Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing Art Competition

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Now Open

Strokes of Genius 17: The Best of Drawing

Strokes of Genius has been recognizing incredible skill and talent across multiple drawing media for 17 years. Sponsored by Artists Magazine and Artists Network, this annual drawing-specific art competition celebrates the best drawings being done by today’s artists. Enter today for a chance to win cash prizes, get published, and earn recognition as one of the best in contemporary drawing!

Members Enter

Non Members

Super Early Bird Deadline – Jan 14, 2025

Artists Network Members: $15 Non-Members: $25

Early Bird Deadline – April 8, 2025

Artists Network Members: $25 Non-Members: $35

Final Deadline – May 27, 2025

Artists Network Members: $30 Non-Members: $40

Entry fees are due with entries. Your record of the credit card or PayPal charge will be your receipt.

Click here for the official Rules + Regulations.

To enter, visit our online entry portal to log in or register for a free account.
You can save your progress as you go and return anytime to make edits to your entries.
This art contest is open to all artists around the world age 18 years or older.
If you are a member, you will be asked to provide the email address associated with your Artists Network membership. If you’d like to take advantage of membership pricing sign up today to save on entry fees!
Upload your entry details and image(s). There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit. You are able to edit your entries until the final deadline.

TOP 3 WINNERS

In addition to monetary awards, the top three prize winners will have their winning entries plus an in-depth artist’s profile published in The Best of Drawing (Winter 2025), a special publication presented by the editors of Artists Magazine.

1st

$2,000

2nd

$1,000

3rd

$500

PRIZES & AWARDS

10 Honorable Mention Winners

$50 Gift Card

Honorable Mention winners will receive a $50 gift card to ArtistsNetwork.com and a one-year Artists Network Membership ($99.99 value).

All Award Winners

Publication in Best of Drawing

All winning entries PLUS an additional 100+ finalists will be featured in a gallery in The Best of Drawing (Winter 2025), a special publication presented by the editors of Artists Magazine. In addition, all winners will receive a digital winners’ badge.

JUROR OF AWARDS

Megan J. Seiter

Megan J. Seiter is an American artist who specializes in colored pencil still-life realism. Originally from Rhode Island, she received her B.F.A. from Maryland Institute College of Art and, in 2009, moved to California to pursue a career as an artist. Seiter’s drawings are distinguished by the attention to fine detail and nuanced color. The artist works with colored pencils and PanPastels on pastel-primed paper, building layers of color that add depth and luminosity to each finished drawing. Her work is represented by Dolby Chadwick, in San Francisco, and Meyer Gallery, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Seiter is a Signature Member of American Women Artists and the Colored Pencil Society of America.

View Seiter’s Website

PAST WINNERS

First Place | Strokes 16

Innocence Tarnished

By Agnieszka Kotarska

Second Place | Strokes 16

Osprey #1

By Jamie Cassaboon

Third Place | Strokes 16

Michael John Baptist

By Chelsie Murfee

First Place | Strokes 15

The Blue Sweater

By Yanteng Xiong

Second Place | Strokes 15

Sittin’ in the Mornin Sun

By Kathryn Hansen

Third Place | Strokes 15

Divide

By Caden Ferita

FAQs

QImportant notice about our NEW online entry system:

As of March 2024, we have transitioned to a new online entry system for all Artists Network competitions. We will no longer be using Submittable to manage our contests.

If you’ve previously entered an Artists Network competition via Submittable, you will still have access to your account and entry records when you log in to the Submittable platform.

If you have any questions or concerns about this switch, please contact us at [email protected].

QWhy is my entry still “In Progress”?

In order to officially enter your image into the jurying pool, you must hit “Submit Entry” during the entry process. This will place your image in the cart so that you may pay and complete your entry.

QWhy didn’t I receive a notification when I entered my artwork?

You must have your Award Force notifications enabled in Settings in order to receive updates about your entry. Please make sure that our emails (anything ending in @goldenpeakmedia.com) are not blocked, or you may not receive critical information, receipts, confirmations etc.

QWhat do I do if I make a mistake in my entry?

You may edit your entries up until the closing deadline of a contest. When logged into Award Force, click on “Enter” at the top of the screen. This will show your entries that are in progress or completed.

QWhat types of artwork are acceptable?

Artwork can be in any dry medium that would be traditionally considered drawing. This includes—but is not limited to—pencil, charcoal, Conté crayon, pen and ink, scratchboard, silverpoint, colored pencil and pastel.

Photography, except for minor elements incorporated in a collage, will NOT be considered. Sculpture will NOT be considered. Digital art will NOT be considered. Entries are limited to two-dimensional artwork. Two-dimensional means that a mixed media cannot exceed one inch in depth.

QOriginal artwork and Artificial Intelligence (AI) guidelines:

All works must be original. “Original” means that the work must be from the hand of a single artist; pieces that originate from a workshop or a class under the direction of a teacher are not eligible. For works based on reference photographs, eligibility requires that the artist must have taken the photographs or have obtained written permission from the photographer to create the work and to enter it in the Contest. Compositions based on published material or other artists’ work are NOT considered original and are not eligible.

Artwork or reference imagery generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) will NOT be considered.