Submitting artwork for kids’ art competitions can be an exciting opportunity, but how you capture and submit your child’s art can make all the difference. Follow these top 5 dos and don’ts to ensure your submission looks professional.
1. Use a Scanner App for Clear Artwork Submission
When you submit artwork for kids’ art competitions, using a scanner app is better than just snapping a picture.
- Why it’s important: A scanner app (like Adobe Scan or CamScanner) will give you a much clearer and higher-quality image than simply snapping a picture with your phone. It flattens your artwork and helps capture the colors more accurately.
- How to do it right: Place your artwork on a flat surface and use the app to scan it. The app will help straighten the image and crop the edges. This will give you a clean, professional look.
Avoid: Taking a basic phone picture without any app.
- Regular phone photos can distort your artwork, making it look uneven or blurry. A scanner app automatically adjusts for these issues.
2. Submit Kids’ Artwork with Natural Light
- Why it’s important: Good lighting helps your artwork look its best, but you don’t need fancy lights—natural light works just fine!
- How to do it right: Place your artwork near a window during the day, but avoid direct sunlight, which can cause glare or harsh shadows. Indirect light gives the most accurate colors.
Avoid: Using dim lighting or taking photos at night.
- Poor lighting can make your artwork look dull, which won’t represent your piece well.
3. Ensure a Steady Camera for Kids’ Art Competitions
- Why it’s important: A shaky hand can lead to blurry photos, which make your artwork look unprofessional.
- How to do it right: Hold your phone steady or rest it on a flat surface for extra stability. You can also use your phone’s timer to avoid shaking when you snap the picture.
Avoid: Taking quick, shaky photos.
- Blurry images make it hard for judges to see the details of your work and can reduce your chances of standing out.
4. Frame the Artwork Correctly for Kids’ Art Contests
Make sure the kids’ artwork you submit fills the frame properly for any competition.
- Why it’s important: You want your artwork to be the focus of the image, not the background or anything else.
- How to do it right: Align your phone directly over the artwork so the image is straight. Make sure your art fills the entire frame, with no hands, furniture, or other distractions in the background. Crop out any unnecessary parts afterward if needed.
Avoid: Including clutter around your artwork.
- A messy background can distract from the quality of your artwork, so keep the focus on the piece itself.
5. Follow Competition Submission Guidelines for Kids’ Art Competition
Before you submit kids’ artwork online for an art competition, check the submission requirements.
- Why it’s important: Each competition might have different rules about file sizes, formats, and how they want your artwork labeled.
- How to do it right: Check the guidelines carefully. Some competitions may require specific file types like JPEG or PNG, and they might have size limits for uploads. Also, pay attention to any naming conventions, like adding your name and the title of the artwork to the file name.
Avoid: Ignoring the submission requirements.
- Submitting the wrong file format or size could lead to disqualification, even if your artwork is great.
Final Thoughts
Submitting artwork for a competition is your opportunity to shine, so make sure your submission is professional and properly presented. By following these simple dos and don’ts—like using a scanner app, finding good natural light, and following the submission guidelines—you’ll give your artwork the best chance to stand out.
