Why Enter Art Competitions?
Entering artwork into art competitions is way more valuable and important than people think. There are other reasons than just the standard prize and glory of winning. Some reasons include exposure, encouragement, networking, feedback, recognition, financial reward, new ideas, and personal growth, all of which I had never thought of before entering Research Week.
First Steps
The first step to entering Research Week at Liberty University is to get a sponsor, a professor who supports your project. For me, entering Research Week was a sudden thing. I never had the idea of entering any of my projects into competitions, and I definitely never thought people would enjoy seeing them either. One of my professors encouraged me to submit one of my sculptures that he liked, and I’m very thankful that he did. Having a little encouragement is very helpful; without it, I wouldn’t have ever entered my sculpture. I entered a robot factory that I created out of paper and several other sculptures of mine!
Encouraging Others
One of the best things a person can do after feeling encouraged to enter a competition is to encourage others to enter competitions! Seeing your friend win a competition can be a great experience, especially if you were the one who encouraged them to enter. Some people think that this is counterproductive because their friend could steal their prize if they win, but I disagree. Encouraging my friends to enter Research Week was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only was it nice to see them excited to enter, but seeing their entries also inspired me to create other art pieces. This is the case of the classic “winning isn’t everything.”
Winning Isn’t Everything
Unfortunately, my friends didn’t place in Research Week, but they still told me they were glad they entered. I was really surprised to see that I placed! At the time of writing this, I have no idea what place I actually achieved, but it’s still really cool to know that I made it to the end! It has inspired and encouraged me to take part in other art competitions. All art competitions are different, and that means that different judges will be looking for different things. So don’t be too discouraged if your art doesn’t win anything on your first try; every art piece is different, and sometimes it takes a specific judge to see the uniqueness in your art.
Feedback
Getting feedback for your art is one of the most important things an artist can receive. Sometimes, it hurts to have our weak points pointed out, especially for a brooding artist, but it is essential to improving our artwork and skills. One of my regrets is that over time, my sculpture built up dust, and it was difficult to remove, and the paper became bent over time. For my next sculpture, I am going to try to avoid making those mistakes. Maybe losing one art competition and getting advice could lead to your next big contest win!
Networking
I don’t really like calling it networking because, in my mind, it seems like I would be meeting people just because of what they can do for me. But I do understand the importance of having friends who can help me out when I run into certain difficult situations, such as finding places to sell my art, finding art competitions, finding jobs, and art collectors.
Art Competition Take Away
Entering my art into my first art competition was a life-changing experience! I didn’t have the courage to do it at first, but after my professor encouraged me, I was like the little engine that could. I hope to enter more competitions when I have time, even if I don’t win, I am sure I will still have a wonderful experience.