant passes the initial screening which is free of cost.

 

The Takayama City of Japan is not a quintessential city, even though it is highly modernized and advanced in its nature. Takayama is a city surrounded by forests and flora, and because of this, the city has developed a unique culture for a dignified form of art known as woodblock printing. This kind of art has resonated amongst the residents for a long time and is popularly known as Hida Woodblock Printing. Now, Takayama City wants to extend its heritage by promoting this woodblock printing culture on a global scale and to do so, they’re organizing a prestigious art competition in 2020. International, as well as domestic artists, are cordially invited by the Hida Takayama International Contemporary Woodblock Prints Triennial to exhibit their skills, talents, and beautiful artworks.
Rules – In order to successfully participate in this competition, applicants must abide by the following rules as set by the organizers: -
• The main element of any artwork submitted has to involve woodblock printing.
• All entries must be made within October 1st to 31st, 2019.
• Each applicant is allowed to submit up to 2 artworks made by them.
• Digital printing of any kind will not be accepted; only the woodblock-prints of 2018 or later will be accepted for the competition.
• Maximum paper size for each artwork is 90cm x 90 cm.
• Any artwork of an artist which was or has been submitted to any other competition will not be eligible for the competition.

38. Tallahassee International Juried Competition

 

• Prizes – The prize money allotted for the winners will range from $1000 to $500, as well as a color catalog.
• Deadline for 2019 – February 14.
• Entry Fee - $20 for 2 artworks.
• Eligibility – The competition is available for artists all over the world of ages 18 years and above.

 

There are very few large-scale art competitions out there that do not focus on one or two mediums of art, which in turn allows a wide range of artists to participate. The Tallahassee International is one such competition, organized by the prestigious Florida State University Medium of Fine Arts that organizes a juried annual competition, welcoming artists from all over the world working in any kind of medium. The jury also consists of esteemed faculty from the College of Fine Arts. This year, they are organizing the 33rd Tallahassee International, where artists working in any medium are invited to this event that covers a plethora of styles, approaches, and media, dealing with a wide range of contemporary issues that are relevant.
Rules – Since this is an open competition for any medium, there are no such hard and fast rules as to what the participants can submit. The jurying process is a blind one, where the jurors choose the artworks based on merit and concept and agree that the artists demonstrate significant skill in their artworks. Approximately, 44 artworks by 36 artists in total are chosen to be exhibited, and the chosen art pieces portray diversity in medium choice, artwork style, creativity, and intent. The first prize winner is awarded $1,000 and the second prize winner with $500.

39. LACDA 2019 International Juried Competition

 

• Prize – Selected 40 artists from the competition will have the opportunity to exhibit their artwork in an international group exhibition in the LACDA Gallery.
• Eligibility – This competition is available for digital artists all over the world.
• Deadline for 2019 – May 27.
• Entry Fee - $35 for 3 submitted photographs.

 

If you’re not looking to contend for the money but rather to gain exposure through exhibitions, the LACDA top 40 competition is a must-try for you. The Los Angeles Center for Digital Art organizes this annual juried digital art competition where thousands of applicants take part, out of which, 40 artists are selected by the jury. These artists will get the opportunity to showcase themselves and their artworks in an international group exhibition in the LACDA gallery, which is almost a month long! This is perfect for artists who are struggling to receive exposure and publicity, even though their artworks are magnificent.
Rules – The curators for this competition are Nicholas Barlow, LACMA, and Bryan Barcena, MoCA. All the entrants must provide submissions at a maximum size of 3MB each. All entries have to be done online through the LACDA website and multiple entries are welcome. All styles of photography, artwork, theme, etc. are eligible for this competition, only when digital processes of some kind were integral in creating the images.

Curating Jurors:
Joanna Szupinska-Myers Senior Curator, California Museum of Photography (UCR | CMP)
Joel Ferree Director, LACMA Art + Technology Lab, L.A. County Museum of Art

Enter their art competition for digital art and photography. Entrants submit three JPEG files of original work. All styles of artwork and photography where digital processes of any kind were integral to the creation of the images are acceptable. The selected winner receives 10 prints up to 44x60 inches on museum quality paper (approximately a $2,500-$3,000 value) to be shown in a solo exhibition in the main gallery September 12-October 5. Ten-second place winners will also be exhibited. Deadline August 26, complete details: lacda.com/juried/juriedshow.html

40. F The Art World

 

• Prize – The winner of each category will get the chance to display their artworks in a week-long exhibition in Chelsea, New York.
• Eligibility – No restrictions, open to artists all over the world.
• Entry Fee - $32 for a maximum of 4 submitted photos.
• Date of Exhibition – From 25th April to 2nd May, 2019

 

F the Art World is an international art competition organized by www.ftheartworld.com which is quite unique, compared to other competitions. In this, the artworks are not judged on the basis of merit, creativity, and skill. Instead, they’re judged by the sole depth and interpretation of the subject matter on the canvas. The theme for 2019 is “A Competition About Change”, where artists can try and show how they’d like to change humanity in a positive way, through visual storytelling. This is a really great initiative to see how creative the artists can get and the depth of their artworks.
Rules – For this competition, there are four categories for submissions, namely: street art, sculpture, fine art or mixed media, and digital art. Each category will have a winner as chosen by the organizers and all the winners will have the wonderful opportunity to exhibit their works at the Unarthodox Gallery in New York for a week-long exhibition. In addition to this, they’ll also receive 100% of the entire sale price when any of their artworks are sold! Winners will also be displayed on the website and the participants’ artworks will also be displayed in the opening ceremony as well.

MavenArt – Your One Stop Shop for Hand-Made Paintings!

Now that you’re done reading about the various art competitions this year 2020, let’s discuss some art for your beautiful home, shall we?

If you’re looking to beautify your home décor, MavenArt is the perfect place for you to turn your photo to paintings that are bound to get some looks. But wait, just ordinary paintings? Not at all! MavenArt specializes in providing hand-made paintings of photographs that you cherish and love, made by professionals and customized by you in every step of the process. By the way, we make awesome dog paintings too.

All you need to do is visit Mavenart.com, submit the photographs you want paintings of, and leave the rest to us. Our in-house professionals will make sure that the paintings are top-notch and exactly what you wanted. Sit in the comfort of your home and your new paintings will be delivered to your doorstep in a couple of days!