Whether you are an emerging maker, established artist, ceramicist, photographer or multidisciplinary creative, entering open calls, exhibition and competitions can be one of the most valuable ways to grow your practice, expand networks and gain visibility with buyers and galleries

From national exhibitions to international photography awards, 2026 is already offering a wide range of opportunities for artists to share their work, develop confidence and connect with new audiences.

Taking part in exhibitions, competitions and residencies is not only about winning prizes — it is about momentum, experimentation, learning and being part of a wider creative community. Read on for some of the most prestigious art competitions on offer that are looking for entrants now – and keep scrolling for our pick of smaller and regular competitions for those starting out and looking for exposure in a less competitive environment.

And remember – no one is too important for pitting their talents against their artistic peers – many successful artists entered open exhibitions long before wider recognition. Lubaina Himid recently reflected on the importance of persistence and visibility throughout her career leading to representing Britain at the Venice Biennale, while painter Rose Wylie admits she applied for pretty much everything.

Featured Opportunities & Open Calls this month

RWA Annual Open Exhibition 2026

This is the big one – and you will be up against some of the best artists in the world. The RWA Annual Open Exhibition is a major UK exhibition showcasing painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture and mixed media from emerging and established artists.

• Closes 22 June 2026
• Open to UK and international artists
• Exhibition in Bristol

Aesthetica Art Prize 2026

This is one of the UK’s best-known contemporary art prizes with exhibition and editorial opportunities – and one of the largest cash prizes on offer in the world of art competitions.

• Main prize: £10,000
• Open internationally
• Deadline: 31 August 2026

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 

This competition is the UK’s leading annual open exhibition dedicated to contemporary drawing practice. Founded in 1994 by Professor Anita Taylor and Paul Thomas, the prize has built an international reputation for championing excellence in drawing across all disciplines. Open to emerging and established artists, designers, and makers across the UK, the exhibition showcases selected works chosen by an expert panel from original submissions. Led by Professor Anita Taylor and supported by the Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust, the exhibition launches in London before touring nationally, celebrating innovation and diversity within contemporary drawing today.

• UK entries
• Work chosen for Trinity Buoy Wharf in London from 17 September – 4 October 2026
• Closes 9 June 2026
• Entry fee £40 per artwork

British Art Prize

The British Art Prize 2026, presented by Artists & Illustrators, is a major international open call offering prizes worth over £10,000, a solo exhibition at a leading London gallery, and magazine features. Open to amateur, emerging, and professional artists worldwide, it welcomes painting, drawing, printmaking, textile, and mixed media (AI-generated works excluded). Shortlisted artists will exhibit at OXO Gallery from 21–25 October 2026, alongside a private view with collectors and VIP guests. With a broad national platform reaching a large art audience, the prize supports visibility, sales opportunities, and professional recognition. Entry fees apply, with up to 20 works permitted per artist.

• Up to 20 works per art
• Prize includes exhibition in London
• Entry fee £24 for first work
• Closes 7 August 2026

Win a Solo Show in Chelsea Gallery Green & Stone

The Gallery at Green & Stone invites emerging artists to enter its largest Summer Exhibition yet, offering the chance to showcase and sell work in Chelsea, London, and online. Celebrating materiality, craftsmanship, and artistic practice ahead of the gallery’s 100-year anniversary, the exhibition provides valuable exposure, networking opportunities, and prizes worth over £20,000, including a fully funded solo exhibition.

Shortlisted works are selected blindly by a rotating guest panel based solely on quality. Since 2018, the exhibition has helped launch the careers of many successful contemporary artists while continuing Green & Stone’s long-standing commitment to supporting emerging talent within the London art scene.

• Emerging artists
• £20,000 prize fund
• Closes 3 June 2026
• Fee £20 per artwork (£15 for under 30s)

Smaller & Digital Opportunities

Not every opportunity needs to be a major national exhibition. Smaller online competitions and digital showcases can be an excellent way to “wet your feet,” test new work and begin building confidence in submitting professionally. There are plenty of digital competitions – but we’ve chosen some of the better established galleries.

These opportunities are often:

• Lower cost or free to enter
• Faster turnaround
• Less intimidating for first-time applicants
• Useful for building exhibition and publication experience
• Great for experimenting with new ideas or unfinished series

The important thing is participation and continuing to make and share work.

The Holy Art Gallery Open Calls

Regular online and hybrid exhibitions open to international artists across painting, photography, ceramics and digital art. They are easy to enter, often cheap but carry less kudos, so perfect for starting out.

• Frequent deadlines
• Beginner-friendly
• Online exhibitions and social promotion

Gallery Ring Online Art Contest

Monthly themed online art competitions with digital exhibitions and awards.

• Low-pressure format
• Open internationally
• Good for first-time submissions

Art Fluent Open Calls

Digital exhibitions and themed competitions for emerging and established artists.

• Multiple themes throughout the year
• International submissions welcome
• Online exposure opportunities

Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery Competitions

Monthly online juried competitions covering abstract, figurative, landscape and mixed media.

• Rolling opportunities
• Easy digital submission process
• Artist profile exposure

Landscapes Art Competition – Megalopolitan Art Gallery

Invites global artists and photographers to submit landscape-inspired works in any medium or style. Awards will be given in painting, photography, and sculpture. Entry fees start at $20, and selected artists receive certificates and exhibition features. Submit entries via Artist Space Gallery.

Megalopolitan Art Gallery invites artists worldwide to submit work for the online exhibition Reflections in Blue, exploring creative interpretations of the color blue through any medium. Open to artists 18+. Entry fee is €25 for two works. Deadline: May 28, 2026. Selected artists receive certificates and international online exposure.

