Why TERAVARNA’s Animal Art Competition Is the Most Vital Stage for Contemporary Artists Today

TERAVARNA's Animal Art Exhibition is the Most Alive Theme in the Calendar, from Beetles to Blue Whales, you can show your creativity through any being.

The animal kingdom is the most primitive, emotional, and limitless collection of subjects in art.

Think about it. A butterfly wing painted in watercolours, translucent, impossibly fragile, trembling with the effort to live. A wolf in oils and grey and massive, looking directly at the viewer, with eyes that hold something older than language, a winter sky. A hummingbird, frozen in mid-flight, acrylic, all impossibility. The intelligence of an octopus, a mixed media portrait, uncanny and visible through the changing colour of his skin. A dog portrait so tender and particular that anyone who's ever loved a dog feels it in his/her heart straight away.

There is something about animals that engages artists in a way that few other subjects do, something that can be attended to, something that can be observed, something that can be wondered at. TERAVARNA's 14th Animal Art Competition is dedicated to magnifying that quality on an international stage.

 Animal Art Competition | TERAVARNA | Apply Now

The Most Generous Brief in the Animal Art World

As far as this animal drawing competition is concerned, before it becomes an exceptional competition, let's talk about its subject matter — because this is actually a pretty big subject when it comes to the ANIMAL theme at TERAVARNA.

The call is huge, spots are limited, it's colossal. Insects: beetles, dragonflies, ants up close and close, or elephants, sharks, or the great blue whale—everyone is welcome with their favourite animal artwork. Any animal in the known animal kingdom is fair game.

However, it goes beyond the known. Fictional, mythological and imagined creatures are specifically encouraged - if your practice is in a place where the animal and the fantasy do overlap, if the creatures you paint have never walked this earth but have the full weight of a living thing's presence, this animal art exhibition has a place for you. Dragons and phoenixes and creatures made up of nothing but imagination are as good as mice in the field and golden eagles!

And the style? Completely open. 

Portraiture of animals, hyper-realistic, in the style that looks more like a photo — welcome. Abstract interpretations with the animal being more energy than form — welcome. 

All of these are taken into consideration: Sculptural work, Photographic work, Digital art, Printmaking, Mixed media, Fibre art, Installation. This competition is open to 2D & 3D works in all mediums an artist could work in. 

Except for AI, everything is welcome to the animal art competition.

It's the only rule: all of the submissions must be human-created. No AI-generated content whatsoever, at any time. This is a tribute to the artist's eye, hand and vision, which are things that can't be replicated by an algorithm.

Art That Gives Back to the Animals It Celebrates

One thing we shout and shout about about TERAVARNA's colorful animal painting competition is that the platform uses 5% of every entry-fee revenue (up to $250) to support vetted wildlife conservation work, channeled through the TERAVARNA Foundation.

This is a gesture of token for animals. It's a philosophy of the art and the cause, a realisation that if you're so moved by the animal world to spend your hours with it, either painting or clay or working with a camera, you are almost certainly somebody who cares about animal survival. So, when you enter, you're not only competing in a very tangible way, you are playing your part in conserving those creatures your animal artwork celebrates!

When so many of the animals that artists have depicted over the centuries are becoming endangered, that's valuable.

What does recognition from TERAVARNA mean?

It means that we recognise the value of your animal artwork as a creation and not just of you as an artist. Hence, we are open to all, whether you are an emerging artist or an established one. 

Indeed, the 14th Animal drawing competition offers prizes worth up to $5,000 in cash, awarded in the categories of First Prize, Runner-up, Merit, and Talent Award, which are unrestricted funds that can be used in any way an artist chooses to benefit their practice. All award winners and finalists are presented with a professionally designed Certificate of Recognition, which is a valuable international award that is recognised as a valuable addition to any artist's portfolio.

But the recognition of compounds over time is the platform recognition. If your colorful animal painting is exhibited internationally through TERAVARNA, you're getting into a conversation about contemporary art that very few platforms can join because you're in front of a high-profile, engaged international collector base, curators, and art-loving audience, which can be found on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

First Prize Winner | 13th Animal 
Danni Williams | Acrylic | USA

Animal Artwork Deserves This Moment

The mainstream art world has not yet fully recognised something important that is going on in recent animal art.

Artists who engage with animals are performing a much-needed action as the ecological crisis grows, as ecologists label what is happening the sixth mass extinction. They're keeping records. They're making emotional connections between humans and the non-human world. They are evoking in words, in figures, in colour, in form, in the quality of their attention, that these creatures matter. That they are worth visiting. Deserving of feeling. Worth saving.

TERAVARNA's Animal art competition doesn't state that quite so directly. It doesn't need to. Every piece that comes in, every painted feather, sculpted paw and photographed eye makes it obvious without a single word of argument.

The world awaits your animal to gaze upon. The stage has been built by TERAVARNA.

Submit for the animal art exhibition now.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What types of animals and artistic styles are accepted into the competition?

A: TERAVARNA welcomes all creatures from the known animal kingdom—from microscopic insects to giant blue whales. Additionally, fictional, mythological, and imagined creatures (like dragons or phoenixes) are highly encouraged. We accept all artistic styles, ranging from hyper-realism to abstract interpretations.

Q: What mediums can I use for my submission?

A: The exhibition is open to 2D and 3D works across virtually all human-crafted mediums. This includes painting (watercolors, oils, acrylics), drawing, sculpture, photography, digital art, printmaking, mixed media, fiber art, and installations.

Q: Is AI-generated art allowed in the animal art competition?

A: No. To honor the true eye, hand, and vision of the creator, all submissions must be entirely human-created. AI-generated content is strictly prohibited.

Q: How does entering this competition benefit wildlife conservation?

A: TERAVARNA believes in giving back to the creatures that inspire us. The platform donates 5% of all entry-fee revenue (up to $250) directly to vetted wildlife conservation initiatives through the TERAVARNA Foundation.