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
Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund
Genres: All
Deadline: Anytime
Prizes: $10,000
Entry Fee: None
Eligibility: Creators who have been directly affected by the 2022 invasion of Ukraine
Enter here
April 2025
The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant
Genre: Painting
Deadline: April 1, 2025
Prizes: $5,000 – $36,000 and Exhibition
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: Of American Nationality and born between 1950 (inclusive) and 1980 (inclusive)
Enter here
Alpine Fellowship Visual Arts Prize
Genre: Digital, Painting, Drawing, Photography, Video, Graphic, Installation, Performance, Sculpture, Textile Art, Ceramics
Deadline: April 1, 2025
Prizes: £1,000 – £3,000
Theme: Fear
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
Be Still Media Prize
Genre: All
Deadline: April 1, 2025
Prizes: $3,000 – $15,000
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: No restrictions
Enter here
Robert G. Wilmers Integrity Prize
Genre: Digital, Painting, Drawing, Photography, Video, Graphic, Installation, Performance, Sculpture, Textile Art, Ceramics
Deadline: April 1, 2025
Prizes: $50,000
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: Permanent residents who currently reside in the United States, must demonstrate integrity in leadership and service to community
Enter here
Art of Change 21
Genre: All
Deadline: April 6, 2025
Prizes: 1,000€ and Individual Support
Theme: Artists are selected on the basis of artistic quality, environmental awareness, and the desire to develop their practice to reduce its environmental impact
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: French Residents who are not students
Enter here
Winsor & Newton International Art Prize 2025
Genre: Drawing and Painting
Deadline: April 10, 2025
Prizes: £1,000 Paul Smith’s Foundation bursary, Winsor & Newton art materials valued at £1,000, exhibition, mentorship, funded international travel to London
Theme: “Defining your point of view”
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: Artists within first 10 years of their career with work up to size A0, able to deliver their work to a selected Paul Smith store in Antwerp, Nottingham, London, New York, Copenhagen, or Shanghai by September 2025, and able to complete the commission in Summer 2025
Enter here
May 2025
Plaskett Award (Joe Plaskett Foundation)
Genre: Painting
Deadline: May 4, 2025
Prizes: $65,000 (CAD)
Entry fee: None
Eligibility: Canadian Nationality and an MFA student (current or graduated within last 24 months) willing to live, travel and create artwork abroad for a minimum of one year
Enter here
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
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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
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
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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
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)
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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
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