We want to share some important news about upcoming changes at both Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery and our parent gallery, Fusion Art. Starting January 1, 2027, we will be making a modest adjustment to our competition entry fees.
We have always worked hard to keep entry costs reasonable so that artists at every stage of their career, from students to established professionals, can afford to submit their work and have it seen by our jurors and audience. That commitment has not changed. But like any organization, we're not immune to rising operational costs, and after holding our rates steady for a long time, a small increase has become necessary to keep both galleries running strong and to continue offering the level of service, promotion, and prize support our artists have come to expect.
Even with this adjustment, we want to be clear about one thing: our fees remain among the most affordable in the online art competition space. Many comparable galleries charge a minimum of $20-$25 per image. Our new rates stay well below that standard.
Here is what will change, and when.
The new rates will take effect with each gallery's first competition deadline of the year. For Light Space & Time, that will be our 18th "Abstracts" competition, with a deadline of January 27th. For Fusion Art, that will be our Black & White 2027 competition, with a deadline of January 1st. Any competition with a deadline before those dates will still be entered at current pricing.
Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery: New entries will be $20 for 1 to 2 images, which works out to $10 per image, and $30 for 3 to 5 images, which averages to $6 per image when submitting the full five. Our early entry discount will continue as well. Artists who enter during the first month a competition is open will pay the discounted rate of $18 for 1 to 2 images and $28 for 3 to 5 images. Our student discount will also be adjusted, moving to $18 for 1 to 2 images and $26 for 3 to 5 images. Light Space & Time is still the only online gallery offering both an early entry and student discount, and we're proud to keep both in place.
Reminder: To qualify for the student discount, artists must enter using a valid educational email address ending in .edu, and that address must be the one associated with their Submittable account. We mention this because we've recently seen the discount used by artists who don't appear to be currently enrolled students. We'd much rather keep the discount in place, but continued misuse may leave us no choice but to discontinue it. We appreciate our artists helping us keep this benefit available for the students who genuinely qualify.
Our Solo Art Series entry fee will be $30 for 5 images. Our popular Summer and Winter "5 for $10" competitions, held twice a year, will stay exactly the same. No change there.
Again, these new rates begin with our 18th "Abstracts" competition, which has a deadline of January 27th and our 35th “Solo Art Series,” which has a deadline of January 5th.
Fusion Art: New entries will be $30 for 1 to 2 images, which comes to $15 per image, an increase of only $2.50 per image. Entries of up to 5 images will be $45, averaging $9 per image, up from the previous average of $8 per image when submitting the full five.
Reminder: These new rates begin with our Black & White 2027 competition, which has a deadline of January 1st.
Along with this update, we’re pleased to share some good news too. In 2027, both galleries will be expanding the number of winners who receive cash prizes. More of our talented artists will be recognized with a cash award or complimentary membership to our Fusion Art Members Gallery than ever before. We will be announcing the full new prize structure for each gallery in December, so keep an eye out for that.
For our Fusion Art Members Gallery members, there is one more update on the way. We’re making changes to the Fusion Artist Membership program, and we’ll share full details before the end of the year. Current members will receive a direct email outlining exactly what is changing and what it means for their membership.
We know that any fee increase, even a modest one, is not something artists want to see, and we don’t take that lightly. Please know that every decision we make is guided by our goal of keeping these galleries sustainable, well run, and worth being part of for years to come.
Thank you to every artist who has submitted work, trusted us with their art, and been part of the Fusion Art and Light Space & Time family. We are grateful for your talent and your continued support, and we are looking forward to a bright future together.
As an independent artist, you have to wear a variety of hats to find long-term success. That includes introducing yourself to the world of marketing. Traditional marketing methods like social media, newsletters, and online portfolios are all great for getting your name and work out there, and even connecting with your target audience. But, nothing beats meeting art lovers who might be interested in your work in person.
One of the best ways to do that is by hosting artistic marketing events where you can showcase your work and make lucrative sales opportunities.
Hosting events not only gives you the opportunity to sell your work, but to develop healthy relationships with potential buyers, which can create loyal customers for years to come.
It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or cause extra stress to host an artistic marketing event. Marketing this way will help the longevity of your business. But, if you’re not sure how to get started, we’ve got several tips that can help.
