Artists Magazine Annual Art Competition

Showcase your talent and win big in Artists Network prestigious art competitions! Discover competitions in a variety of media and enter for your chance to win cash prizes, publication in leading art magazines, global exposure, and rewards for your hard work. Plus, gain valuable feedback from renowned jurors. Let your passion shine through - enter an art competition today!

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Artists Magazine 41st Annual Art Competition

Presented By:

The Artists Magazine Annual Art Competition celebrates outstanding works of art in a variety of art media in five different categories and shines a spotlight on the talents of today’s artists. Enter today for a chance to earn recognition for your work and a cash prize of $500, $1000 or $2000 (a total of $17,000 in cash prizes). All winning artwork and honorable mentions will be featured in the Jan/Feb 2025 issue of Artists Magazine!

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ENTRY FEES ARE DUE WITH ENTRIES. YOUR RECORD OF THE CREDIT CARD OR PAYPAL CHARGE WILL BE YOUR RECEIPT.

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Super Early Bird Deadline: April 30, 2024

Members: $15 and Non-Members: $25

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Early Bird Deadline: June 25, 2024

Members: $25 and Non-Members: $35

Final Deadline: July 23, 2024

Members: $30 and Non-Members: $40

If you’d like to take advantage of membership pricing, become an Artists Network member today!

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THIS IS NOT A GAME OF CHANCE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

To enter, visit our online entry portal to log in or register for a free account.

  1. You can save your progress as you go and return anytime to make edits to your entries.
  2. This art contest is open to all artists around the world age 16 years or older.
  3. If you are a member, you will be asked to provide the email address associated with your Artists Network membership. Sign up today to save on entry fees!
  4. Upload your entry details and image(s). There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit. You are able to edit your entries until the final deadline.

Click here for the official Rules + Regulations

5 CATEGORIES


Animal/Wildlife: 

  • Any animal in any setting qualifies an entry for this category. Entries will be judged, among other criteria, on the innovative handling of the subject, the expression and rendering. 

Abstract/Experimental:

  • There are no limits on the subject matter in this category, and entries will be judged on the artist’s use of design, texture, media, lighting and special techniques, among other criteria. 

Landscape/Cityscape: 

  • Any landscape, from city scenes to imaginary horizons, will be judged, among other things, on the artist’s use of form, space, lighting and mood. 

Portrait/Figure: 

  • Portrait and figure entries can be individuals or groups, and will be judged, among other criteria, on expressiveness and draftsmanship. 

Still Life/Interior:

  • Entries will be judged, among other criteria, on overall design, unique arrangement of subject matter, handling of medium, lighting and mood. 

CATEGORY WINNERS


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5 First Place Awards

$2000

Five (5) First Place Award Winners (one per category) will receive $2000 and a 1-year Artists Network Membership ($99.99 value).

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5 Second Place Awards

$1000

Five (5) Second Place Award Winners (one per category) will receive $1000 and a 1-year Artists Network Membership ($99.99 value).

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5 Third Place Awards

$500

Five (5) Third Place Award Winners (one per category) will receive $500 and a 1-year Artists Network Membership ($99.99 value).

OTHER PRIZES & AWARDS


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25 Honorable Mention Awards

$50 ArtistsNetwork.com Gift Card

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All Award Winners

Publication in Artists Magazine

All Category winners and Honorable Mention winners will have their names and winning artwork featured in the Jan/Feb 2025 issue of Artists Magazine and on ArtistsNetwork.com, and receive a digital award-winner badge.

THE JURY


Andy Evansen

Landscape & Interior

Andy Evansen began painting as a change of pace from his career as a medical illustrator almost 30 years ago, and he’s now recognized as one of the top watercolor artists in the country. He’s a sought-after workshop instructor who paints and teaches internationally.  In addition to Signature membership in the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society and Transparent Watercolor Society, he was elected as the only international member of England’s Pure Watercolour Society, in 2022. Evansen’s paintings have won numerous awards, including the Bronze and High Winds Medals from the American Watercolor Society.

Dana Hawk

Animal & Wildlife

Dana Hawk is an oil painter, specializing in animal and figurative work based in realism, leaning toward magical realism. The artist grew up in rural Missouri and attended Missouri State University, initially as an art student. She later switched her major to cell and molecular biology, and went on to earn an M.S. in physical therapy from the University of Colorado. She renewed her artistic pursuits part-time, in 2003, and eventually was able to commit herself to a full-time art career, in 2012. Hawk has since painted numerous commissions, and her other work—figurative and animal—have earned awards from The Portrait Society of America, Beautiful Bizarre magazine and the Art Renewal Center, among others.

