The Dream Foundry Contest for Emerging Artists is an annual no submission fees contest with cash prizes! Every year our contest coordinator selects ten finalists from a pool of submissions from artists around the world. Then our pair of judges choose three winners. In addition to their cash prizes, winners get featured at Flights of Foundry, an annual convention where professionals from all over the industry come to discuss all things related to the speculative arts.

You can see a list of past finalists and winners on our Winners Page.

Submissions are open from 8 August, 2022 through 8 October, 2022. That includes all time zones.

This contest is for artists who are relatively new to paid illustration work for speculative publications in English. To be eligible for this contest, all the following rules must be true of you:

• You have a maximum of one (1) commissioned/original artwork for the cover of a speculative publication.
• You have only two (2) or less non-original artworks (reprint/licensed art) used for covers of speculative fiction magazines or publications.
• You have never been nominated for any Hugo award for art, including fan categories.
• You are not a previous winner of the Dream Foundry art contest

Please note that you are on the honour system for judging your own eligibility. However, we may disqualify any entrants in order to uphold the spirit of this contest’s goals; such determinations of eligibility are decided by the Dream Foundry and are not open to debate or argument.

Mateus Manhanini is a digital illustrator and comic colorist from Brazil, currently based in Rio de Janeiro, who works primarily on card game illustrations, book covers, posters, character design, and general digital illustrations. Some of his clients include Marvel Comics, Wizards Of The Coast, DC Comics, Universo Guará, Strange Horizons, and Random House (Penguin Random House LLC.)

Daniela Viçoso is an algarvian artist who likes painting and making comics. Her work ranges from themes such as popular imagery, folklore, the BL genre and melancholia. Her one shot Erasmus song was awarded one of the bronze awards at the 13th edition of the Japan International Manga Award (2020).

Submit one .pdf with at least three finished artworks, but no more than five. Those illustrations don’t need to be exclusive for the contest, and they can have been previously posted on the internet. Please include a title for each of the works, and specify which media you used (e.g. watercolors, mixed media, digital art, etc).

All entries are final. No revisions are accepted.
No multiple submissions (do not send more than one .pdf portfolio.)
Entries can be from any country.
All entries must be original artwork (no fanarts). Illustration work only (no collages, photomanipulations, etc).

We are looking for speculative (science fiction, fantasy, weird, horror, etc.) themed artwork. Please don’t send us artwork without a speculative element.
No erotica or explicit work.
No fanarts, no collages, no photomanips.

Send all questions to art dot contest at dreamfoundry dot org

The submission period for the 2022 contest has closed.