12 Art Competitions Worth Entering in 2021
As an artist, it can often be difficult to find sustainable ways to make a living from your creations while staying true to your artistic vision. The process of marketing, promoting, and gaining exposure for your work can be daunting and time-consuming, taking away from your creative flow and inspiration.
Thankfully, MyModernMet.com has curated a list of art competitions that offer cash prizes. Participating in these competitions could potentially provide financial support for your dream projects and alleviate some of the financial stress that comes with freelancing.
Check out the inspiring art contests happening this year and let us know which one you're interested in!
Painting
ACRYLICWORKS 9
Prize: $2,000 first prize, $1,000 second prize.
Entry Fee: $45 ($35 before August 16, 2021).
Requirements: Open to artists in the United States and Canada.
Closing Date: October 18, 2021
For the AcrylicWorks 9 competition, the organizers are looking for the best in acrylic painting over a variety of styles and subjects. The eligible entries will be judged in two rounds according to artistic technique, handling of the medium, design and creative elements, as well as overall impression and impact. Winners’ works will be featured in Artists Magazine.
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
SPLASH 23
Prize: $2,000 first prize, $1,000 second prize.
Entry Fee: $45 ($35 before March 15, 2021).
Requirements: Open to artists in the United States and Canada.
Closing Date: June 14, 2021
For the Splash 23 contest, Artists Network is looking for original watercolor paintings. Each entry must be rendered predominantly with watercolor; however, some minor use of other mediums may be acceptable. Top winners and a selection of other winners will appear in a special edition of Watercolor Artist magazine.
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
Digital Art
THE LUMEN PRIZE FOR DIGITAL ART
Prize: $4,000 first prize, with a $11,500 total prize fund.
Entry Fee: $48 for two works, $24 for each additional work.
Requirements: Open to artists worldwide.
Closing Date: June 8, 2021
This digital art competition is organized by Lumen Art Projects Ltd, a non-profit organization that’s dedicated to providing new opportunities for digital artists around the world. The contest guidelines are relatively loose—the only requirement is that the submitted artworks must somehow engage with technology. Categories include Still, Moving Image, XR, 3D/Interactive and Artificial Intelligence. Finalists are also eligible for the People’s Choice Award and the Lumen Gold award and all women finalists are eligible for the Rapoport Award for Women in Art and Technology.
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
Entries open on February 21, 2021. Find out more.
ANIMAGO AWARD
Prize: €3,000 cash prize for Best Young Production, all nominees provided lodging and tickets to animago.
Entry Fee: Free
Requirements: Open to artists worldwide.
Closing Date: July 31, 2021
For over 20 years the prestigious animago Award competition has spotlighted talent in the fields of 3d animation and stills, visual effects, visualization, and design. Organized by the German magazine Digital Production, all winners are announced during a gala at the annual animago conference in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
Illustration
Art by Natalee Rae Miller
WORLD ILLUSTRATION AWARDS
Prize: A cash prize of £2,000 and more publicity opportunities.
Entry Fee: £29 (approximately $33)
Requirements: Open to artists worldwide.
Closing Date: February, 2021 (exact date TBD)
Anyone who’s into illustration is bound to have heard of the prestigious World Illustration Awards. Illustrators are invited to submit work created or published since January 2018 to 8 different categories. Winners will not only win a cash prize, but they’ll also be awarded invaluable global exposure, such as a marketing package in the Directory of Illustration, a feature in a major exhibition in central London, and an invitation to the Awards Evening in October—an event on every illustration agency and publisher’s calendar! This year, they “will especially celebrate the resilience of illustrators and the industry, particularly during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS ANNUAL COMPETITION
Prize: Medals, work published in a full-color catalog and displayed in an exhibition.
Entry Fee: $20 for members ($35 for non-members)
Requirements: Open to artists worldwide.
Closing Date: October 30, 2021
The Society of Illustrators Annual Competition is known as the premier showcase for illustrators and animators. Open to artists worldwide, work can be entered in one of the six categories: Editorial, Book, Advertising, Institutional, Uncommissioned, and Surface/ Product Design. The selected entries will be exhibited at the Society of Illustrators’ gallery in New York City and be printed in full color in their annual catalog. In addition to the entry fee, there is a hanging/publication fee of $90 for non-members and $80 for members.
