Entering Contests 101
Amy C. Clarke

Have you ever thought about entering a contest--but never actually gotten around to it? The staff at Beadwork magazine thought we'd cut a path into the wild and woolly forest of entering contests for our readers. This spring, three of us set off to enter Caravan Bead's 2nd International Miyuki Delica Challenge: Myths and Folktales of the World. The results of this adventure appear at the end of this article. For now, here are some general guidelines.

Reasons to Enter a Contest

There are lots of reasons for entering contests--as many reasons as there are entrants.
• Contests provide deadlines for getting work done.
• Juries provide critiques of your work.
• If your work is accepted, you may gain recognition in the beading world.
• Getting into an exhibit or being published in a catalog is an entry for your resume.
•Contests provide the challenge of creating work around a theme--an opportunity to grow as an artist.
The down side, of course, is entering and not getting in, then dealing with the disappointment and self-doubt that can result. It can also be stressful getting all the parts together and in the mail before the deadline.

Finding Contests to Enter

The calendar of events section in arts and crafts magazines is the best place to look for contests to enter (see page 6). "Call for Entries" sections provide abbreviated information about the contests--call to request an entry form and guidelines.
Browsing the internet is another way to find upcoming exhibits and contests. Enter key words like call for entries, beads, contests, or competitions into your favorite browser to find links.

Your local bead shop or bead society will frequently have information about upcoming contests.

When you are considering shows to enter, check the jurors--if you are unfamiliar with a juror's work, make a point to find examples. Jurying is based on informed opinions by experts in the field--sometimes it's easy to forget that their opinions are subjective--and what one juror will not like another may absolutely love.

Fitting the Theme of A Contest

Your chances of getting into a show are much greater if you make the work specifically for the show. Pay close attention to the specified size, theme, and other guidelines. You"ll save yourself a lot of heartache if you do this in the designing stages rather than at the end of the process.

Amy"s workstation, including sketch, beads, ruler, and work in progress.

If you have a piece that already fits the theme of the exhibit, enter it. But don"t try to make it fit if it really doesn"t--it will be a waste of your time and money.

When you are planning to enter the contest take time to consider the costs. Consider the amount of time you need to make the piece, the cost, if any, of framing or otherwise mounting it, and the shipping costs. Make sure you start out with plenty of beads in the dyelot you are using and save yourself the last minute panic of having to reorder beads. One way to avoid this problem is to make a sample--then calculate how many beads of what colors you"ll need.

Budgeting Your Time

Making a sample is a good way to determine how much time you need to finish the project on schedule. If you are doing a flat piece, time how long it takes you to bead a square inch--then multiply that figure by the finished size of the piece and you"ll have a fair estimate of your time.

Next figure out how much time you"ll need to finish the piece and frame or mount it. Then add time for photographing the work. If you are sending the actual work to be judged, you should still take slides or photos for documentation.

Documenting Your Work

If you decide to photograph the work yourself, make sure the images are the highest quality you can achieve.

• Make your work the focus of the frame--remove all distractions from the background.
• Shoot the work on a neutral cloth background--black, white, gray, or tan.
• Use natural light if you don"t have professional photography equipment. Or use your Ott-liteª which replicates natural light.
• Shoot the work out of direct sunlight to avoid unwanted reflections.

Consider having a professional photographer shoot your work. If the work is being judged only by slides or photos, high-quality images will improve your chances of being accepted. Also, the care you take both in beading and presenting your piece will be informative to the jurors. While it may seem expensive to hire a professional photographer just for one contest, consider the value of the images for your portfolio. If you have photography done for each piece as you make it, you are that much more prepared to enter the next juried exhibit.

Label each slide with your name, the title of the piece, its dimensions, and the year it was made. For details, label with the title followed by (detail) and the dimensions of the detail area. Mark the top of the slide with TOP.

The Six Swans, Amy C. Clarke. Bead embroidery. 8" x 8". Compare the example of Amy"s amateur photography (at left) to Joe Coca"s professional photography (below left).

Amy Clarke I illustrated a scene from one of my favorite Brother"s Grimm fairy tales, The Six Swans, for the Delica Challenge. I might not have tried to finish the piece in the 17 days I had to work on it had I known that it would take me 116 hours. I maintained momentum because I was very excited about the theme; I love myths, fairytales, and folktales. While I lost a lot of sleep trying to finish in time, I felt great relief when I finally shipped it out!

Completing Forms

Fill out forms completely and neatly. If you have a question, call the organization that is hosting the contest--it may be a question that other people have asked or you may be bringing something new to their attention. If the work is for sale, consider that the retail value will be different from the insurance value because some galleries take up to 61 percent of the selling price. Find out if the exhibition will be taking a commission for pieces sold and what it is, then figure that into the price of your piece.