And finally…

Creativity grows through participation. Applying for an opportunity, sharing work publicly and joining creative conversations are all part of sustaining artistic practice.

Even if you are not selected every time, the process itself helps develop resilience, visibility and artistic direction.

Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter so you can recieve all the latest opportunities for promoting your work.

Competitions include the chance to exhibit in some of the most respected galleries and shows in the world. There are often cash prizes, art goodies and supplies on offer as well as the opportunity to appear in publications – from magazines and digital galleries to catalogs and books.

Most competitions have an entry fee as standard – expect to pay up to $30 per work.

Communication Arts Illustration Prize

This is one of the most prestigious competitions for creativity in illustration. It’s open to any illustration first published or produced from January 2024 through to the closing date.

Each winner receive a personalized Award of Excellence, milled from solid aluminium, and award certificates to show off to potential clients.
The Communication Arts Award of Excellence is one of the most-coveted awards in the industry. If chosen, winning places you in the highest ranks of your profession.

Deadline: January 10, 2025

DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year

This ever-popular annual competition promotes wildlife art at its very best and raises money the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

And it doesn’t do too badly for the artists either – prizes on offer includes a £5,000 cash prize to the artist and a £5,000 conservation voucher to be donated in the winner’s name to a DSWF species of their choice.

As always, the competition is open to both amateur and professional artists. The competition excludes photography, film and digitally created images.

Entries open January 6, 2005

London Art Biennale

Artists from around the globe are invited to apply for this prestigious event, which will take place from the July 16-20, 2025.

Up to 400 artists will have their work featured in both a printed and online catalog, with a dedicated page in a hardback publication by the International Confederation of Art Critics. And there’s a £5,000 London Art Biennale Award.

Artists can submit works across various mediums, including painting, sculpture, digital art, photography, video art and more.

Submission Deadline is February 28, 2025

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

Prize fund: £50,000

This is the largest open-submission art exhibition in the world with 16,500 total entries.

Prizes included for sculpture, print, painting and drawing, as well as prizes for women artists and students. The purpose of the competition is to get a chance to exhibit at London’s Mall Galleries. Submissions open in February so get your entry in early, the closing date depends on the number of entries and often closes early once it reaches 15,000 or so.

Have a look at the 2024 exhibition and get an idea of the standard and range of work submitted.

The Spirit of Malvern En Plein Air Painting Competition

This is a brilliant real-time art competition for outdoor painters who find themselves in the north of England in the spring. Pit yourself against the untamed wilds of Derbyshire and the tumultuous English spring weather. Simply buy a ticket and find the perfect spot. The works of art are displayed in a ‘pop-up’ public exhibition with judging awarding £1000 first prize (plus further cash prizes for locals and in landscape urban and wildlife categories).

The competition takes place on the UK May bank holiday, and tickets can be purchased online.

The Homiens Art Prize

The New York-based Homiens Art Prize boasts free entry from artists worldwide working across art forms. Six winning artists will be invited to exhibit with Homiens, receive a cash award of $500, and be published in our exhibition catalog, and more. A further 12 finalists per round will exhibit with Homiens and be published in an exhibition catalog.

The current competition closes on 31 October, 2024 with the 2025 competition to be announced in the Spring.

TALP 2025

The Artist and Leisure Painter Open Art Competition (better known as TALP) has been offering artists of all abilities the chance to earn recognition and prizes for their artwork for almost 30 years.

In 2025 artists can submit two-dimensional works in any media in one of two categories: -amateur painters in the Leisure Painter category, and from more experienced and professional artists in The Artist category.

Up to 70 works are selected by judges in each category for exhibition at Patchings Art Centre, opening on the first day of the Patchings Festival in Nottinghamshire, England.

The total 140 exhibited works, along with those highly-commended by the judges, will also be featured on the Painters Online gallery and are eligible for the public vote for the People’s Choice Awards.

The 2025 competition opens in the spring.

Teravarna Annual Art Competitions

The self-styled The World’s Leading Contemporary Fine Art Gallery gave more than $160,000 to artists in prizes in 2023. And if you want a share in 2025, there are plenty of opportunities.

TERAVARNA’s mission is to encourage high-quality art and provide creative people with a place to show off their work.  Art competitions traverse mediums from traditional painting and sculpture, painting to photography and digital artwork. Alongside cash prizes there are opportunities to exhibit and garner those all-important connections in the art world.

Artists around the world can enter competitions for all genres of paintings with subjects as diverse as water and color.

Feeling inspired? Read on!

Check out our comprehensive list of annual art competitions

Handy with a paintbrush? Check out the best international painting competitions

Legal requirements for your website

The legal aspect of your website is an crucial exercise to ensure your website isn’t sued, deleted or hidden from search engines.

Photo by Adobe Stock

Publish a privacy policy

We all know that personal data is valuable and needs protection. Visitors to your site need to know that you won’t sell their information and that whatever data is share with you is protected.

Your privacy policy should let your users know what data your site is collecting about them, how they are being tracked and their options for opting out. It should also provide information on the best way to contact you should they have any questions or concerns.

Cookies

Cookies are how your browser remembers where you’ve been. Each website you visit has a piece of data stored within your web browser that the website can retrieve at a later time. Each website you visit will now offer you a chance to opt in, opt out or chose your own cookies. Ironically, it is cookies that remember what you agreed when you first visited the site so you don’t get a pop-up every time you visit. Your site will have to have the same.

