Art Competitions: Your Roadmap to Artistic Growth and Success

in

As an aspiring pastel artist, your creative journey is a voyage of boundless possibilities. It's about translating your thoughts, emotions, and visions into tangible works of art. While honing your craft is undoubtedly essential, there's another transformative avenue that can amplify your artistic growth: participating in art competitions. In our last blog post, we talked about the skills that make you an award-winning artist, however, the key doesn't solely lie in entering any competition; it's about selecting the ones that align with your artistic goals and style. Today I want to share a few resources and sites to help you find competitions to enter to showcase your work.

art competitions are a great way for Pastel Painter to showcase their art with Alian Picard

Choosing the Right Art Competitions:

Art competitions are gateways to recognition, experience, and personal development. They offer unique opportunities for artists to showcase their talents and connect with the art community. But how do you navigate this vast landscape of competition and find the ones that resonate with you? Here's why it's crucial to choose the right competition:

Craftsmanship and Creativity:

  • Every competition comes with its unique set of rules, themes, and judging criteria. Opting for competitions that harmonize with your style and artistic expression ensures that your work will be evaluated fairly. This paves the way for you to effectively display your craftsmanship and creativity.

Choosing the Right Competition:

  • Participating in competitions that challenge you but are within your skill range can significantly boost your confidence and foster growth. It's all about finding that delicate balance between comfort and challenge to push the boundaries of your artistic potential. Many competitions have different categories from Emerging Pastel Artists to Advanced. Choosing the right level and composition category for your art is essential to your success. Look for opportunities in your region to join an Art Society and enter their shows, then go from local to regional and national as you progress.   

Networking and Recognition:

  • Selecting competitions and Pastel Societies that resonate with your artistic vision can also lead to meaningful connections. Building relationships with judges, fellow artists, and art enthusiasts who share your passion can be invaluable. Winning recognition within the right circles can open doors to further opportunities.

Top Pastel Art Competitions:

We've curated a list of noteworthy pastel art competitions that some of our students have had success in and where you can showcase your talent and creativity: 

  • Pastel Journal Annual Pastel 100 Competition

    • Website: https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-competitions/

    • The artist network hosts various art competitions, one of the more notable for pastel artists is their Pastel 100 Competition

  • The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition

    • Website: www.thepastelsociety.org.uk

    • The Pastel Society is in its 125th year and looks to highlight the best in contemporary pastel and dry media. Submissions are closed for this year but keep an eye out for their submission deadlines usually in January

  • Dakota Art Pastels

  • The American Art Awards

    • Website: www.americanartawards.com

    • American Art Awards has several categories for artists to enter including a PASTEL – HUMAN FIGURE category that will appeal to our Pastel art community

  • International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) Juried Exhibition

    • Website: www.iapspastel.org

    • HGost Several Conventions and exhibitions a year

    • List all member societies on their website

  • Pastel Society of America Annual Exhibition

  • Art Renewal Center's Annual ARC Salon Competition

    • Website: www.artrenewal.org

    • This is a unique realist art competition that focus on realistic portrait and human figure paintings, they host several competitions a year awarding prizes and scholarships

  • The Richeson75 International Art Competition

    • Website: www.richeson75.com

    • The Richeson Galler Competition allows you to compete in a variety of categories from Still Life, Figures, landscape, and Small works. This is a perfect competition for students from our landscape course

  • ShowSubmit.com

  • OnlineJuriedShows.com

Preparing for Art Competition Success:

After selecting the right competitions for you it is time to prepare and practice for the show.  The comprehensive curriculum in our Workshops not only refines your pastel painting skills but also gives you the crucial feedback you’ll need to ensure your pieces and skills are competition-ready.  Join one of our upcoming pastel painting programs to see the difference in honing your skills with our unique instruction and support model that can help you excel in competitions.

In conclusion, your journey as an art student is an exhilarating odyssey of self-discovery and growth. By entering art competitions, you can elevate your confidence, gain invaluable experience, and earn recognition as an artist. Let's embark on this creative expedition together, where you'll not only learn the art but also the art of choosing the right path to success.

View other Blog Post