Painting competitions judged by people who paint

Any paint, any surface

Watercolour, acrylic, oil, gouache, poster paint, fluid and pour work, glass painting, wall painting. On paper, canvas, board or panel. A two-year-old with poster paint and a working painter with oils are both welcome, and neither is judged against the other.

What the panel looks for

Technical skill, composition and balance, concept and narrative, and originality — weighted equally and published before entries open. In the youngest division the emphasis shifts: judges are asked to reward freedom, colour and joy rather than neatness or control.

Photographing a painting

Paintings suffer more than drawings from bad photography, because of glare. Shoot in bright indirect daylight, never with flash, and tilt the canvas slightly if a varnish is catching the light. Fill the frame with the painting alone, keep the edges square, and do not apply filters — a judge should see your colours, not your phone's idea of them.

Wet work and drying

Photograph the piece dry. Wet paint reflects light unevenly and will misrepresent your colour. If you are entering close to a deadline, allow for that.