There are free cookie checkers online. Simply give them your website address and they will let you if it meets the requirements.

E-commerce security

If you are selling online, you will need to have strong payment security. The good news is that if you are using a reputable e-commerce store or software, this is already taken care of.

Tip: Artweb websites offer a fully integrate e-commerce store with advanced encryption protocol to protect customer data.

Copyright and plagiarism

Bloggers beware! One of the most common issues websites face is breaking copyright with unapproved use of images and photographs, which can lead to hefty fines. There is a complicated legal system for using images but getting express permission (preferably written) from the owner of the image is paramount. You should also follow any rules or requests for caption and byline information. Images past a certain date may be out of copyright, but you need to check! And never take photos directly from Google Images, or other search engines.

There are companies dedicated to rooting out websites that use images without permission and hefty fines or charges usually follow.

Don’t assume because an image is on someone else’s site (including free sharing sites) that you can use it.

Remember, your best options are to use your own photos, ask for permission to use other people’s images, or use paid reputable image sharing sites (like Adobe or Canva) and follow all image credit instructions.

Content licensing and attribution

Who owns what? This part of your website protects your content. Depending on what you outline, companies can republish or repurpose published material through a legal agreement often referred to as a copyright license. You might give this license for your own content, or request one. An example of this might be asking if you can re-publish a review written by a third party.

Anti-spam laws

If you send out emails of any kind — newsletters, receipts or alerts — you need to make sure your website complies with anti-spam laws for your country or region that protect the email recipient from getting unsolicited emails, which can be stolen from insecure website storage.

Disclaimers

The disclaimer is your get-out-of-jail-free card. A general statement that sets out what you are responsible for and what you aren’t to limit your liability for the information you are giving. There are many templates online, while website builders will include a generic one for you.

Accessibility

Everyone should be able to access the information on your website. And your site needs to meet its obligations to create an inclusive website.

Alt text, for example, is used to describe an image to visitors who use screen readers. Some images may have a lot going on, such as some complex graphics, so remember to extract the essential meaning or purpose of an image. See this guide from Harvard University on how to write alt text content for images. Other good accessibility elements relate to the colors used on your site to ensure it is accessible to those with dyslexia, text size for visual impairment and in some cases easy-read versions of documents.

There are a range of free accessibility checkers online that will review your site after you input your website address.

Good accessibility will also help Google rankings.

Explore more ways to create the perfect website.

Major artists and galleries have recognized that carefully curated books can be a major money earner, whether to accompany an exhibition or simply tell the story of a specific artist or valuable set of work.

What is an art book?

An art book is usually sold in a gallery or studio, has no barcode and features the work of an artist along a singular theme. The theme can be broad or very specific. One example is the great German-American artist Gerhard Richter who produced a single work September in response to the 9/11 attack on New York. The resulting book of the same name focuses on the experience of being in the city on that day.

What do artists include in art books?

Now the hard bit. Artists who have created photography books have typically had to whittle thousands of images down to a handful. For a painter creating an anthology, this will likely be less. And if the book is a concept book, the work will be created specifically for each step or page in the book.

Photo by Ewen MacDonald

Images

Some of the most famous art books are an anthology of photographs along a certain theme, they might be biographical or explore a certain subject. One of the earliest photography books was Robert Frank’s The Americans. Frank was one of the first photographers to earn the title of artist. His book presents a series of 83 images of black-and-white shots taken during travels across America in the 1950s. 

Frank also produced the marvelous Zero Mostel Reads a Book. It is literally what it sounds like: photographs of the actor (best known for The Producers) reading a book in several unlikely poses.

Painters and illustrators may consider hand-illustrating or painting images in each book which means creating a very limited edition that will be more valuable. John Audubon’s The Birds of America (1827) is considered the world’s most expensive book (the most recent auction of an original copy went for $14 million) were all hand-colored. They catalog and display American birds, some of which are extinct. 

The first few copies of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience (1789) were hand-illuminated (a term used to describe the decorative illustrative elements of a page).

Words

Some art books tell a story, and use images in support of a journey or a concept, with a short diary entry. Others limit the text to something akin to an artist statement you would find on a gallery wall.

Books like Masahisa Fukase’s Ravens offer no explanation, instead leaving the publisher to find a critic or expert to help the viewer interpret the images.

Real memory, which these pictures trigger, is an invocation of the color, smell, sound and physical presence, the density and flavor of life

– Nan Goldin, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, foreword, 2012 reissue.

Practical elements of an art book

Once you’ve decided on the contents, it’s time to consider the practical elements of producing an art book.

Layout

For an art book, the layout is the same as curating work on a gallery wall. Consider which image comes first, and what sits next to what. If you are combining images and text, always place the image on the right-hand page. This makes it easier to view the picture in full. And remember, the white space in your art book is like the white walls of a gallery.

Publishing and printing

Most highly prized art books are published and printed by specialist publishers or through galleries. If you are self-publishing your art books, you will need to go down a similar route to get high-quality print. Don’t be tempted by software programs, such as Apple Books for Authors (although it could be a good practice version). You should consider the paper you use. Its weight needs to be heavy enough that the images from the other side of the page doesn’t bleed, whether you want gloss or matte, and the shape of the book. Art books are most often square or landscape in shape. 

Ideas for art books

Like a concept album, an art book works best when it is exploring a single theme. For plein air painters, this might be exploring a specific geographical area.

A day in the life: this might be landscape, wildlife or even capture a specific event in several ways.

Many of the examples here are from art photographers. Arguably, photography lends itself to books better than any other medium as it is prints on paper, the same as a book.

