10 Interesting Art Contests for Scholarships and Awards
Are you interested in going to art school and have the talent to make it there, but need a little help funding your higher art education? You may not be a critically acclaimed artist just yet, but you can definitely get yourself noticed and earn some spending money or financial assistance to pursue an art degree. We found 10 interesting art contests that can help you move your art career forward, get you some sweet bragging rights, and provide you with the scholarship you need to fund your art school tuition.
Duck Brand’s Stuck at Prom Contest
If you’re still in high school and prom is coming up, there’s no need to spend money on an expensive tux or dress. Just pick up some rolls of Duck Brand tape, design your look for the soiree, and then submit a photo of your finished project to their Stuck at Prom contest between March 10 and May 23. Winners receive a $5,000 college scholarship and another $5,000 for their high school.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
What do Andy Warhol, Robert Redford, and Truman Capote all have in common? They won Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, which recognize exceptional artists and writers, filmmakers and photographers, poets, and sculptors in middle and high school. Sixteen gold medalists receive $10,000 scholarships, and even if you don’t make it to the gold medal level, you can still win prizes of $250 to $1,000, so get your artwork ready for submission by January 6.
Adobe Design Achievement Awards
If you’re 18 or older, enrolled in college, and your Adobe design skills are on point, you can submit your unique Adobe-created product to their Design Achievement Awards. Projects can range from game art/development and digital publishing to animation and illustration, and can earn you $2,000 to $3,000 as well as free Adobe software if you make it to the semi-finalist or finalist rounds in each category. You can also submit a group project, but then you have to split the winnings with your friends, so depending on how strapped you are for cash, you may just want to go in alone.
BoardPusher.com Third Thursday Skateboard Design Contest
Create a skate deck graphic to submit to BoardPusher.com and if you win, they’ll send you $100 and a skate deck with your design on it. You can enter once every month incorporating the month’s theme that they provide into your design. Not only will you make some cash, but your design will be available for purchase on their website as a limited edition run of 10 boards. How cool would it be to skate on a deck that you designed yourself?
Embracing Our Differences
This annual outdoor art exhibit celebrates diversity through 39 billboard-sized original works of art. If chosen, your work will be exhibited in Sarasota, Bradenton and Northport, FL from April through May 2014. Anyone can submit work focused on the theme “enriching lives through diversity” before January 6 to be considered. There’s $3,000 in cash awards up for grabs for chosen artists.
Uncommon Goods Art Contest
Uncommon Goods, the online marketplace for unique and interesting products, has a monthly art contest that you can submit paintings, drawings, collages, and digital art to. Each monthly winner earns $500 and five percent of the royalties on a limited edition of 100 prints of their artwork. If you make extraordinary or “uncommon” art, this contest is for you.
The Artist’s Magazine Annual Art Competition
The Artist’s Magazine has an annual art contest that accepts submissions in five different categories. Whether you like drawing or painting animals, people, landscapes, or something completely abstract, this competition has plenty options for every artist. While it costs $15 per entry, the 30 cash prizes make up for the entry fee, earning you anywhere from $100 to $2,500.
Worldstudio AIGA Foundation Scholarship
If you have a ton of artistic talent, but need financial help to attend art school, check out the Worldstudio AIGA Foundation Scholarship. It provides young artists from minority and economically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue degrees in the fields of advertising, fine arts, graphic design, illustration, interactive design, motion graphics, and photography. Scholarships typically range from $2,000 to $3,000, but the grand prize award can be up to $6,000, so check out their website in January for application information.
Congressional Institute Art Competition
Celebrating artistic talent throughout the nation, the Congressional Institute Art Competition provides high school students with the opportunity to submit their work to their Congress representative. Judged by a panel of artists located in your district, you can compete among peers in your area to win a variety of prizes, including sports tickets, gift certificates, U.S. Savings Bonds, and scholarships. First place winners’ work will also be displayed at the U.S. Capital, which is a pretty rad gallery space if you ask us.
Illustrators of the Future
If you’ve been doodling sci-fi and fantasy illustrations for a minute, the Illustrators of the Future contest is definitely something you should take a look at. The competition judges works of art quarterly, so you have a bunch of opportunities to submit your best out-of-this-world piece to be considered. There’s $1,500 in prizes up for grabs each quarter, and if you become a quarterly winner, you’ll have the opportunity to compete for an additional $5,000 prize.
Are you interested in going to art school and have the talent to make it there, but need a little help funding your higher art education? You may not be a critically acclaimed artist just yet, but you can definitely get yourself noticed and earn some spending money or financial assistance to pursue an art degree. We found 10 interesting art contests that can help you move your art career forward, get you some sweet bragging rights, and provide you with the scholarship you need to fund your art school tuition.