The Best Art Competitions in 2023

Looking for a new challenge in the new year? If you aren’t one for self-guided learning, competitions are a great way to set more easily attainable goals on a concrete schedule. You will have the opportunity to gain more experience, receive helpful feedback, and potentially win monetary awards to help sponsor the rest of your creative journey!

Here are the top art competitions to look out for in the new year:

The Lumen Prize for Digital Art

This one’s a classic we had to bring back. This internationally-renowned art competition presents artists with a great opportunity to join a network of other highly accomplished digital artists. The Lumen Prize challenges participating artists to release their creative potential through technology, engaging with this explorative medium in any imaginable way. This year, there are several categories such as Moving Image, Extended Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and NFT art. 

• Date: The call for entries opens on March 3, 2023, early bird entries closing on March 24, and all other entries closing on May 26. Longlisted and shortlisted artists will then be invited to the Awards Ceremony in London on October 19.
• How to participate: Ultimately, you will be asked to submit a primary image or video that best showcases your work, along with three supporting images. The entry fee increases incrementally with the number of submissions, for example, a two-work entry costs $40 while a seven-work entry costs $100. 
• Prize: There is a total prize fund of $13,500, with $4,000 allocated for Lumen’s coveted Gold Award and a free-entry Student Award of $500. In addition, some awards categories can also receive artist residencies and exhibitions.

Aesthetica Art Prize

The Aesthetic Art Prize is an exciting opportunity for all levels of artists to express their ideas through a genre, medium and theme of their choice. Run by Aesthetica Magazine, this competition challenges artists to challenge the status quo of contemporary art today. With a diverse range of categories such as Painting and Drawing, Video, Digital Art & Installation, and Artist’s Film.

• Date: Regular entries are accepted between December 1, 2022 and August 31, 2023, with late entries accepted between September 1 through 8. The results will be announced in January, 2024 and the exhibition in early Spring, 2024.
• How to participate: First purchase your entry, which is originally £25 per entry. Act quickly to catch a 50% January Sale!
• Prize: The main award, open to all practitioner levels, boasts a cash prize of £10,000, as well as a group exhibition in a prominent public gallery, publication and editorial coverage, and mentorship with prominent artists. The Emerging Prize, which is open to students and recent grads, consists of the same additional elements with a smaller cash prize of £1,000.

Animago Award

This world-class competition is one that you can’t miss out on! Since 1997, the Animago Award has annually recognized the best in digital art, 3D animation stills, visual effects, visualization and design. As a free-to-enter competition, there is nothing to lose. The competition is accompanied by the Animago Exhibition and Conference held in Germany to showcase the industry’s finest. 

• Date: The submission deadline for 2023 has yet to be announced, but is typically in July, while the Exhibition and Conference are held in October.
• How to participate: All submissions can be sent in by first registering through Animago’s entry portal, then registering each entry. You will then receive a unique submission number that you will use to send in stills via email, or hardcopy CD/DVDs via mail. There is no limit to the number of submissions you may send in. 
• Prize: With a total prize pot of €3,000, there are various categories for both stills and films, as well as Best Young Production.

Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Student Contest

The 12th annual Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Student Contest invites students aged 11-18 from around the world to submit an entry that reflects on our relationship with climate change through creative expression. Various formats are accepted—even spoken word, poetry, and writing—so don’t be afraid to dabble in something you may be more familiar with, like digital art, combined with something you may like to explore in the future.

• Date: The contest deadline is June 13, 2023 while results are expected to be announced later this year in November.
• How to participate: There are two divisions within which you can apply: Junior Division, for ages 11-14, and Senior Divison for ages 15-18. You are able to apply either as an individual, or as a group of any size, however all students must provide contact information for an adult sponsor. There is no entry fee for submission.
• Prize: Prizes vary based on division type, with the Gold Award ranging from $1,000-$1,500 and Honorable Mention from $100-250. Bow Seat also offers additional awards for particular conditions met.

Stay tuned to all Cubebrush updates to ensure you don’t miss out on the year’s most anticipated opportunities to come!