Writing the Artist Statement

Some guidelines request an artist statement. Keep the statement concise and to the point. Use the active voice. Keep in mind that the statement may be published in a catalog or as part of an exhibition. While you may wish to relay a whole history, the readers may only have the time for a couple of sentences. Read the statement out loud to see how it sounds. Ask a friend to read it and give you feedback.

Sending and Insuring Your Work

The best way to guarantee that a work arrives safely is to deliver it yourself, but that"s not always possible.

If you are sending the actual work through the mail, send it by a carrier that insures the piece and provides a tracking system. While you can insure packages with the U.S. Postal system, you cannot track them. Federal Express and UPS offer both these features. Send it as quickly as you can--the fewer days it is in circulation, the less likely it is to get crushed or misplaced.

Package the piece carefully--better to err on the side of too much bubble wrap than too little. Consider that it will be handled frequently and will be placed under many other packages. Enclose the piece in a plastic bag to prevent water damage.

What Happens to Your Piece When It Arrives

When it arrives, your piece will be cataloged and tagged. Some organizations will send out an acknowledgment card to let you know it has arrived. If you send it with a carrier that has a tracking system, you can simply call them up and have the package traced.

Most competitions will make sure that your name isn't visible to the jurors (while keeping the pieces marked to prevent confusion). Then they will usually organize the work into the categories specified on the entry form.

Thoughts on Entering a Competition

Diane Fitzgerald

Judging the Second International Miyuki Delica Challenge was a wonderful experience both in evaluating the pieces with the other judges (Carol Wilcox Wells and Charlene Steele) and in seeing the fantastic range of work created with seed beads today. What makes a piece a winner, a showstopper? What is the WOW! factor that sets a piece above the rest? Some people call this factor "visual presence." I think of it as the strength or power of the piece to compel you to look at it and think about it. Somehow it stops you in your tracks when your eyes light on it. It is more than work that is technically well done, although that is a major factor. It is more than the pleasing use of the elements of design (color, texture, shape, proportion and movement), although this too must be there. Somehow, the artist conveys an element that touches your spirit and, for you, that piece is a winner.

It may be tough to make a showstopper, so why bother to enter a competition? I think, when all is said and done, that the best part of entering is having a piece that you"re proud of, that you"ve had fun creating, that you can enjoy for years to come, and that may become a family heirloom. Whether you place first or second or just have the chance for your work to be shown, there"s the delight you give to others who see your work. Added to that is the satisfaction that you"ve made your best effort and are proud enough of your work to put it out there for comparison. I"ll admit that it's somewhat scary to do this. Sometimes you just have to do it and not worry whether you will be rejected. Don"t get me wrong--the rejections can be a disappointment. I"ve been bummed out for days when I didn"t make it into a show. But life goes on, the beads beckon again, and you pick up your needle and thread and begin a new piece. Who knows . . . maybe next time you"ll win!

What Happens After the Jurying

After the jurors critique the pieces and make their decisions, the winners are usually notified promptly. Organizations will frequently send the jurors" comments back to the entrants. If you are not accepted it can be painful to read the comments, but keep in mind that the comments are sent back to give you constructive feedback.

If your piece has been accepted, the exhibit organizers will keep it for a while to photograph and create the catalog and/or place it in an exhibit.

After working as Editorial Assistant to Beadwork and other Interweave Press publications during the day, Amy C. Clarke goes home to bead.

Footnote

The day before they headed up to Estes Park for Beadwork Bash, Jean and Amy received letters from Barry Kahn saying their works had been tentatively accepted into the Don"t Myth It exhibit to be displayed at Embellishment in July and published in the book this fall. Imagine the jumping and joyful laughing that occurred! The letter stated that there had been 147 entries for the contest, and listed the ten prizewinners and eleven finalists. While neither Jean nor Amy was a prizewinner, their work would be exhibited and published. They actually saw the Don't Myth It exhibit at Embellishment in July and were impressed with the quality of work--the prizewinning pieces were really magnificent.

Dayo the Dead, Jean Campbell. Sculptural peyote. 7" x 3".

Jean Campbell The theme for the Delica Challenge was so rich--how to choose!? I toyed around with all kinds of myths, but I finally settled on doing a Dias De Los Muertos sculpture. Because I delayed picking a subject, I had to work on my little skeleton marionette while talking on the phone, while watching Scooby Doo with my son, and, at the end, in the middle of the night. It just about knocked me out, but I"m happy I took the challenge--now I have a piece of beadwork I can be proud of.

Some Crane, Judith Durant. 14-count Penelope needlepoint canvas. 5" x 5"

Judith Durant I think I can. I think I can. Perhaps somewhere deep down I also believe that Rome could have been built in a day. When Jean first suggested that we enter the Delica Challenge, there was plenty of time. I then diddled around for a few months, wondering what to make. I"d recently discovered beading on needlepoint canvas, so I decided to go that route. I finally got started three weeks before deadline, one week before a two-week vacation. What was I thinking? I"m surprised I got as far as I did.