Often the books created by art photographers become their seminal work. Each page is curated by the artist like a gallery exhibition.

Nan Goldin’s The Ballad of Sexual Dependency

Trained as a fine artist at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Goldin works in photography. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is described as a visual diary — a curated collection of images taken from her life and that of the young people around her during the 1970s, many of them hard to look at. Her photographic work has fetched up to $284,500 at auction.

Goldin’s work has been the subject of more than one major exhibition, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Masahisa Fukase’s Ravens

In Japanese mythology these black birds are harbingers of luck. It was first published in 1986, and two limited edition print runs sold out in minutes.

Larry Clark’s Tulsa

Tulsa is another difficult-to-look-at concept book featuring the disenfranchised young people he grew up with. This book is interesting as the photographer offers a sentence for each book which is both title and a part of the work itself.

William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience (1789)

Now well into its third century, this two-part book combines watercolors by the artist alongside his poems. The first few copies of the work were printed and illuminated (decorated and illustrated) by Blake himself (one of these original books sold for just under $1 million at auction in 2001). In 1789, five years later, he bound these poems with a set of new poems Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul.

Georgia O’Keeffe’s Watercolors (1916-1918)

Watercolors is a beautiful book from the mother of modernism playing with watercolors during a two-year stint in Texas. The paintings are different from her better known florals, and feature landscapes and figurative paintings of her own body.

What is oil paint?

All paint is designed to do the same thing: get pigment (color) to stick to a surface (canvas, board, paper, plaster). For centuries, these pigments were mixed into oils. The most common oil is linseed oil giving oil painting its unique color, texture and tone. Other oils include poppy, sunflower, safflower, soya bean and walnut oils.

Over centuries, the oil paint formula has been tweaked and perfected with cleaner oils and synthetic pigments to prevent the dulling of colors.  

History has shown us that oil painting is good for a few centuries or more. There are plenty of examples of great works — far too many to name — from the last 500 years showing how painting masters have used oil paint to create priceless work. There have been hundreds of books written on art movements, artists, and even single paintings, which lavish praise on how oil painting techniques have developed.

When was oil paint first used?

Oil paintings dating back to the 7th century have been found, but the 15th century is widely recognized as the true birth of oil painting.

If the 15th century is its birth, Flemish painter Jan van Eyck is the father of oil painting. He created an oil paint formula that quickly replaced egg tempera (pigment mixed with egg yolk). The benefit of using oil paint is that it slowed down the painting process. While egg tempera dried quickly and gave paintings a very specific sheen, oil paint allowed artists to create work over several sittings. And artists found it easy to work over to create depth and make corrections.

Oil paint was most commonly used on wooden boards or panels in its early days. In the 17th century, Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer began to use canvas stretched across a wooden frame, known as stretchers or strainers. These canvas stretchers are the most common surfaces artists now use. Read more in our blog Best Surfaces for Oil Paintings.

What are the challenges of using oil paint?

For many, the challenges of oil paint include its smell, slow drying time, dangerous solvents (white spirit and turpentine), and difficulty in cleaning brushes — all of which are enough to put people off. But there are plenty of unique elements that make it worthwhile.

Oil painting techniques

With more than 500 years of history in the art world, oil painters have had plenty of time to develop different methods of working with oil paint. Many originate from Italy thanks to the Renaissance painters, like Leonardo da Vinci who championed them. Below are few you can try.

Wet on wet

Also known as alla prima, wet on wet is the technique of applying a new layer of oil paint on top of a still-wet layer. It allows blending, and some mixing of color directly on the surface. Artists apply this technique to create a painting over several sittings, rather than leaving it to dry.

Impasto

Another Italian term from those clever Renaissance painters, impasto means creating a thick layer of paint. Using a palette or painting knife (more on this below), the artist smears the paint across the surface. The painting knife is used to dig into the surface to create texture and movement (get up close to oil paintings to see how it has been done). Vincent van Gogh was a master of using impasto to create texture through his signature nicks in the paint to suggest movement.

Sgraffito

The Italians used the term sgraffito to mean scratching into plaster and paint to create texture and relief — and more importantly to show the color beneath the top layer. Sgraffito can be a series of thin lines to create an image or depth.

Dry brush/scumble

Gently dragging a dry brush with a tiny amount of drying paint across a (ideally) dry painting, in a different color, creates a broken surface. This is scumbling. You can use a brush or a knife. The key is the consistency of the paint you are applying and how much you apply.

Francis Bacon used white or yellow paints over the top of many of his works to create the effect, a notable example being Study after Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X. 

Palette knife vs. brushes

Oil paints are incredibly diverse, and so are the methods of applying them. As a painter, you can choose from dozens of types of brushes and painting knives to create different effects.

Brushes

There are dozens of different types of shapes and sizes of brushes for paint, but many were designed for oil paint. The main six shapes have different purposes: flat, round,  brights, filberts, fan blenders and riggers. Flat and round brushes are the workhorses of your paintbrush collection, while brights (short flat brushes) are used for detail, Filbert brushes (flat rounded bristles) are used to soften and blur edges. Fan brushes create soft flat backgrounds and riggers are thin bristles for lines.

The different types of brushes are usually made from different materials. Traditionally, the bristles can come from animals, including hogs, squirrels and goats. There’s a growing collection of synthetic vegan brushes with bristles made from nylon that create the same effect.

Learn more on how to choose the right brush for your medium and painting style.

