Contest 111, painters and photographers in the field for a prize worth over 100 thousand euros

Contest 111, painters and photographers in the field for a prize of over 100 thousand euros. Artists react to the post-Covid economic crisis

The pandemic and economic crisis have brought the art world to its knees, causing lower revenues, job losses and reduced opportunities for new generations. A trend confirmed by the cancellation, in recent years, of approximately one in three cultural events scheduled worldwide, as also certified by the latest UNESCO report dedicated specifically to the relationship between art and the labor market. It is therefore clear that artists find themselves between the anvil of struggling daily to emerge and the hammer of the pandemic coup de grace.

It is no coincidence that the Slc Cgil report, in collaboration with the Di Vittorio Foundation, confirms that in Italy one artist out of two earns less than 5 thousand euros per year, while Istat considers the poverty threshold to be 10.299 euros. In this complicated scenario, it is even more difficult for aspiring painters and photographers to emerge and transform a passion into a real profession.

But now the artists have a new card to play: even before registrations are officially open, 211 artists from the province of Naples have already put themselves on the waiting list, ready to compete for a prize pool of over 100 thousand euros (111.000 dollars), taking part in Contest 111, a project designed specifically for budding photographers and painters who want to turn their passion into a real job and an opportunity to earn money. The artists are determined to participate to ensure maximum visibility for their work for the entire duration of the event, thanks to the presence of a large audience.

The Contest 111 project was in fact created to promote budding talents who wish to find an international showcase for their works and obtain concrete and tangible remuneration from their artistic and creative efforts. Behind the project is the intuition of a group of art enthusiasts from Milan and Switzerland, who decided to take the field, offering artists who have been hit hard by the Covid emergency an opportunity for redemption: a true work of patronage 2.0 that will be carried out until next autumn across three nations: Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

There is time until the end of October to take part in the initiative, by submitting an application and uploading images and videos online through the dedicated Contest 111 platform. of the works. Contest 111 is open to painters and photographers, amateurs and professionals, from all over the world.

There are no age limits (ages 18 and up).

The main prize of over 100 thousand euros (111.

There are also two prizes of $5.000 awarded to the winners of the single
category, painting and photography. The sums that make up the prize money will be deposited at the Banca di Stato del Cantone Ticino.

The Contest rules are precise: the works that have garnered the highest online vote at the end of the Contest are the winners. Users can assign each work a single vote, with a value of their choice, from $1 to $5. Unlike traditional contests—where the jury is generally composed of renowned names in the art world—in this case, the jury will be composed directly of the art-loving public, thus ensuring immediate relevance to the work's positioning on the international market.

Winners aside, other participants will also have the opportunity to earn a financial return from the exhibition of their works: the artist will earn 50 percent of the amounts paid by fans.

The goal is to allow painters and photographers to make the most of their talent, monetizing their creativity and transforming it into a vehicle for economic sustenance: all thanks to a cutting-edge digital platform that will allow the artist to have his own international showcase where art enthusiasts can comment on and purchase the works. For the participants in the competition, the platform will be another benefit reserved for them for life.

The first 200 competitors in the ranking will also be offered a unique opportunity: to exhibit their works inside the prestigious Five Gallery in Lugano, a historic exhibition space dedicated to contemporary art.

All members will also be able to take part in webinars held by high-profile figures from the art world such as Andrea Del Guercio, former director of the Schools
of Painting, Coordinator of the Institute of Theory and History of Art and Board Member of the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera. Furthermore, a course dedicated to strategies for transforming “art from passion into work” is being prepared, open to all those registered for the Contest, which will see the participation of business coaches specialized in the field of art.

In the last few hours, 211 requests have arrived from the province of Naples alone, from as many artists wishing to participate in the Contest, but also from other Italian provinces as well as from the United States and the United Kingdom.