Colin and I have been on juries for numerous art contests including Spectrum, Infected By Art and the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, The Walter S. Baird Prize for Art and Literature along with various local and regional events. In this video chat, we’ll give a behind the scenes look at different ways contests work, share some thoughts about presenting your entries in the best possible light, provide perspective on results and look at the benefits of entering competitions and share a few laughs along the way.

Here’s a sample of some of the topics we get into:

0:00 Star-Lord… Who?: Intro – we’re the Pooles
1:45 Behind the Scenes: How the judging process works in various contests
4:33 Friends in High Places: Dispelling some myths about who gets in
5:23 Kicking Your Own Butt: Does entering lots of pieces improve your odds?
6:29 They Call Me the Speedster: First impressions matter when there are lots of entries
7:23 Size Matters: Thinking about how your work reads on large and small scales
9:55 Art Appreciation: Judging and personal aesthetic taste
11:30 Fixed Menu: A different set of parameters in another contest
12:10 Matchy Matchy: Some basics – make sure you’re entering appropriate contests
14:12 Coloring Inside the Lines – Contest requirements and guidelines
16:00 101 Dalmations: Distinguish yourself from the pack
17:33 Bios, Statements and More, oh my!
19:05 Here’s Lookin’ at You, Kid: Judges do read what you write
20:45 Where’s Waldo?: Websites and online presence
22:30 Too Good to be True?: Vetting contests and galleries
24:30 Sign Right Here… : Copyright vs. promotion
25:24 Free vs. Fee
26:28 Thar be Pirates: When people enter someone else’s work
27:13 But I Like My Jammies: A professional presentation
29:30 Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe: Choosing what work to enter
30:45 Image is Everything: Photographing and presenting your work
35:34 Digital Assist: A brief word on Lightroom and Photoshop
36:38 Bizarro World: Copying vs. your own voice
39:10 It’s Just a Flesh Wound: Rejection, failure and face-plants
41:47 The Perks: Benefits of entering contests
44:15 Pep Rally: Woo hoo! It’s cheerleading time
44:55 And the Results Are… : Dealing with outcomes
45:18 Ready, Set, Go: How do you know when your art is worth submitting
48:50 Yeah, but…: Some additional Q&A
49:15 Burn Fat While You Sleep!!!: Finding legit places to enter contests and avoiding scams
50:30 Harvey, the Invisible Rabbit: Secret conditions/specifications of contests

Til next time, keep creating!