Palette knives

When we talk about palette knives, what we really mean is painting knives (the palette knife is a flat round tool used to mix paint). Traditionally these knives have a specific mini trowel-like shape in a range of sizes, but painting knives have developed to include tools closer to household wallpaper scrapers and putty knives, perfect for creating impasto.

Learn more about painting knives and how to use them.

Painter’s palette

Art supply shops will offer a range of palettes, mostly in the classic oval with thumbhole design.

Traditionally made of a thin wood board (but increasingly available in plastics), the painter’s palette is designed to be held in the artist’s hand and rest on the artist’s arm. Traditionally the wooden variety allows paint to build up on the surface to create a patina of colors, while the plastic version can be cleaned. (Scrape off excess paint and scrub with a cloth soaked in white spirit or turpentine).

Tips and tricks

1. Make your own painter’s palette

After almost 20 years as a painter, I admit, I have never owned a proper painter’s palette. Instead, I use thick cardboard (ideally corrugated, so it will take the weight of oil paint). The benefits of this mean having a fresh painter’s palette as often as you like. The cardboard absorbs excels oils in the paint to create a thicker texture which can be ideal for impasto.

2. Covering your painter’s palette

Oil paint is expensive and it can be hard to know how much paint you need to squeeze onto your palette. Extend the life of your paint, with a simple trick: keep a tube of plastic wrap in your studio and place a sheet gently over the palette board when not in use. However, don’t wrap the film tightly as you will squash the paint and lose some. You can keep doing this each time you use the palette. Paints should stay wet for at least a week.

How does oil paint compare to other paints?

Check out our series on different paints and painting mediums to decide which is the right paint for you:

• How Do Artists Use Egg Tempera
• Is Acrylic Paint Better Than Oil Paint?

What is an online art competition?

Every art competition begins with an online entry, but there are also hundreds of art competitions that offer the chance to display your work on their digital gallery or showcase your work in front of tens of thousands of social media followers.

Unlike the higher-profile art competitions, online art competitions can be far simpler to enter. That also means there are more entries to sift through, so competition can be fierce.

Where to start

In your search for online art competitions, start small and local. A regional lifestyle magazine might be looking for a cover for its new edition, or a local arts organization could need images from local artists to feature on its pages.

What to consider before entering

Click rate and audience

If the competition is online only, have a look at the site’s visitor numbers. You can use free website analysis tools, or do a quick Google search to show you how well known it is by how high they appear in the search. If it is a watercolor competition, for example, look up “online watercolor competitions.” You can also ask the competition organizers, especially if there is an entrance fee, as they may have a media kit with those numbers ready to share. If your medium or style is quite niche, smaller numbers might still make entry worthwhile.

Social media

Does the online competition/website have a good presence on social media (in particular Instagram)? If it has plenty of followers and lots of posts, the chances are it is more dynamic in promoting itself and you as a winner.

Does it cost anything?

As the saying goes nothing in this life is free — and online art competitions are no different. Identify quickly if the competition organizers are charging anything and if you want to pay.

Quite a few competitions will be open only to members or subscribers, so you might want to consider if it is worth joining/subscribing. If they hold regular competitions, like many online magazines, it can be worthwhile.

Start small

Some competitions run regularly and might be looking for little more than to promote your work as their social media featured image for the month. This might  be a great way to get your work in front of thousands of followers and help build your own social media profile.

Remember: Always make the most of any competition win. Promote it, save it (screenshot it at the very least) and include the judge’s comments if available on your own site and social media accounts.

Photo by Adobe Stock

Artweb’s pick of online competitions

Artists Nework

We’ve included Artists Network/Artists Magazine in our online competitions because they have a huge roster of regular competitions open to subscribers and non-subscribers. Many of the prizes include a free subscription, a feature in their online (and often printed) magazine or publication.

PleinAir Salon Art Competition

PleinAir magazine hosts monthly painting competitions that award artists across a variety of painting mediums. Just entering can be enough to get your work featured in their web gallery.

Art and Color 365 Competitions

Art and Color 365 offers regular competitions for coverage in their international digital magazine and online. The magazine’s monthly art competitions showcase artists with the aim of to bringing their work to a greater audience. There is also a published version of the magazine that you can earn a feature in.

Sign up for their newsletter for regular updates on upcoming themes.

Monthly C4E Art Competition

Artists can get free promotion through the C4E newsletter and website. You will need a SubmitArts account to apply for free.

Submitting artists may apply from any country but must be 18 or over.

Painters Online

As the name suggests, this website offers a series of competitions throughout the year. All you need to do is create a free account. Many of the competitions offer art prizes rather than cash plus a chance to be featured online.

TIP: When you get those much-wanted wins, make the most of it. Promote your prize with photos, logos and comments!

For the modern artist, there are many outlets and inspirations available at the touch of our keypad, so what is the secret to using YouTube for artists?

YouTube for art resources

In the rush to promote ourselves, it is easy to forget that social media channels offer a vital resource for modern artists as well as a platform. These may be simple ‘how to’ videos designed to teach a skill or more about specific artists and art movements.

YouTube is a treasure trove for art lovers and artists. Many pleasant afternoons can be spent in virtual tours of art galleries and exhibitions across the world in the company of curators as many museums have their own YouTube channel.

The history of art is explored in classic documentaries covering thousands of years of art in every conceivable medium. There are also classic art documentaries and interviews with artists, dead and alive. One of my favorite elements is that it can connect you with individual works of art you will probably never get to see — whether the Sistine Chapel in Rome or Matisse’s Red Studio at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. And even if you’ve been lucky enough to see them, these videos can provide a close-up and often expert interpretation missing from an in-person visit.

