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How to Choose the Right Open Calls for Your Art?
- Sutithi
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
You have just finished creating a piece of art and feel happy about it, but before you can settle and breathe, you’re met with another task. After completion, you would like to display your work; you’d want to share it with the right kind of audience; it is very obvious. The question is, how to get started?
Every week, you scroll past hundreds of calls for artists, open calls for art competitions online. All of them promise better exposure, cash rewards, and golden opportunities, and of course, a career boost. But there’s a catch.
Though these offerings and perks look quite attractive, you cannot answer every open call, nor do all of them suit your needs or your niche. Even choosing the wrong call for entry can make your art less visible. So, choosing the right art calls becomes as crucial as creating your art.
Do Not Get into a Dilemma: Think Before You Enter a Contest
Do not get confused about whether you should enter a thematic contest or an open-themed one. International art competitions are always better for visibility, because you need your art to reach a bigger audience.
Know the truth: not every opportunity is suited for you.
Invest time in choosing the right open call opportunity to earn better exposure, boost visibility, and connect with collectors worldwide. The wrong choice can even take your extraordinary art away from the spotlight. Likewise, the right ones can add miles to your artistic journey.
So, before you click the submit button, consider these points. Be one of the smartest artists who knows how to filter identical calls and focus on the ones worth investing in.
Read and Research About the Contest Theme
Whenever you browse any competition call-for-art page, read the theme carefully.
While reading the guidelines, do not skim through the points. Every call for entry mentions the theme in clear terms. If you miss it, your artwork will not be considered for evaluation, no matter how exceptional it is. It must align with the said theme or vision.
Not every ‘nature’ theme includes landscapes or flowers. Read the descriptions on the contest page and know what the organizers are trying to convey through the theme.
If it’s an open-themed contest, you have complete creative freedom to play with your own voice.
So, think of what suits your style, medium, and vision and what can best represent you as an artist.
Find the Art Calls that Suit Your Style, Approach, and Artistic Persona
Before you start organizing your palette or art materials, consider which open call is best for your style and expression. There are various themed exhibitions and contests aligned to your niche:
Flower Art Competition
If you can think of flowers as more than just an article of beauty, a flower art competition can be the perfect fit. Study flowers through symbolism, abstraction, mixed media collage, or as botanical beauty, and reach audiences that truly appreciate your take on flower art.
Landscape Art Competition
A landscape art competition can be ideal for you if you love capturing the grace of the endless horizon, azure blue sky against snow-capped mountains, valleys, or cityscapes. You can even include environmental conservation issues in your landscape paintings, portraying imagined worlds, like receding coastlines or threatened wild habitats.
Animal Art Competition
For those who are passionate about pets or the untamed beauty of wildlife, an animal art competition can be the right opportunity to showcase your perspective on wildlife conservation.
Abstract Art Competition
If your work is guided by dramatic brushstrokes, a flurry of colors, a burst of emotions, and unidentified shapes beyond realism, you are suited for an abstract art competition. These creations allow the viewers to interpret the compositions freely.
Open Art Competition
An open art competition gives you the freedom to choose your own story with fewer creative restrictions. You don’t have to worry about subjects or style; you’re guided by your free creative will and by your chosen medium.
Research on the Art Platform for the Art Competition
While you browse any art competition listing, research the organization holding the contests. Know about their competition history, track record of hosting competitions, rewards they offer to artists, and their positive feedback about those platforms.
Reputed galleries or organizations not only select winners, but they open gateways for artists to be discovered by collectors, curators, and art lovers.
Don't Submit the Best One: Submit the Relevant One
Do not just concentrate on your best artwork; sometimes the most extraordinary pieces aren’t always suitable for the right submission.
You can choose from your personal favorite, but that should represent your true voice as an artist. When someone sees your work, they must understand the kind of artist you are.
For example, you decide to submit a realistic nature scene instead of a surreal dreamscape just because it fetched much appreciation before. If the contest requires you to submit something more than realism, submit more relevant works. The jurors may appreciate your technical skills, but your submission must introduce your voice, not just your skills.
Think About Where Your Art Will Be Showcased
Will your artwork be displayed in a physical exhibition, a digital art show, or an online catalogue? Think about that before you submit.
Massive canvases with textured works suit a physical art space and create an in-person impression, while concept-driven pieces with detailing can work well on digital platforms. Before choosing a call for artists, study the exhibition formats where your art will be showcased. They can make a remarkable difference.
Think Like a Curator
Instead of asking whether your artwork is good enough for submission, ask yourself whether your art can contribute something unique to this collection, competition, or exhibition.
Every artwork tells a story. Jurors look for meaningful works that have coherent themes, not just individual masterpieces.
If an open call receives realistic wildlife paintings, an artwork that explores conservation themes or the emotional bond between humans and animals will definitely attract the juror’s attention. They can add more meaning to the contest than flawless animal portraits.
Ask Yourself: Why Enter This Competition?
Before you answer a particular call for entry, ask yourself this simple question: Why am I submitting my work to this competition?
It’s not because it’s an open call, but it might support your journey as an artist. Maybe it could bring you international exposure, help you add more credibility to your portfolio, maybe you seek expert feedback, and so on.
If you know the purpose of your submission, you can choose the open calls accordingly and more wisely.
Leave Room for Your Next Opportunity: Do Not Rush
Not every good artwork needs to be submitted just after creation. You must know when to hold it for the right moment.
If one painting perfectly matches an upcoming flower art competition, don't rush to enter it into a general open art competition today. Saving your art for the right art submission opportunities often leads to better outcomes.
Building strategy will help you to create thoughtfully and submit at the right time.
Final Touch-ups Before You Hit the ‘Submit’ Button
Find out where your art belongs – it’s not wise to enter every competition open call to get the desired exposure. Start by researching the right platform and then the competition.
Successful artists who are growing in their careers are not the ones submitting the most – they stand out because they make the right decisions about where their art will be truly seen and recognized.
So don't rush the process.
Choose an open call that feels right for your art, prepare your submission thoughtfully, and put your best work forward. If you're ready to take that next step, explore TERAVARNA's ongoing open call for artists and discover the competition that's waiting for your creative juices to flow.
