The Benefits of Entering an Art Contest
Art contests offer children some great life lessons:
- Establishes a goal: Every contest has guidelines and a deadline, which gives a child a specific goal to work toward.
- Builds confidence: The process of creating the artwork itself builds self-confidence, as the child goes from an “I can’t draw” mindset to one of “I can enter this contest — and I might win!”
- Encourages strong effort: The art children enter should be their best work, teaching them that no matter what they do, they should do it well.
- Promotes cultural and social awareness: Many art contests focus on themes related to cultural diversity or social and environmental issues. Participating in these contests can help children develop a deeper understanding of these topics, as well as use art as a medium for change.
- Provides recognition: If they win, their artwork may be showcased in exhibitions, publications, or online. There’s also the fun of a prize and learning to be a gracious winner.
- Teaches how to persevere: If they don’t win, there’s the practice of dealing with disappointment and trying again.
- Teaches the importance of effort: Win or lose, when your child creates a piece of art and enters it in a contest, they have tried, which is the first step to success in any endeavor. Just the act of creating art and putting it out into the world is an accomplishment.
Enter Now!
Ready to enter? Keep scrolling for a list of current online art contests for kids and teens (listed in order of deadline). Almost all of them are free to enter. Once in a while, there will be a contest or two that have just a small fee.
To find out more about a certain contest, click on the name below. If you have a contest you’d like for me to list, please contact me.
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Art Contests
(In order by deadline)
Ned Smith 32nd Annual Youth Art Contest (US Only)
DEADLINE: May 23, 2025
Ages: Grades 1 – 12
Fee: $10
Mamai Art Gallery International Children’s Art/Poetry Contest (All Countries)
DEADLINE: May 30, 2025
Ages: 5 – 15
JQA International Environmental Children’s Drawing Contest (All Countries)
DEADLINE: May 31, 2-25
Ages: 7 – 15
Museum of Cycladic Art International Kids Art Contest (All Countries)
DEADLINE: May 9, 2025
Ages: 4 – 17
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Student Contest (International)
DEADLINE: June 9, 2025
Ages: 11 – 18
Celebrating Art (US Only)
DEADLINE: August 7, 2025
Ages: Grades K – 12
Children’s Mangrove Art Project (All Countries)
DEADLINE: August 10, 2025
Ages: 7 – 16
K12 Art Competition (US Only)
DEADLINE: August 25, 2025
Ages: Grades K – 12
HAPPY DEGART 2025 (All Countries)
DEADLINE: September 2, 2025
Ages: 4 – 17
Youth Wildlife Art Contest (US Only)
DEADLINE: October 1, 2025
Ages: Grades 1 – 12
Pentel International Children’s Art Exhibition (All Countries)
DEADLINE: Mail-in entries must arrive no later than October 31, 2025
Ages: 3 to 15
Wyland National Art Challenge (US Only)
DEADLINE: December 1, 2025
Ages: Grades K – 12
Art Contests with Deadlines that Vary
If you do not live in the country indicated, you can enter any that say “All Countries”. Contests marked “All Countries” are for young artists living anywhere in the world.
FAI Young Artists Contests (All Countries)
Deadline: Deadline Varies by Country. Contact your country representative. You can find the information here.
Ages: 6 – 17
Sultan of Arts (All Countries)
DEADLINE: Varies
Ages: 24 and Under
Art, Music, Pantomime, Ballet
Congressional Art Competition (US Only)
Deadline: Varies. Contact your representative.
Ages: High School
World Photograph Organisation Monthly Youth Contest (All Countries)
DEADLINE: End of Each Month
Ages: 12-19
Hi there!
What a great list!
We are a kids games company currently running a drawing contest for kids.
MY DREAM SMOLSIE Drawing Contest
The contest is based on our new hit game Smolsies (https://tutotoons.com/games/details/480). We invite kids to draw their dream Smolsie and get a chance to win utterly adorable Smolsies prizes that can’t be found anywhere else: plush toys, stickers and button pins!
Deadline: October 6, 2019
More info – https://blog.tutotoons.com/win-smolsies/
Would be grateful if you could add it to the list!
Thanks! Will do!
outstanding way to grow confidence in childrens
Good work
Great platform
Nice way to produce childrens confident love this website very useful for children.
madam i am Vishal V Shenoy from india doing UG 2nd year, i am 18, please include modern painting and drawing competitions for 18+, thanking you.
I once started including contests for adults, but there are so many, I couldn’t keep up with them. Try googling “art contests for adults” and see what you come up with.
This a online art competition or not
There are different competitions listed on this page. Click on the names of the ones you’re interested in.
Here is another contest http://worldwidekidsdrawings.com/
here is the new contest Ontario Family Fishing for only who livs in canada
http://www.ontariofamilyfishing.com/
and contest will end in 31th july
Thanks! I’ll get it posted!
hello. i was wondering cause is there any of adult drawing art contest too? cause its always for kids but why not adult drawing contest?
Hi Molly,
Some of the ones I list are for all ages (just got one listed today). Other than that, I mostly list kids’ contests because there are sooooooo many for adults, I couldn’t keep up with them (I did try for a while, though). If you google “Drawing contests”, you’ll get a lot of them. Many adult contests do charge entry fees, though, so they can get expensive. You just have to look at each one and see.