The unveiling begins – and what a year it has been for our newest award category! Open to all mediums, we saw an amazing and diverse selection of entries to the 33PA Emerging Artist Award – so much so that we have raised the number of finalists AGAIN, from 20 to 25!
Our Jury Panel – including esteemed Arts Champion Didi Menendez of 33PA – have been going through the entries and making incredibly the difficult decisions. Once again, the overall quality of entries was exceptional; we are deeply honoured by our community’s interest in the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize. Now in its 7th year, our annual non-acquisitive international art prize, focusing on Contemporary Art, celebrates diversity and excellence in all static mediums of the representational visual arts – including Traditional, Digital and Photographic media, with wide-ranging techniques, styles and genres from realism to hyperrealism and surrealism.
We have received sculptures in multiple mediums including metal, marble, wood, gold, glass, cardboard, plaster, stone and semi-precious stones, gold leaf, mirrors, silk, flowers; kozo tissue, papier-mâché, vintage items, fabrics, many resins, ceramic, clays and CosClay, cement, wool, moss, latex, wax, Polylactic acid (PLA), epoxy, glazes and paints, taxidermy, found objects, linoleum floor tiles, and even Himalayan goat fur, horns, human hair! The innovation and imagination of the artists who have entered has amazed us. Every year we are introduced to new ideas and levels of experimentation.
We have enjoyed traditional artworks made with oils, inks, soft pastels, mica powders, coloured pencils, charcoal, acrylics, watercolours, Gouache, spray paint, marker pens, 25K gold leaf, newspaper, pens, pencils, wax, and even coffee!
Digital artworks included the use of: Blender, XPPen, Photoshop, Maya, Redshift, Zbrush, Wacom Intuos Pro & Cintiq, Xencelabs, Procreate, Lightroom, Sketchup, Rebelle 6, Cinema 4D, Marvelous Designer, Corel painter, GIMP, DAZ Studio, and Paint Shop Pro.
Additionally, Photography entries included the use of apparatus and software by: Sony, Laowa, Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Sigma, Kamlan, Logiciels Lightroom, Godox, Octabox, Nanlite, Broncolor, Profoto and Luminar, and analogue photography equipment such as wetplates!
The Prizes
33PA Emerging Artist Award
The 33PA Emerging Artist Award 1st prize winner will receive:
- $3,000 USD cash, generously donated by 33PA, a diversified contemporary realism gallery, art community and publication.
- Deco Pro (Gen2) LW generously donated by XPPen. XPPen is a globally notable brand celebrating digital art innovation, providing digital drawing products, content and services to encourage artists to pursue their dreams and authentic self-expression.
- A beautiful, specially commissioned glass art award trophy.
- The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery, in San Francisco, USA, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists.
- Exposure to a successful commercial gallery’s collector base with the opportunity to sell their work.
- 12 month social media advertising package (Beautiful Bizarre Magazine: 1 million+ followers across all social media platforms).
- Winning artwork printed in the December 2024 issue of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, as part of the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize editorial.
- Exclusive in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine websites+ shared on social media.
- Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.
- A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
2nd prize winner will receive:
- $1,750 USD cash, generously donated by Principle Gallery, a fine art gallery with branches in Alexandria, VA & Charleston, SC, focusing on contemporary realism since 1994.
- 6 month social media advertising package (Beautiful Bizarre Magazine: 1 million+ followers across all social media platforms).
- Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.
- A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
3rd prize winner will receive:
- $750 USD cash, generously donated by Principle Gallery, a fine art gallery with branches in Alexandria, VA & Charleston, SC, focusing on contemporary realism since 1994.
- 4 month social media advertising package (Beautiful Bizarre Magazine: 1 million+ followers across all social media platforms).
- Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.
- A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
The Winners in each Award category and the Musonium Grand Prize Award Winner will be invited to participate in ‘Paracosmic Escape’ exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco, United States later this year, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists! ‘Paracosmic Escape’ is an international group exhibition Curated by: Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, with Art Direction/Theme Conceptualization by: Musonium Gallery.
‘Paracosmic Escape’ explores themes of retrospection, introspection, and complex relationships with the real world, where internal gateways offer a place of sanctuary to heal from and provide explanation to the effects of reality. ~ Keeley Gerard (Art Director of Musonium Gallery)
From the 150 Finalists across all Award categories the Jury Panel will select the Musonium Grand Prize Award Winner.
