inspired by The Shape of Dreams
In conjunction with our special exhibition The Shape of Dreams, we invited you to share original artwork that depicts a story from one of your dreams.
contest winners:
Below are our contest winners. Click each photo to enlarge.
Ashley Otto, The Wave Function Of The Subconscious, Transmuted Through The Depths Of A Jungian Sea
Alice Sundstrom, Sometimes It’s Just Too Hard To Make A Decision
Carlos Solis, March of Heroes
About the Contest:
The Dalí’s special exhibit The Shape of Dreams highlights dream-inspired works by artists from the last five centuries—many of which inspired Salvador Dalí to create connections and commentary on the unconscious mind and its relation to thoughts, ideas, spirits, and other realms. The exhibition evokes the dazzling way art and artists build upon the understanding of dreams and the grand dialogue of breaking the separation between sleep and the awakened world. For this contest, we welcome you to submit a work of art depicting a dream of yours.
Salvador Dalí celebrated dreams through his artwork. He understood the importance of sleep and dreams to view ourselves more fully. He was interested in creating visual presence for thoughts that were only accessible when asleep. Dalí was a passionate follower of Sigmund Freud and believed that dreams could be useful for further understanding the world by tapping into the unconscious material within our dreams.
The concept of dreams has evolved throughout history into a term that extends to spirituality, desire, guidance, hope, communication, nightmare, and so much more. Dreams are timeless, as they exist regardless of culture, history, race, or gender. Dreams can be a source of revelation, warning, whimsical delight, behavioral reflection, intense emotion, playful escapes, wishes, or simply fantastical nonsense. For The Dalí’s Dream Art Contest, we invite you to explore the depths of your mind to create a depiction of your dream.
How it works:
- Create an original work of art inspired by one of your dreams. All materials are welcome (e.g. oil, watercolor, acrylic, digital painting, mixed media).
- Upload your original design and description below by February 1, 2023. Please submit files as jpgs (2MB or less). One submission per person is accepted.
- All entries will be juried by a panel of Dalí Museum staff members, narrowing the submissions to three (3) finalists, and posted on TheDali.org by March 1, 2023.
- Public voting will run March 1-April 3, 2023 on TheDali.org.
- Winners will be contacted and announced by April 17, 2023. The first place winner will receive the grand prize (including Museum admission tickets and merchandise from The Dalí Museum Store). The second and third place winners will receive individual prizes of merchandise from The Dalí Museum Store.
- Following the contest, a selection of submissions will be included in an online exhibition on TheDali.org
Entry Requirements & Judging Criteria
Artwork submitted must be original, created by the submitter. Art will be judged on the following criteria: originality, skill/technique, composition and lighting.
Eligibility Requirements
The Contest is open to residents of the 50 United States and its territories, as well as international entries who are at least 18 years old at the time of entry. All entries must be original, created by the entrant, and cannot have been previously published, won another competition or contest or been used for advertising or promotional purposes. Each entrant may submit only one (1) artwork and must be submitted as a digital image in the following format: jpg (2MB or less) by Wednesday, February 1, 2023. No purchase is necessary to enter or win. The Contest has no affiliation with Facebook, Instagram or any other third-party platform. We reserve the right to change these Rules at any time.
Image Banner: Domenico Feti Jacob’s Dream c.1613-1614 Oil on wood panel 23.8 in x 17.1 in Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, General Membership Fund, 39.669. USAPhoto: © Detroit Institute of Arts.