Are You Ready to Enter a Contest?

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine was asking me about some beading contests that I have recently entered. She wanted to know things like how I found out about the contest, what made me decide to enter, and how I knew which piece to enter. Those are all great questions. But some of them aren't so easy to answer.

There are a few ways to find out about beading contests. You can check the message boards of some beading communities like Beading Daily or Bead & Button. Beading Daily has an entire Forum dedicated to contests and competitions. You can also check with your local Bead Society or Arts Council.

Once you find a contest that you want to enter, it's time to figure out which piece to submit. Some contests have specific rules about when a piece has to have been created. Bead & Button's Bead Dreams competition requires that a piece be completed during twelve months leading up to the deadline for that year's contest. But I've also entered other local contests where I submitted a piece that had been created two or three years ago. It's always best to check the rules and read everything carefully before submitting your piece.

All other things aside, entering a contest for the first time (or the fiftieth time!) can be a scary thing. You are putting your artwork out there for other people to judge, and having your work rejected by other beaders can be hard to take. Don't let a rejection make you feel bad about your beadwork. It doesn't mean that you don't do great work. Your work is probably just as good as everyone else's - it just wasn't accepted by this particular contest.

If you are nervous about entering a contest but still want to take the plunge, try a small contest first. Look at websites like Beaders' Showcase and check their message boards - they have beading challenges that you can enter every month to get your feet wet. Or you can start your own challenge with your beading friends. Just keep it friendly and laid-back to start.

As for knowing what piece to enter in a contest, it all depends on what the rules of the contest are and, to some extent, what your instinct tells you. If you make a piece that just jumps off the table at you, then maybe it's time to look for a contest to enter.

And if you're still a little unsure about entering a contest all by yourself, do what my friend and I decided to do - enter it with a buddy. We picked two contests and are working away at our entries. We can bounce our ideas back and forth off of each other and we can go to each other for help if one of us gets stuck. Sometimes it really helps to let someone else look at your work - they might see things in a whole different way than you would.

Now that you're inspired to create something to put out into the world, here are a few contests going on that you might want to enter. Or make your own contest and post it on the About.com forums.

The Soft Flex Company - Flex Your Creativity

Scarlett Lanson, The Beader's Muse - Use the Muse Contest

The Land of Odds - Enter the Ugly Necklace Contest