The Musonium Grand Prize Award Winner of the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize will receive:
- $8,500 USD cash, generously donated by Palladium sponsor Musonium Gallery, Palm Springs’ premier art gallery with a clear focus on exhibiting and promoting compelling artworks from exceptional contemporary artists. Musonium exists as an institution within the art world’s traditional art sectors, where innovation and new rising talent constantly influence the ever evolving art scene.
- $1,500 USD cash, donated by our Platinum sponsors RAYMAR, 33PA, and Yasha Young Projects.
- The opportunity to work with Musonium Gallery to plan and produce a solo exhibition, which will be published in a special editorial in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
- A 24-month license to Clip Studio Paint EX, generously donated by Celsys. Clip Studio Paint is the digital artist’s app for drawing and painting anything from character and concept art to fine art illustration, and even professional animation. All of the powerful features are available on all major platforms to explore at home or on the go.
- A beautiful, specially commissioned glass art award trophy.
- The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery, in San Francisco, USA, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists.
- A bespoke box of paints and varnishes generously designed and manufactured by Dartecor, created especially for the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2024.
- Exposure to a successful commercial gallery’s collector base with the opportunity to sell their work.
- 10 page in-depth interview editorial published in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine December 2024 issue.
- Winning artwork printed in the December 2024 issue of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, as part of the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize editorial.
- Exclusive in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine websites + shared across Beautiful Bizarre Magazine social media.
- Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.
- 12 month social media advertising package (Beautiful Bizarre Magazine: 1 million+ followers across all social media platforms).
- A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award
The Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award Winner will be selected by popular vote from the 150 Finalists. The Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award Winner will receive $2,000 USD cash, generously donated by Catherine K. Gyllerstrom, Collector, Art Consultant, Owner & Art Director of BearWolf Books; a Deco Pro (Gen2) MW generously donated by XPPen, and a 12-month license to Clip Studio Paint PRO, generously donated by Celsys.
Voting will open on 23 August [AEDT, Australian Eastern Daylight Time]. To ensure you don’t miss your chance to vote, please join our email mailing list here.
Additionally, the Catherine K. Gyllerstrom People’s Choice Award Winner will enjoy a year’s worth of social media advertising through the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine to ensure they are able to connect with the right audience, raise their profile, and of course to grow their social media following. They will also enjoy a Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory for 12 months, plus a 12 month Beautiful Bizarre Magazine print subscription, and an in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine and Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize websites, giving readers an insight into their vision and practice!
In addition, each sponsor will choose one outstanding work from their award category to receive an Honourable Mention. Stay tuned to learn more!
The Yasha Young Projects Sculpture Award, Photography Award, Digital Art Award and the RAYMAR Traditional Art Award Finalists will be announced later this week.
So without further ado we are proud to announce the 33PA Emerging Artist Award Finalists of the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize…
33PA Emerging Artist Award Finalists
2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize
‘Repose’ (Drawing)
‘Circe: The Herb-Witch’ (Arches hot pressed watercolour paper and graphite pencil)
‘Entanglement’ (Oil on aluminium panel)
‘L’enfer c’est les autres’ (Oil on canvas)
‘De Sidere’ (Oil on linen)
‘Theseus’ (Marker (Copic and Generic), Coloured Pencil, Pen (Ballpoint, gel and felt tip) on rag stock paper)
“XIII” (Canon R6 Mark II + Canon 35 RF + Adobe Photoshop)
“Specimen 1” (Oil on canvas)
“Calas y Zinnias” (Oil on raw linen)
“Combing the Hair I (Golden Arrows)” (Oil on canvas)
“Reconstructed Fragments” (Borosilicate Glass)
‘Connecting Roots’ (Oil on linen)
‘Family Portrait’ (Oil on canvas)
‘A Contemplation on Fulfillment’ (Canon 80d, 55-250mm lens, 2 LED Obeamiu Video lights with orange gels, fresh flowers, skull replica in polyfoam)
‘Tigris III’ (Acrylic on wood)
‘Mellarius’ (Graphite on Hahnemühle 300g paper)
‘Dream wanderer’ (Windsor & Newton watercolour paper, kuretake gansai tambi watercolours and granulating colours)
‘Still Life with Pearls’ (Oil on panel)
‘Strange Way Of Loving’ (Oil on canvas)
‘Birds of a Feather Nesting Together’ (Cast Bronze, patina)
‘The Waiting’ (Oil on linen)
‘I Was Stone’ (Oil on panel)
‘Penelope’ (Terracotta and wax patina)
‘Come Back To Me’ (Adobe Photoshop)
‘White Letters’ (Charcoal and acrylic drawing on paper)
The 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize
is proudly sponsored by
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