Even in this tech-forward, highly digital world, in-person art shows remain just as important as ever. Hosting events allows you to show off your work with pride, and explain what each piece is about. You can give your personal stories and perspectives that could sway a potential customer who might not have understood the work beforehand.
People are also often likely to purchase art in person. When they’re able to see a piece in front of them and look at it without pressure, they can develop an emotional connection. They can see how it might fit in their home or office. Plus, when you’re there to explain your motive behind the piece, it can further their emotional investment and create a lifelong appreciation for your work.
Talk to any marketing expert, and they’ll tell you how important it is to have loyal customers. Because art is so personal, obtaining those customers often comes from fostering relationships with them. Marketing events are a fantastic way to network with those who are passionate about the art world and ready to open their eyes and minds to something new.
Not only can you meet people who will be interested in purchasing your work, but you could end up meeting those with influence and power in the industry. They might be able to display your work in bigger galleries or help you with your marketing strategy on a larger scale. You can learn a lot from the right people, and they can help you find greater success along the way, all because you put yourself, and your work, out there in person.
When you’re an independent artist, selling your pieces is essential for continued success. If your work doesn’t sell, you’re going to experience financial issues, which can lead to a variety of mental health issues, including:
One of the best ways to maintain consistency and success with your work is to keep networking. Forming relationships with customers and people interested in your art will help to ensure you have consistent buyers and fans. When you know your work will sell among your loyal followers, you’ll have the freedom to create the kind of art you’re passionate about without feeling so much pressure.
Hosting an event to display your work is about more than just hanging a few pieces in a gallery and hoping people show up. A great artist doesn’t necessarily create pieces for other people. They create art that speaks to them. But, if you can market yourself and your work in ways that can resonate with others, you’ll be able to draw in more guests to your events, and eventually make more sales.
Don’t be afraid to have fun and let your creativity shine when it comes to hosting a marketing event. Make sure you have the basics covered to keep people entertained and satisfied, including elements like:
You should also consider serving wine at your events. It adds a touch of formality while allowing people to sip and stroll while they look over your work. Make sure you’re using the right serving glasses for the type of wine you choose. For example, flutes are typically used for sparkling wines – a great option if you’re celebrating the release of new work. But, if you want something bolder like a red wine, choose a glass with a wider bowl and rim.
Finally, a successful art show needs to have the right venue to fit the style of your work. Once you have the perfect place set up, get the word out well in advance. Send out newsletters via email. Mail postcards. Post the event all over your social media platforms.
Marketing events can be an expensive process, and not every artist has a large budget to do so. Here are some different tips that you can use to host your marketing event on a budget:
If you’re willing to put on your marketing hat from time to time, you can find lasting, continued success as an artist while enjoying the benefit of personally connecting with your fans and buyers.
Katie Brenneman is a frequent contributor to the Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery blog. She writes about a variety of topics including art marketing advice for artists. Visit her X profile to learn more about her.
Sometimes a poorly presented art entry may be the cause of one’s art not getting into an art exhibition, rather than the quality of the art that was entered. How can that be, after all, isn’t this an art competition? This article will discuss how a poorly presented submission or entry and not the quality of the art may be the reason for not being accepted into an art exhibition.
Every month Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery receives wonderful art for our competitions. Some of the art that we receive may have been very good but because of the artist’s entry, we were unable to properly judge the art. This is usually caused by the overall quality of the image(s) as being too poor to be able to be placed in the art exhibition. The art that was submitted may have been excellent but because the artist did not take care, used poor equipment or their technique for recording the art was not as good as it should or could have been.
Recently, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery began accepting 3D art and we have received some wonderful works. We have also received some work that was so poorly presented that we could not judge the art on the same level as the other entries. Because of this, we could not place this art in the exhibition too. Artists should realize that their presentation/entry is just as important as their art when it comes to entering an art competition.
If artists have not been getting into as many exhibitions as they would like, versus the number of competitions that they have been entering, those artists should take a fresh and objective look at how they are recording and submitting their art.
Our website has several articles on the proper techniques to record and present art. The internet has many other helpful articles that will help the serious artist to improve their art submissions.
Artists should look to improve their submissions by studying the basic techniques of recording their artworks and by spending more time on this process prior to submitting their art. Remember, this is a competition and besides the quality of the art received, the artist’s submission presentation can either help or hurt them.
Please read our related post titled "But I Thought That My Art Was Pretty Good....".