One of the best is the Louisiana Channel. Tagged as “videos on the arts by the artists,” this channel has hundreds of videos to choose from. If the featured art or artist isn’t to your taste, these videos are also a masterclass in how to create your own videos.

Some art channels you might want to check out

Tate Shots offers a new video every week

Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) channel

Classic documentaries on art. I recommend Robert Hughes’ Shock of the New and Matthew Collings’ This is Modern Art

In addition to learning about artists and art movements through the centuries, there is a ton of expert advice on offer. Curators, gallery owners, and prominent collectors are generous with their expertise and opinions. There are thousands of these videos, so it’s best to rummage around and be as specific as possible in your search terms, including your chosen medium as a minimum.

How to use YouTube for your art

For anyone who has held an open studio event or attended a preview of their own exhibition, connecting with potential buyers can be the difference in making that all-important sale. Collectors and buyers enjoy meeting the artist before buying their work.

YouTube can help you do this in a virtual world that gives you access to millions of viewers.

Within YouTube, you are fighting for an audience among the many art channels, so you might find it difficult to find viewers there. However, setting up a YouTube channel allows you to upload videos that can be embedded into your website in a couple of clicks.

Setting up your YouTube art channel

Few things are as easy as setting up a YouTube channel.

What you will need:

• A computer, phone or tablet with internet access.
• A YouTube account (you can set this up independently at youtube.com or through your Google account if you have one).
• A name for your channel. Try and use your artist or studio name that matches your website and social media accounts.
• A profile picture. This should be your logo or professional shot that you use on other social media channels.
• Video to upload. You can then copy your video URL and paste it into your website.

TIP: Use your logo, website banner and include your website or social media handle at all possible points. Your channel should resemble your other social media accounts and website as closely as possible for maximum brand recognition. Find out more about creating your artist brand.

Learn how to set up your channel with this tutorial from YouTube.

Content ideas for making your own art videos

• Get to know the artist. Upload content about yourself and your art practice.

• Create an artwork. Set up a camera and in fast motion or stop motion.

• Film a studio visit or gallery exhibition.

• Review a art exhibition or artist. Searching on YouTube is similar to other parts of the web. If your video talks about a new exhibition, it may find more viewers.

• Interview an artist about their career, art practice (or an interview with you).

After all the effort, make sure you use the video across all your channels: your website, links in social media (copy over to create your own reels) and even add a link to your email signature.

How long should a video be?

For some parts of the web, the length of videos or reels is quite prescriptive. We live in a fast-paced world — Instagram favors its video stories told in seconds. Remember you can link to a longer version on your website.

Consider how long you watch videos, probably less than 20 seconds before you move on. If the Museum of Modern Art can tell the story of Cézanne in 90 seconds, there’s no excuse for the rest of us.

While YouTube has endless options, Vimeo is also worth a look, especially for artists looking to learn more about artists.

Who are the judges?

Judges in art competitions will usually be high-profile members of the art world. The more prestigious the competition, the more likely you are to recognize the name.

Usually there will be a combination of disciplines, but as a minimum, judges are practicing artist, a gallerist, a critic or a writer.

Do your research on the judges. A brief read of their blog can help you fine-tune your entry or decide which work to submit.

If you are still looking for a bit of help on choosing the right medium, have a look at our guides to entering painting, drawing and photography competitions.

How do they judge?

We usually think of judges sitting around looking at work with pens and pencils in hand, arguing the merits of each work. The reality is that this will only happen once a shortlist has been drawn up. Before that, the judges may look through work at a frighteningly fast rate individually before submitting the work they like for further review and discussion.

For example the Royal Society’s Summer Exhibition 2024, which will be showing several hundred works in London this year began the judging process by reviewing digital images of the submitted artworks. Judges then shortlisted around 4,000 entries.

Ensure your work is professionally presented: Images of your work should be well taken with clear detail to maximize its visual appeal.

What are the judges looking for?

Most competitions will set out exactly what they want from the winning entries. They might want originality, a unique twist or a clear mastery of the medium.

Other things competitions are looking for:

• Work that excites them
• Something they haven’t seen before
• A clear knowledge and understanding of the medium and material used
• Something that will sell
• Something that can be displayed on a wall (or plinth)
• Work that will showcase their organization, whether a gallery, publication or society

Read the full entry information fully and several times to pull out the important information.

What do the judges say?

Words like original, unique, powerful, striking, masterful and stand-out often find their way into the judges’ comments in competitions. Looking at what the judges said in a previous competition will give you as much an idea of what the judges are looking for as looking at last year’s winners (although you should always do that to).

Read any comments from judging panels about winning work. Pay particular attention to any choice awards that have been chosen for popularity.

Common reasons your work isn’t chosen

Judging panels rarely offer any feedback to why work wasn’t chosen. With hundreds of entries to sift through, it is unrealistic for them to say more than “didn’t like it” or “not good enough” — and no one wants to hear that!

But some of the common reasons your work may have been rejected is preventable. Among those reasons:

• Work is the wrong size
• Work is the wrong medium
• The entrant isn’t eligible (geography, age group, etc.)
• Work hasn’t been produced in the correct timeframe
• The images aren’t good enough to get a sense of the work
• Art is obscured by intricate frames or put into a setting
• Work isn’t available for sale

Check before you enter that you meet all the requirements, but also check afterwards if it is rejected.

Don’t take it personally

Each year, the same competitions will have different judges with different ideas of what meets the criteria. Don’t be disappointed by any failures, look at what did win, what the judges said about it and how your work compares. Be honest!

