Our Contest Lists database of the best art contests is updated each month and contains information about a wide range of art contests including painting competitions, drawing contests, sculpture awards, photography prizes, and many other varieties of art competition. At Contest Lists we only list contests that have excellent and proven reputations in the industry. We don’t include scammers, meaning our lists are populated with trustworthy and legimate contests. Make sure to contact organizers directly with any queries. Regarding fees: Many legitimate contests charge fees. However it is important to research each opportunity thoroughly to ensure you understand the terms and conditions of each contest.
Rolling Deadline
PJAS Magazine Open Theme Competition
Genres: All
Deadline: Anytime
Prizes: One entry will receive a $1000 cash prize and feature in their upcoming issue
Entry Fee: $10
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
Genre: Painting, sculpture, and works on paper, including printmaking
Deadline: Anytime
Prizes: Up to $50,000
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: Artists must be actively exhibiting their current work in professional artistic venues, such as gallery and museum spaces
Enter here
May 2025
Waverley Art Prize
Genre: Painting, Drawing, Graphic (Print and Mixed Media)
Deadline: May 11, 2025
Prizes: $500 – $15,000 (AUD)
Entry fee: $45 (AUD)
Eligibility: Australian residents
Enter here
The Hopper Prize
Genre: All
Deadline: May 13, 2025
Prizes: $1,000 – $3,500
Entry fee: $40
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
Lumen Prize
Genre: All
Deadline May 24, 2025
Prizes: $12,000 and $2,000 x 9, 50-75 finalists selected
Entry fee: $40
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
June 2025
Artadia Award San Francisco
Genre: All
Deadline: June 1, 2025
Prizes: $15,000 – $25,000
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: Californian (US) Residents who are not students, and have lived in San Francisco for at least two years prior to the deadline
Enter here
Cerco International Contemporary Ceramics Award
Genre: Ceramics
Deadline: June 11, 2025
Prizes: €2,000 – €6,000
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art
Genre: Painting, Drawing, Photography, Sculpture, Weaving, Folk Art, Jewelry, Fiber, Wood, Baskets, Clay, Glass, Paper, Printmaking, Mixed Media, Leather, and consideration of media not listed upon request
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prizes: Best in Show, Best Presentation, First, Second and Third Place in Fine Craft and in Fine Arts, 2 Honorable Mentions
Entry fee: $25
Eligibility: US-wide, all work must be handmade and designed by the artist
Enter here
The Almenara Art Prize
Genre: Painting and Drawing
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prizes: 500€ -10,000€ and Exhibition, Residencies, and Art Materials
Entry fee: 45€ (29€ for additional entries and youth category)
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
Japan Illustrators’ Association (JIA) Illustration Award 2025
Genre: All
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prizes: 100,000¥ – 500,000¥ and exhibition
Entry fee: 9,000¥ – 15,000¥
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
July 2025
2026 Embracing Our Differences International Art Exhibition
Genre: All
Deadline: July 1, 2025
Prizes: $2,000 x 3 and Exhibition
Theme: Embracing Our Differences
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: Artwork must be horizontal (landscape orientation)
Enter here
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize
Genre: Drawing (made in or after January 2024)
Deadline: June 17, 2025
Prizes: £2,000 – £10,000
Entry fee: £30 – £55
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2025
Genre: Representational art in all static mediums (5 award categories: Painting, Drawing, Photography, Sculpture, Digital Art)
Deadline: July 17, 2025
Prizes: $3,000 – $10,000 and Exhibition
Entry fee: $40
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
Arte Laguna Prize
Genre: Digital, Painting, Drawing, Photography, Video, Graphic, Installation, Performance, Sculpture, Textile Art, Ceramics
Deadline: July 31, 2025
Prizes: 10,000€ and Exhibition
Entry fee: 98€ (under 35) or 122€ (over 35)
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
August 2025
Giant Incandescent Resonating Animation Festival
Genre: Animation (Digital, Drawing, Film, Video, Interdisciplinary)
Deadline: August 1, 2025
Prizes: Two juried prizes TBA with estimated value of $200 (CAD) per winner, $80 (CAD) screening fee for all who present their film at GIRAF
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: No commercial work, work for an adult audience
Enter here
OBSCURA (Art Fluent)
Genre: All
Deadline: August 8, 2025
Prizes: $1,250 ($750 + 2x $250)
Entry fee: $25 ($10 per additional entry)
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
Artists as Catalysts for Social Change
Genre: All
Deadline: August 31, 2025
Prizes: Selected works will be promoted online and exhibited in person at LACA Gallery in Ludington, MI
Entry fee: $30
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
September 2025
Word Play
Genre: All
Deadline: September 8, 2025
Prizes: $250 x 3 and Exhibition
Theme: Artworks which creatively engage with text (whether through words, letters, phrases, or entire narratives). We encourage submissions that explore the interaction between words and image, spanning themes such as language, identity, culture, politics, and beyond
Entry fee: $35 for 3 works
Eligibility: US Residents
Enter here
Artadia Award Boston
Genre: All
Deadline: September 15, 2025
Prizes: $15,000 – $25,000
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: Massachusetts (US) Residents who are not students, and have lived in Boston for at least two years prior to the deadline
Enter here
Athenaeum Solo or Group Show 2024-2025
Genre: All
Deadline: September 21, 2025
Prizes: Exhibition
Entry fee: $40
Eligibility: Artists who live or work in Virginia, Maryland, or the District of Columbia (US) may submit a proposal for a show
Enter here
October 2025
Artadia Award Atlanta
Genre: All
Deadline: October 1, 2025
Prizes: $15,000 – $25,000
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: Georgia (US) Residents who are not students, and have lived in Atlanta for at least two years prior to the deadline
Enter here
2025 iJungle Illustration Awards
Genre: Illustration (Drawing, Painting, Graphic Design, Printmaking)
Deadline: October 19, 2025
Prizes: $500 – $2,500
Entry fee: $25
Eligibility: Work must be created or published from 2021 through 2025
Enter here
Anthology Art Competition
Genre: All
Deadline: October 31, 2025
Prizes: 500€ and Editorial Coverage
Entry fee: 12€ – 18€
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
November 2025
12th Annual LA Billboard Show
Genre: All forms that can be stored as a digital file, no video or audio
Deadline: November 9, 2025
Prizes: 3 x $1000, and selected artists will receive their own billboard in Los Angeles for four consecutive weeks. All expenses for the production, mounting and leasing of the billboard are covered.
Entry fee: $28 ($10 per additional)
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
December 2025
2025 General Call for Portfolios and Exhibit Proposals (The Lincoln Center, CO)
Genre: All, open to artists and curators
Deadline: December 31, 2025
Prizes: Solo or group exhibition at The Lincoln Center
Entry fee: $35
Eligibility: Artists residing in the United States
Enter here
CCA Call for Exhibition Proposals 2025 (Coconino Center for the Arts, Northern Arizona)
Genre: All, open to artists, curators, and cultural organizations
Deadline: December 31, 2025
Prizes: Exhibition at CCA
Entry fee: $10
Eligibility: 18+
Enter here