ON October 5, photographers around the world participated in Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk. Locally, our walk took us around the Bourda market area. It was the first time that I participated in such a venture and I must say it was a great experience. On the walk, we captured elements of our local market scene, such as our fresh fruits and vegetables, the busyness of the Saturday afternoon hustle, men at work, homelessness and so much more.

Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk is more than just a walk, it is also a photography competition. As I prepared my entry, I pondered: what is the purpose of competitions? why should persons enter? and what makes a winning entry?

In my opinion, an art competition is meant to encourage innovation. It’s an opportunity to present yourself to the world; to show others what makes your work unique — a demonstration of creativity, originality and craftsmanship. But how does one develop these elements)? The answer may surprise you. Even though art comes from within, if we don’t spend time studying or researching other artists and techniques, we will never be able to develop our craft.

I was very disappointed to learn that the standards of art entries at the secondary school level for local competitions have dropped. I strongly believe that our young artists are running on “empty” They may be of the impression that creating art isn’t that serious. I don’t know what may be tainting their perception, but I know that it is time to raise the standard again. Each competition has rules, and some have themes. They give guidance on how the final piece should look. Apart from that, individuals need to take pride in their work; execution should be done with a great deal of craftsmanship.

As I heard the disappointment over the recent entries for the Lions International poster competition, I recall hearing similar sentiments at the past Guyana Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition (GVACE). So, artists, young and old have to step up their game. As we use competitions to gauge OUR level of work compared to those of others, we must do our very best. Winning entries are those that have what the judges are looking for. However, this varies according to context and criteria. So, we must read our instructions carefully and proceed accordingly.

The judges from GVACE were looking for an approach rather than an idea. In their presentations, they emphasised the fact that creating art involves not only the practical aspect, but the theoretical as well. Most techniques we use today were used in the past. This requires that we know our craft — material, function, technique and form.

Part of being a creative person is thinking outside the box. We must use other artists to inspire our thinking. Simple words such as close, open, wide, tall, short, in front, behind and mere physical objects can trigger an artistic response. We must use different materials with familiar techniques; use our work to say something that is important to us. So, as we work towards the next competition, let’s keep these tips in mind. Let’s raise and keep our standards high!