If it all sounds a bit scary, start small and follow our guide to monthly competitions that will raise your profile.

You can also plan ahead with our list of annual competitions.

Remember to sign up for our free newsletter, which features new competitions weekly.

Visiting from the UK? Check our our guide to The best art competitions in the UK

You can also see our latest on Monthly Competitions that will raise your profile and competitions for painting drawing and photography

Art competitions are a great way for artists to promote themselves and their artwork with the chance for coverage, exhibitions and even some cash prizes.  There are thousands of art competitions in 2023 from painting competitions, textiles, ceramics, photography and sculpture.

Pick the right competition

There are literally thousands of art competitions in 2023. Entering all of them would be more than a full-time job, leaving you no time to create the entries.

It sounds obvious, but read the entry requirements carefully. It might sound like a good fit, but on closer examination, there might be exclusions. Some will carry fees for entry, usually per item. Most will also have a limit on the number of entries. You don’t have to enter the maximum. Judges won’t be swayed and you are wasting the fee if the work isn’t your best.

Make sure you check the latest information on all the art competitions below via the links below before you start your entry. They will have up-to-date information on fees, closing dates and any requirement for in-person exhibitions.

It’s not always about the money

Some art competitions boast about their generous prize fund. For others, the prestige or an opportunity to exhibit or have your work seen that’s worth far more than a few hundred or thousand dollars.

Missed the deadline? Don’t despair!

Most art competitions are annual and held at the same time each year. If you’ve missed 2023’s art competitions, plan ahead and add the date to your calendar so you can be early for art competitions in 2024!

Artweb’s pick of best international art competitions for summer 2023

Ongoing competitions

Artists Network

One of the largest collections of competition opportunities can be found at Artists Network, the group that brings you Artists Magazine. They have an extensive catalog of rolling competitions. Themed contests vary based on media and subjects.

Artists Network is a membership site. While many competitions are open to the general public, members get early-bird pricing and an early-bird deadline for submissions. Members also get access to an extensive library of how-to videos, magazine archives, and ebooks.

• Deadline: Ongoing
• More info: https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-competitions/

Fine Art America Online Art Competitions

Fine Art America is an online community of members who create on-the-fly, pop-up art contests. The prizes aren’t much, but it’s great way to feel part of a community of artists. Informal online competitions can pad your artist CV and encourage you to try something new by working within various themes, from floral painting to Christmas cards.

Some contests have cash prizes, but many offer online promotional opportunities. Members of the site can start a new competition anytime.

• Deadline: Ongoing
• More info: https://fineartamerica.com/contests.html

Art Maze Magazine Open Call

This competition comes with a chance to become a cover story for the UK-based Art Maze Magazine. The artist-run and ad-free publication aims to promote artists and their work from across the world. Any visual arts medium is welcome; you can submit up to five works simultaneously.

• Deadline: Ongoing
• More info: https://artmazemag.com/call-for-art/

Painting competitions

NTD International Figure Painting Competition

One for traditional painters, the New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television hosts this international competition to promote pure beauty, goodness, and authenticity through traditional painting. The contest is open to all realism artists, regardless of their location.

• Deadline: June 15, 2023
• More info: https://oilpainting.ntdtv.com/

International FiKVA Award

Another one for figurative (and representative) painters. This global online competition has a prize pot worth €5,000 in cash prizes and opportunities for online group exhibition.

Acceptable mediums vary from oil, acrylic, ink and watercolor to gouache, tempera and all traditional mediums on any support, including canvas, board, aluminum and glass. Work must have been completed between 2021 and 2023. No comics, airbrush, digital or mechanical work is accepted.

• Deadline: June 15, 2023
• More info: https://fikva.art/open-call/

The Almenara Art Prize

This is an international representational painting competition with more than $22,000 in cash awards and other prizes.

The competition welcomes the full range of figurative paintings, including hyperrealism, photorealism, surrealism, impressionism, plein air painting and any kind of representational painting. Prizes range from $500 to $10,000, and the chance to take part in an online exhibition and an exhibition in Spain.

• Deadline: June 30, 2023
• More info: https://www.thealmenaracollection.com/page/25921/the-almenara-art-prize

Textile competitions

The Fine Art Textiles Award

This is one for the textile artists out there. FATA is an international juried exhibition open to all amateur and practising artists using textiles with a £5,000 first prize and an opportunity to join the Festival of Quilts exhibition in the UK.

Entries are fine art only. All disciplines, processes and media are therefore welcome, as long as the key/pivotal materials are clearly rooted in textiles.

• Deadline: May 22, 2023
• More info: https://www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk/the-fine-art-textiles-award/

Open art competitions

NYAC: New York Art Competitions

Chelsea International Fine Art Competition offers more than $70,000 in prizes. Accepted works include sculpture, painting, photography, mixed media, drawing, and print.

Similarly, the Chelsea International Photography Competition offers over $55,000 in prizes and is open to photographers at any stage of their career.

Both are part of the New York Art Competitions, which hosts four annual international art contests to promote artists’ careers and bring their work to a bigger audience.

• Deadline: May 16, 2023 for Fine Art | October 24, 2023 for Photography
• More info: https://nyartcompetitions.com/

Sunny Art Prize

The Sunny Art Prize is a global competition that’s pretty much open to anyone looking for emerging and established artists working in a wide range of media.

The contest shortlists 30 artists and picks three winners who receive cash prizes and a solo exhibition at the Sunny Art Centre in London. Winners and runners-up will also be able to exhibit their work in galleries throughout China. Prize winners may also be selected for a one-month artist residency in China organized by established Chinese art institutions.

