Art Contests My daughter has always been very competitive, so when she started showing talent in the artistic realm, I decided to find some art contests for her to enter. My son used to put his poems in writing contests, so I figured that there should be some equivalent for young artists. What I found, however, was very different than what I expected. Writing contests usually have a somewhat academic bent. Some of them have to do with writing a philosophical paper, or fine poetry. Your typical art contests, however, are much more mainstream and corporate. Usually, they involve designing a T-shirt or a graphic for some particular cause. The upside of this all is that there are quite a few of them. There are literally thousands of art contests for young students, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding one for your child to enter. I basically gave my daughter a list of the different art contests that I could find, and let her get to work. I knew that she wouldn't enter all of them, but I figured she could pick and choose. I was surprised by how much work she did on them, however. She entered over a dozen contests in the first month, and that was before she got her stride. At first, none of the art contest results were favorable. She just got polite rejection letters. Soon, however, I knew that things had to change. Eventually, results would pour in. I think things turned around for her in some sort of save the world art contests. I can't remember what it was, but it was for a noble cause. I remember that her picture involved rainforest trees and lots of different pretty animals. The prize was substantial for a little kid. The first place was 250 dollars – not bad in a no fee art contest. I didn't know she was bound to win, but I knew that she had a chance. I guess I just had a special feeling about this particular contest. When she got the winning envelope, she was absolutely overjoyed. I knew that she would be excited, but I had no idea how excited. I think that was the first moment when she really started thinking about going to art school. Just getting a little bit of recognition pushed her over the edge, making her realize that she was talented and could make something of herself as an artist. To this day, she hasn't given up. She's been in school for three years and is about to graduate in another couple semesters. I'm glad that I got her to enter the contest. It seems to have really made a difference In the way her life turned out. Summary Art contests are a great way for young gifted artists to get noticed for their talent. Subjects are usually centered around a particular cause making it a snap to decide on a basic starting point. Children have just as good a chance of winning an art contest as adults do. Maybe moreso since they use their imagination more frequently. Related Articles Art Classes For Winter Blues Adult Art And Craft Projects Painting Glass Painting Landscapes Related Sites