ENTRY INFORMATION

Draw It With Me 2021 showcase & Art Contest

There are many popular art competitions and showcases for professional and adult artists across the globe, but such opportunities for budding artists and young students are limited at best. The Draw It With Me (“DIWM”) art contest serves as a platform to showcase some of the world’s best and brightest artwork created by our youth, ages 10-25.

Besides offering over $2,250 in cash prizes, exposure on the DIWM website, and member voting opportunities, we also intend to publish a Draw It With Me Annual (“Annual”) in hardcover, softcover and ebook formats, which will include all artwork selected by our distinguished panel of art professional judges. Our primary purpose is the promotion of the visual arts and the work of young artists. We believe that DIWM will function as a cost-effective promotional forum and that it will provide opportunities for young creators that they otherwise would not have. DIWM is all about opening doors and nurturing the growth and artistic improvement of young artists, and also growing the audience for their imaginative work in its many forms.

Please be aware that not everyone’s work will be published in the DIWM Annual. Despite the fact that entering your artwork does not guarantee inclusion in the Annual, all eligible entries will be showcased on the CONTEST GALLERY page of our website upon submission. Not having your work selected by the judges is not a personal criticism of those submitting, but having your work selected for inclusion in the Annual is a great accomplishment.

Join with us to help open our second ever DIWM art contest, and spread the word to all those who love to draw, paint, photograph, sculpt, or create any type of visual art. Only with your help can we all make this happen, so let’s do it together!

This year’s theme is: “WORLDS OF WONDER”

submission guidelines

The Draw It With Me (“DIWM”) 2021 Call for Entries opens on August 15, 2021. This is an invitation to all youth and student artists, ages 10-25, to submit entries to the second annual DIWM art contest. All visual art works in the below referenced media embracing the theme of “Worlds of Wonder” are eligible for this show. Art submitted can be done in traditional or digital media, drawn, painted, photographed, sculpted, or otherwise. Works chosen by the jury will be published in full color in the DIWM Annual, prominently featuring the 1st place winners’ works, as well as one Honorable Mention in each media category (Drawing, Painting, Photography, Dimensional) and each age category (10-14, 15-19 and 20-25). First place winners in each media and age category will receive a $150 cash prize and a free copy of the Annual. All Honorable Mentions will receive a free copy of the Annual.

Our jury members will judge the works based on the 7 elements of art: color, line, shape, form, value, texture and space. They will also look at how those elements are arranged within the principles of design (contrast, rhythm, proportion, balance, unity, emphasis, movement, and variety) as they relate to the applicable medium category. Each piece will also be judged on its beauty, skill and technique, inherent meaning, uniqueness and fulfilled intent as it applies to the contest theme, “Worlds of Wonder.”

Digital Submissions ONLY: Please visit the Draw It With Me online SUBMIT page to enter your submissions online and for digital file specifications. Entry files are required as 300dpi RGB .jpg .jpeg .png .gif files at 2400px (8 in.) minimum width/height. Please do not submit any images over 20MB.

Give your work a fair chance at being selected for inclusion in the DIWM Annual. Try to submit the best-quality representation of your art possible. Please make sure your submitted work is in focus and isn’t tiny or pixelated.

Entries will ONLY be prescreened for censorship and eligibility (see CENSORSHIP GUIDELINES below): ALL eligible entries will be reviewed by the appointed jury.

Entries must be received and paid for no later than 11:59pm on December 31, 2021. The judging will take place shortly after the deadline during the month of January 2022. Please email diwminfo@gmail.com with any questions.

The single entry processing fee is $2 per work. There is no limit as to how many entries an individual may submit. Also, please note that the emphasis will be on the quality of the work(s) submitted, and not quantity. The jury may select any art it deems worthy for inclusion in the DIWM Annual and is not obligated to select all works from a related series.

All payments must be made online on the DIWM website upon submitting your art (instructions are provided). Entry fees may be paid with a credit card or with a Paypal payment. We do not accept bank transfers or checks.

There are NO additional fees or charges for entry into the contest. All submissions are final. Once the work is submitted, there will be no refunds.

Proceeds from entries will go toward:

  • Cash Prize Awards
  • 2021 DIWM Annual
  • Publishing Costs
  • DIWM Website Creation & Maintenance
  • Contest Marketing
  • Payment to our Professional Judges Panel

Any original published or unpublished artwork may be submitted in the appropriate category. It is preferred that work(s) submitted be created during the most recent calendar year, but not necessary for acceptance or inclusion in the contest.

Please do not submit original artwork or prints by way of mail for judging: Entries are only accepted online through the DIWM website. The panel of judges will select works from the entries for inclusion in the Annual; the act of entering artwork in the competition does not guarantee inclusion in the Annual. If your entry is accepted, please be certain that a reproduction-quality digital file (300dpi, .jpg or .png file at 8.5″ wide or 11″ tall) is available to ensure the entry’s inclusion in the Annual. Failure to provide reproduction-quality material by the deadline given in an acceptance email will cause an otherwise-accepted entry to be excluded from the Annual.

The appropriate fee must accompany the entry, and the entry forms must be filled out completely. Information for the Annual and for any correspondence will be drawn from the entry forms. The person submitting work for this competition warrants that he or she is the copyright holder or has the permission of the copyright holder and any other rights holders to enter said work and by so doing grants permission for publication on the DIWM website, in the Annual, and in the promotion of the same. Should any third party object to any entry on the basis of a violation of intellectual property rights or for any other reason, the applicant agrees to defend and indemnify DIWM. No other rights, either for print or electronic media, are granted to DIWM, and copyrights will be acknowledged to the respective copyright holders within the content of the Annual.

Only entrants whose works are selected by the jury for inclusion will be notified in February 2022 by email, with additional information regarding what we’ll need for the Annual. A list of accepted entrants will also be posted on the DIWM website, www.drawitwithme.com. Please check to see if your name is on the list before contacting us to ask if you made it into the Annual. Only artists with work selected by the jury for inclusion in the Annual will have their names listed on the website.

Contest entries will be divided into four major visual art media categories. Members of the jury will judge each category objectively, keeping in mind the work’s medium, intent and purpose in their decisions. Black-and-white, limited color and full-color works will be considered equitably. Each entrant is responsible for placing his or her work in the appropriate category when submitting online. Please email us if you are not sure of the proper category for your entry.

DRAWING
Drawing entries include any art created with the traditional use of graphite, pencil, colored pencil, charcoal, ink, marker, and otherwise drawn visual medium, or the use of digital drawing programs or techniques using drawing brushes in programs like Photoshop or Manga Studio, etc. Conceptual art drawings, and art created by means of black-and-white printmaking will also be considered in this category.

PAINTING
Painting entries include any art created with the traditional use of oil paint, acrylic paint, watercolor, gouache, and otherwise painted visual medium, or the use of digital painting programs or techniques using paint brushes in programs like Corel Painter or Photoshop. Conceptual art paintings, and art created by means of color printmaking will also be considered in this category.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography entries include any art created with the use of a film or digital camera and may also entail traditional or digital photo-manipulation work on the computer. Any collages submitted must contain only original work created by the artist (collages containing any copyrighted work will not be selected or published on the website).

DIMENSIONAL
Dimensional entries include any three-dimensional art works occupying space defined through the dimensions of height, width and depth. It includes sculpture, installation and decorative art. Please do not submit any product designs or performance art. They will not be considered.

Each accepted entry will be reproduced in full color and given complete credit in the DIWM Annual; the artist’s name and age will be printed in the artist index.