The contest accepts work from all 2D or 3D art styles, including prints, painting, photography, mixed media, and even experimental or installation works. There are no limits on the theme.

• Deadline: To be announced for 2023
• More info: https://www.sunnyartcentre.co.uk/artprize/apply/

London Art Biennale

Accepted artistic disciplines include works on canvas, board, and paper, and applied arts, such as collage/mixed media, photography, digital art, video art, sculpture and installation.

Up to 400 artists will be selected for the 6th edition of the London Art Biennale with a £10,000 prize fund and group exhibitions in London and Tuscany.

Approximately 300 to 400 artists will be selected for the London exhibition. Prize amounts range from £1,500 to £5000, and there’s a chance to exhibit your work at Chianciano Biennale 2024 in Italy.

• Deadline: May 31, 2023
• More info: https://www.londonbiennale.co.uk/london-art-biennale-2023-artwork-submission-information/

Tabernacle Art Competition 2023

This annual exhibition takes place at MOMA Machynlleth with a different theme each year (2023 is “Secret”). Artists can enter one piece of new work inspired by the theme. Artists can enter any 2D work, including photography. Prizes range from £50 to £1,200.

• Deadline: June 16, 2023
• More info: https://moma.cymru/en/e/the-tabernacle-art-competition-2023/

Luxembourg Art Prize

This annual international art prize from Luxembourg-based Pinacothèque Museum with €35,000 of prizes and welcomes entries from a wide range of art mediums including drawing, printing, installation, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed techniques and decorative arts.

• Deadline: September 30, 2023
• More info: https://www.luxembourgartprize.com/en/

Photo by Adobe Stock

Drawing competitions

Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize

This is one of the most prestigious international drawing competitions and holds the largest prize fund celebrating drawing practice. There’s also a chance to exhibit in London, UK.

• Deadline: June 30, 2023
• More info: https://tbwdpinternational.artopps.co.uk/

Ceramics competition

Cerco International Contemporary Ceramics Award 2023

Based in Spain, Cerco 2023 is open to contemporary artists from around the world of any age, emerging or established. Entries can be any subject matter using ceramics. There’s a first prize worth €6,000 and an exhibition in Spain.

• Deadline: June 30, 2023
• More info: https://www.cerco.es/edicion-2023/

Print competitions

International Original Print Exhibition

Established by the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers at the Bankside Gallery to showcase the best in contemporary printmaking across all techniques. Any forms of original printmaking are eligible. Prizes include printmaker supplies and free subscriptions.

• Deadline: July 3, 2023
• More info: https://www.re-printmakers.com/competitions/detail/2/

You can also sign up for our newsletter, which features new competitions weekly.

Note about data collection and privacy: You’ll also need to meet your government’s data protection laws. In the US, you’ll need to check federal and state level data protection laws. In the UK, check out the Data Protection Act 2023.

E-shot marketing (free)

Email marketing software can be valuable to larger companies with thousands of subscribers. Although some email marketing software, like Mailchimp, offer basic elements for free to get you started. For more information on going this route, see our article on starting an artist newsletter.

If you’re just starting out with no or very small contact list, simple email campaigns sent to your self-managed contact list is probably enough.

In your email account, set up a dedicated contact list so you can send out content at the click of a mouse.

Keep it short. Your email marketing is more an email shot (e-shot) than newsletter. That means sticking to a one or two topics to highlight, instead of a round-up of information.

Create a consistent design. You can use the email signature function to create a template with some cool-looking graphics that might suffice. This will keep all your content in the body of the email. Subscribers are more likely to scroll than click to open a document.  

The easiest way to send your update is simply in the the body if the email.  Someone is more likely to scroll than click to open an attachment.

Your subject line is your headline. It should entice people to read on. Stick to five words to sum up the content. Use words like exclusive, offer, latest, invitation and even sale to pique interest.

Content ideas for your e-shot

New works

A single image with caption that includes the title, size, medium and price as a minimum. But you might want to remind recipients who you are with a one-sentence biography and a few sentences on the work, its subject and inspiration. For example:

Open studios and exhibition events

Everyone likes to feel special, and an invitation to a preview event or private opening is the best way to do this. It’s likely many of the people receiving your e-shot will be too far away to attend, so ensure you offer an online preview event as well. This allows potential buyers to view your work ahead of a show.

Wins and awards

Show off your successes and make people feel they are missing out on getting highly prized artworks. Your competitions successes should be trumpeted as much as possible. Get hold of a the competition logo so you can use it everywhere. And see if there is a quote available from the judging panel about why they chose your work. Aside from a few household names, most people won’t know how prestigious the competition is. Always supply links and share any social media coverage too.

Sales and second sales

Avoid cheapening your artwork with standard “sale” options. Instead, offer a first look at work, consider framing studies and smaller works, and offer exclusive online prices. Don’t use the word “clearance” —even if your promotion stems from the need to clear your studio.

Collecting emails

Every contact you have is an opportunity to gather a fan. If you get emails from people interested in your work, exhibitions, and so on, simply ask them if it’s okay to hold on to their email for updates.

Wording should be simple and honest. For example: “Thank you for your interest in my art practice. I would like to add you to my list and send you the occasional update and invitations to exhibitions and exclusive offers.”

Always give a realistic expectation of what people are agreeing to. This method works better if you intend to send out occasional news, less than one a month. And always make it easy for people to extricate themselves by replying if they no longer want to receive your news.

Find our more about marketing with our series on Making a Living as an Artist.