Art Contests as a Creative Journey

Art Contests as a Creative Journey

Help your child prepare for art contests with confidence and creativity. This visual guide shares 12 essential tips that encourage idea development, emotional expression, and artistic growth—perfect for parents and teachers guiding young artists.

Preparing for an art competition isn’t just about submitting a finished drawing—it’s about helping children discover how to think independently, express their emotions, and grow as artists. Whether your child is new to contests or already experienced, the journey can be more meaningful when guided with care and intention.

As an art educator and parent, I’ve seen how the right preparation can turn a single contest into a powerful creative experience. That’s why I’ve gathered and designed this visual guide:

“12 Essential Tips for Preparing for an Art Competition”

These tips are simple yet effective tools you can use at home or in the classroom to help young artists feel confident, inspired, and ready to participate fully—not just with skill, but with heart.
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​Why do students who are exposed to various topics develop deeper drawings?

School art classes usually focus on learning various mediums (watercolor, acrylic, collage, etc.) and techniques (stippling, shading, composition, etc.). This is a very important step in developing basic formative skills and serves as the foundation for expressive power. However, the expansion of thoughts on ‘what’ they want to express, that is, **‘approaching the subject’**, is often dealt with relatively insufficiently.

Many students learn lines, colors, textures, and shapes through art classes, but

they do not often ask questions such as,

“Why do I want to draw this?”,
“How does this subject relate to me?”,
“What kind of conversation can I have with society by drawing this?”

The subject of art requires depth of thought
In order for students to create more in-depth art work, they need to challenge their thinking beyond just manual skills. For example:

When dealing with the topic of environmental protection, we do not just draw trees, but think about “Why should we protect this forest?”

When dealing with human rights, we connect with the emotion of “How does the idea that everyone has dignity mean something in my life?”

When dealing with the topic of scientific imagination, we ask the question, “How do I imagine the future society?”

Themes such as self-reflection and discovery bring out the inner voices of children such as “Who am I?” and “What am I feeling these days?”

These themes are not simply about ‘drawing well,’ but

They lead to subjective choices of ‘what to draw, why to draw, and how to express it.’

Being exposed to various themes expands students’ artistic thinking
The more frequently students are exposed to themes such as the environment, human rights, philosophy, social issues, and cultural diversity,
the deeper the messages, contexts, and layers of emotions contained in the drawings.

Even when drawing the same landscape, the perspective and interpretation of it are different.

For example,
when both students draw a ‘tree’,
one student might say, “This is just a tree,”
but the other might say, “This is the last old tree in our neighborhood, and it’s in danger of disappearing.”

The difference leads to the density of the drawing, the depth of the story, and the connection with the audience.

 That’s why we need to give children questions and topics.
“What kind of world do you want to be in these days?”

“What can we do for the Earth?”

“If you imagine your own space, what color would it be?”

“What would it feel like if you expressed one emotion in color?”

These questions stir the art inside children.

And children who are frequently asked such questions
naturally deepen and broaden their language of expression.

Technique is important in art education. But it is not enough.
Helping children discover ‘what’ they want to say through their drawings may be the essence of true art education.
And a child who is given such topics and questions can grow up to be not just a ‘child who draws well’ but a ‘deep artist’.

​So when I participate in art competitions, I don’t just focus on whether I win or not or on the results. Of course, winning an award can be a great source of confidence for students, and sometimes it can be an important opportunity to be motivated by external recognition. However, I think what’s more important is what topics they encounter in the process, what they think about, and how they express them with their own perspectives.

I want children to be exposed to various artistic, social, and philosophical topics.

The reason is simple.

If you don’t think, you can’t express it,

and if you don’t express it, you can’t grow.

That’s why I intentionally challenge various art competitions with my students.

I often challenge topics that require thinking, such as the environment, peace, science, human rights, cultural diversity, sustainability, inner growth, and self-discovery--

which do not simply require ‘pretty and well-drawn pictures.’

In the process of preparing a picture, children research materials, talk about it, and think about
“Why did you choose this topic?”,
“Why do you feel this is important?”,
“How can you express this emotion in a picture?” These experiences are more than just technical practice.

They provide training to visually organize one’s thoughts and feelings,
and an opportunity to express one’s voice in the language of art.

Some competitions result in awards, while others result in no results.

However, whenever I see the children’s deeper thoughts, broader perspectives, and more specific views in the process,
I feel that I am witnessing meaningful growth in and of itself.

If children can ask themselves these questions as they grow up--
“How did I feel about this topic?”
“What message do I want to say?”
“What story do I want to tell the world?”--
then they will no longer be just “children who draw,”
but will stand as creators with their own perspectives.

This process is not a short period of time,
but is achieved through the habit of being consistently exposed to the topic, experimenting, and contemplating.

That is why, regardless of the results,
I value participation in various art competitions as a place where children can face such questions.