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
Drawing
STROKES OF GENIUS: THE BEST OF DRAWING
Prize: $2,000 first prize, $1,000 second prize
Entry Fee: $45 ($35 before March 22, 2021)
Requirements: Open to artists in the United States and Canada.
Closing Date: May 17, 2021
The Strokes of Genius Competition celebrates original work made in drawing mediums; including pencil, charcoal, Conté crayon, pen and ink, scratchboard, silverpoint, colored pencil, pastel, and even some wet paint mediums if used in a linear or sketchy manner. Winning entries plus an additional 85+ finalists will be published in a special edition publication, The Best of Drawing, from the editors of Artists Magazine.
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
General Art
BEAUTIFUL BIZARRE ART PRIZE
Prize: Over $35,000 in cash and prizes to be won (overall winner receives $10,000 to develop their practice). Plus global exposure through Beautiful Bizarre Magazine’s 1 million+ social media community, along with website and print editorial. Winners will also participate in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine’s prestigious group exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco later this year.
Entry Fee: $40 per entry (artists can submit up to 10 artworks)
Requirements: Open to artists worldwide working in the representational visual arts.
Closing Date: July 2021 (exact date TBD)
The Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize is an annual non-acquisitive international art prize that celebrates diversity and excellence in the representational visual arts. In all static mediums including Traditional Art media, Digital Art media, and Photographic media; and all styles from realism and hyperrealism to pop surrealism and lowbrow. The Prize seeks to inspire creatives from around the world to pursue a life and career in the arts, and to help careers grow through funding and increased exposure of their work to galleries, collectors, and media, globally.
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
ARTISTS MAGAZINE ANNUAL ART COMPETITION
Prize: $24,000 in cash prizes and publication in Artists Magazine.
Entry Fee: Regular Division: $35 per image. Student/ Beginner Division: $15 per image.
Requirements: Open to artists worldwide working in a traditional medium.
Closing Date: May, 2021 (exact date TBD)
Artists Magazine’s Annual Art Competition celebrates traditional 2D artistic mediums such as painting, drawing, mixed media, printmaking, digital art, and much more. Winners will be chosen from a variety of categories including Portrait/Figure, Still Life, Landscape, Abstract, and Animal/Wildlife.
Along with generous cash prizes, this contest provides a huge opportunity to gain exposure—all winners’ work will be featured in the April 2022 issue of Artists Magazine.
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
FUTURE GENERATION ART PRIZE
Prize: $60,000 cash prize and $40,000 investment in winner's art practice. Winners exhibited at the Venice Biennale.
Entry Fee: Free
Requirements: Open to artists worldwide between 18 and 35 years old.
Closing Date: June 3, 2021
This major art prize is open to young artists working in any medium and provides a huge boost in getting an art career off the ground. Established by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in 2009, the prize has an international jury that selects a shortlist of 20 artists, who will have their work exhibited at a special display during the Venice Biennale. Entries open in February 2021.
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
THE SUNNY ART PRIZE
Prize: A total cash fund of £6,000 plus a month-long art residency in China, and a solo exhibition in London.
Entry Fee: £25 for one artwork, up to £45 for four artworks.
Requirements: Open to artists worldwide age 18 and over.
Closing Date: June 30, 2021
One of the most inclusive and diverse art competitions in the UK, the Sunny Art Prize offers unique exposure for both emerging and established artists. Winners will be granted an opportunity to have their work shown in an exhibition in London, and develop their work during a month-long residency in China. A £6,000 (approximately $7,600) total cash prize will be split between the first three winning artists.
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET
The art contest accepts entries in a diverse range of media including painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramic art, printmaking, installation art, mixed media, video art, and photography.
MADE IN CALIFORNIA COMPETITION
Prize: $750 first prize, $500 second prize.
Entry Fee: $20 per entry
Requirements: Open to artists based in California.
Closing Date: February 18, 2021
Hosted by the Brea Gallery, the Made in California Competition provides a promotional opportunity for all artists based in the state of California. All mediums will be considered. And, in addition to the juried competition, there is also a solo show opportunity for artists who submit a body of work containing 5-10 pieces (the entry for the solo show is $80, and the prize is $350).
SOURCE: MYMODERNMET