The world is full of all kinds of painters, each one an individual with his or her own interests and goals with what to do with their work. While many people enjoy painting just for the fun of it, plenty of others enjoy entering into a serious painting contest. This can be for a number of reasons including the prestige, exposure, and cash prizes, or just the thrill of competing.

Entering in contests is a great way for an artist to build up his or her skill level. It can be very intimidating to not only paint something very personally revealing but then to show it to the public and subject it to their opinions. Starting out by entering pieces into these types of events not only builds confidence but provides opportunities to hear constructive criticism from adjudicators.

One of the hardest things for some new artists to do is to select the right piece of artwork for a contest. Many of these less experienced painters are not yet familiar with the massive quantity of artists and submissions that come with almost every competition. To win, the entrant must pick something that will stand out from the rest and not be overlooked because the judge just saw five others just like it.

Since there are so many different forms of art, there are all kinds of competitions that focus on different styles or mediums. Some artists are flexible and like to work in all kinds of different styles. Others who are more particular are better off if they can find an event that focuses on their particular type of art.

Nowadays there are plenty of resources available to find out exactly where these types of events are happening and when. Since they take place all around the world, the Internet is a great tool to find plenty of resources. There are a number of networks that help promote competitions and get the information out to people.

It is always nice when the prize winner is compensated in some way with a cash prize. While paintings take many hours of tireless work as well as money for supplies, it can be hard to keep at it without some kind of monetary compensation. These types of contests usually come with a fee to help pay for the prize, but it is a small price to pay for a big payoff.

There is always a level of risk involved when entering art into an event like this for the piece to be damaged in some way. Sometimes the paintings in the competition are displayed for the public to come in and see, and sometimes pieces must be shipped in the mail. It is a good idea to look into how much insurance would cost for the artwork.

While only the judges themselves truly know what they are looking for when they determine the winners of a competition, those who have won contests in the past can have some quite insightful knowledge. Many of these individuals have shared their secret with everyone online. It can also be very helpful to take a look at what they painted for those entries.