Ron Hicks

Portrait & Figure

Denver-based artist Ron Hicks began his career as a representational artist, using a traditional approach modeled after the style of 19th-century masters. His current body of work has evolved into a blend of disciplines that marries abstraction and realism to create figural art that stirs an emotional response. Hicks’ artistic acuity was recognized in his youth, which led to scholarships to continue his educational journey at the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio, and the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver, Colorado. The artist has enjoyed a number of solo exhibitions during his 25-plus year career, and his work is part of collections across the U.S. and abroad.

Melissa Hefferlin

Still Life & Floral

In more than three decades as a professional artist, Melissa Hefferlin has focused about half of her creative attention on still life, inspired by her passion for the formal and narrative possibilities of the genre. A proponent of both classic and progressive interpretations of the form, she admires beautiful tableaux and masterful technique in any style. Hefferlin’s artistic training includes studies at Russia’s historic Academy of Art, in 1990–91, during the country’s Soviet period. She also studied at Otis/Parsons Art Institute, in Los Angeles, and at the University of Tennessee. The award-winning artist is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and the Association of Pastel Painters of Spain, and an Associate Member of Oil Painters of America and American Women Artists. In addition to appearing in many art publications, including Artists Magazine and Pastel Journal, Hefferlin’s artwork—alongside that of her husband and son—is featured in a new hardcover book, Parallel Journeys.

Stan Kurth

Abstract & Experimental

Artist and workshop instructor Stan Kurth has drawn and painted most of his life. An aunt, who was an artist and art instructor, became a big influence even before he started school. Kurth lives with the conviction of “fear not” and that same attitude permeates not just his life but his art. Dedication to his work has earned him numerous awards as well as Signature membership in several watercolor societies, including the National Watercolor Society (in which he enjoys Master status), the San Diego Watercolor Society and the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (where he also holds a Master distinction). The artist currently lives in Arizona, and travels widely to teach workshops in “intuitive painting” in watermedia and mixed media.

Grand Prize

Hues of Sherbert

By Matthew Schulz (Oil on stretched linen, 24×36)

Landscape & Interior

Quiet Harbor

By Jiangang Sun (Watercolor on Paper, 43×31)

Animal & Wildlife

Guly

By Yael Maimon (Oil on panel, 16×12)

Portrait & Figure

Sorrow and the Girl with the Flower

By Mark Pugh (Oil + ink on linen, 24×36)

Still Life & Floral

Orchid Petals on a Renaissance Sideboard

By John N. Booth (Oil on linen, 18×24)

Abstract & Experimental

The Ascension of Aeschylus

By Xiaodong Yu (Mezzotint + silkscreen on printmaking paper, 62×47)

FAQs


QImportant notice about our NEW online entry system:

As of March 2024, we have transitioned to a new online entry system for all Artists Network competitions. We will no longer be using Submittable to manage our contests.

If you’ve previously entered an Artists Network competition via Submittable, you will still have access to your account and entry records when you log in to the Submittable platform.

If you have any questions or concerns about this switch, please contact us at [email protected].

QWhy is my entry still “In Progress”?

In order to officially enter your image into the jurying pool, you must hit “Submit Entry” during the entry process. This will place your image in the cart so that you may pay and complete your entry.

QWhy didn’t I receive a notification when I entered my artwork?

You must have your Award Force notifications settings enabled in order to receive updates about your entry. Please make sure that our email addresses (anything ending in @goldenpeakmedia.com) are not blocked, or you may not receive critical information, receipts, confirmations etc.

QWhat do I do if I make a mistake in my entry?

You may edit your entries up until the closing deadline of a contest.

QWhat types of artwork are acceptable?

The contest is open to artists working in a variety of traditional art media, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, casein, gouache, egg tempera, soft pastel, oil pastel, charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, pen and ink, graphite, charcoal, colored pencil, ink or marker, scratchboard, mixed media and mixed-media collage, silver or other metal point, and printmaking (etching, mezzotint, lithography, woodcut, monotype, mono print, aquatint).

Photography, except for minor elements incorporated in a collage, will NOT be considered. Sculpture will NOT be considered. Digital art will NOT be considered. Entries are limited to two-dimensional artwork. Two-dimensional means that a mixed media cannot exceed one inch in depth.

QOriginal artwork and Artificial Intelligence (AI) guidelines:

All works must be original. “Original” means that the work must be from the hand of a single artist; pieces that originate from a workshop or a class under the direction of a teacher are not eligible. For works based on reference photographs, eligibility requires that the artist must have taken the photographs or have obtained written permission from the photographer to create the work and to enter it in the Contest. Compositions based on published material or other artists’ work are NOT considered original and are not eligible. 

Artwork or reference imagery generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) will NOT be considered.

Click here for the official Rules and Eligibitily details for the 41st Annual

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