The Art of Winning and Losing

Many times we talk in the studio about different art awards and competitions. We ponder over the judges’ selection, some of us agreeing and some shaking their heads in dismay. Many of you try and enter some of the competitions and many of you are hesitant to do so.

Most of us would buy a lotto ticket and never win but none of us take it personally, we just buy another one next week. So why do we feel so disappointed if we don’t get selected or win an art competition? Is it because we take it personally? The feeling of being rejected activates our doubts in what we are doing and undermines our self believe. Is it because we sometimes simply don’t understand the judges’ choices? 

Here is how I deal with it and believe me, I have had many rejections as well as some great wins. If you entered the competitions because you believe you have done the best job possible at that time, that is all you need to worry about. The choices other people make are just that, their choices. You take another set of judges and the choices may be different.  

Shake it off and enter the next competition. Your contribution helped another artist and the art industry to move on and who knows, maybe one day you will be the lucky one! We paint because we love it and that is a win in itself, and it is good to remember as well that many people haven’t got that luxury.  

If you win then celebrate! 

Below is the list of some great art competitions for you to consider. Some of them you can still enter this year. The Australian competitions I have listed have prizes above $10,000. There are many more with smaller prizes.

 

Australian Art Competitions/Awards: 

  • Perth Royal Art Prize  

  • Lester Prize for Portraiture 

  • Darling Portrait Prize 

  • Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award (General) 

  • Portia Geach Memorial Award (Portraiture) 

  • Pro Hart Outback Art Award (Landscape) 

  • Kilgour Prize 

  • Archibald Prize (Portraiture) 

  • Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award (Portraiture) 

  • Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 

  • The Paddington Art Prize (Landscape) 

  • The Eutick Memorial Still Life Award 

  • Maritime Art Prize 

  • The Sir John Sulman Prize 

  • Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize 

  • Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize 

  • The Wynne Prize 

  • Blacktown City Art Prize (General) 

  • Mandorla Art Prize (Religious) 

  • Stanthorpe Art Prize (General) 

  • Henry Jones Art Prize (General) 

  • Rick Amor Self Portrait Prize 

  • Dobell Drawing Prize 

  • Georges River Art Prize (General)

Elsewhere: 

  • American Art Awards 

  • https://www.callforentries.com (different places) 

  • BP Portrait Award (London) 

  • Florence Visual Art Call 

  • Chelsea International Fine Art Competition (NYC) 

  • ArtPrize 

  • Luxembourg Art Prize 

  • International Art Exhibition NordArt 

  • SICAB 2020 Poster Contests 

Photography Art Competitions:

 

Good luck !!! 

Here are a couple of my winning pieces;

Jana Vodesil-Baruffi