Industry Insights & Resources
Browse our collection of expert insights on awards management, creative competitions, and industry advice. Resources for creative professionals and organisers.”
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7 Awards Platforms for the Creative Industries
Choosing the right process whilst taking entries could save you hundreds of hours of admin. To save you a little time we’ve compiled a list of the best submission platforms serving the creative eco-system at this time.
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A Handcrafted Christmas
From unique handmade stocking-fillers to creative masterclasses, we have compiled a brilliant list of virtual market experiences, workshops, and Zealous makers for you to check out this Christmas (and beyond).
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Making the perfect writing award application
Writing awards can be daunting, particularly for those new to the craft. To help you navigate the process, we asked three industry professionals: ‘what do you look for in a writing awards application?’Â These firsthand insights will equip you with…
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Trends for Running Competitions in 2021
Much has changed in 2020. For that reason, we’ve compiled our top tips on things to take into consideration when planning & running a successful competition in 2021.
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Creative Resources: Self-Promotion
Many creatives shy away from self-promotion fearing they’ll be branded arrogant, but their fear is misplaced. If you don’t tell people about what you do – and why you do it – how will they know? If you want to…
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Creative Questions: How Do I Get My Name Out There?
We’re tackling those all-important questions asked by our creative community. In this article we explore: how to get your name out there. Three arts professionals share their wisdom to provide you with a series of valuable insights.
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Top sites to list your writing competition on
Boost submissions to your writing contests by listing them on these amazing sites.
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Creative Resources: Studio Spaces
The right studio space can enable artists to develop their practice, network with other creative practitioners and gain access to opportunities which stem from their environment. We have compiled a list of studio resources to help you find the perfect…
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Creating opportunity in adversity
our months ago, the rules that governed society turned inside out. This left communities isolated, lead to freelancers losing their income and forced organisations to reinvent themselves. Cambridge City Council Supporting communities by commissioning talent With schools closed, parents working…
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Embracing Creativity as an Agent of Change
How long will it take before we return to normality? Is the world of yesterday really the world that we want for tomorrow? And in this period of change, how do we make sure we are able to cope with…
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Creating purpose in isolation
This is our time to prove that arts organisations are there for them even in the most adverse of times. Here’s how running a competition can help support our communities now in isolation, give our team a shared purpose and…
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Part 2: Building Relationships with Art Spaces
We’re tackling those all-important questions asked by our creative community. In this article we explore: how to build and maintain a relationship with art spaces (more specifically galleries). Two arts professionals share their wisdom to provide you with more valuable insights.
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Creative Questions: Building Relationships with Art Spaces
Part 1: We’re tackling those all-important questions asked by our creative community. In this article we explore: how to build and maintain a relationship with art spaces. Three arts professionals share their wisdom to provide you with a series of valuable…
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Building inclusivity into your call out
Inclusion is often mentioned, but difficult to get right across all of your processes. Here is a brief guide on what to watch out for when running a call out.
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Here’s to 2020
As a nation we may not agree with choices that were made in 2019 – but a new decade is upon us and there has been no better time to learn from the past and focus on building a future…
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11 Life Lessons If You’re A Creative
Being a creative can be tough. For all the time you spend doing what you love, you’ve got to put in the same number of hours trying to get others’ attention and making the money you need to sustain yourself. These lessons…
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6 Books To Read In 2020
The winter break is the perfect time to reflect on the past year and prepare for the challenges of 2020. It’s also a time of frantic Christmas gift buying, where the stresses of inspiration, finances and expectations collide; leaving us…
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Valuing Your Work
We all know how much milk, coffee and sugar are worth, yet why does the creative industry struggle to value its goods, and why does it feel we’re working harder and making less? (Spoiler – It’s very much down to…
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Creative Questions: Curating a Festival
Completing an application can be daunting; particularly when it comes to arts festivals that are often on the look out for new and engaging work. To help you navigate the process, we asked three festival organisers: what do you look…
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Creative Questions: Finding a Balance
When creating work for specific clients, you may find yourself asking – how do I form a balance between my creativity and client briefs? Here’s what four artists who have long grappled with this issue had to say.
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Writing Engaging Guidelines
Writing clear guidelines can make or break your competition. A lack of information could lead to the wrong content being submitted, too much, and candidates may skip it. Here are a few lessons we’ve learnt from hosting open calls.
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Creative Questions: Approaching a Gallery
We’re tackling those all-important questions frequently asked by our creative community. In this article we investigate: what is the best way to approach a gallery? We spoke to five gallery professionals who have drawn on their own knowledge and experience…
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The Art of Engaging & Placemaking
This short guide highlights steps to better engage with your communities (team, stakeholders, clients, residents) through creative commissions.
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Creative Questions: Stand Out Submissions
In this article, we tackle one of the most frequently asked questions from our creative community – “How do I make my work stand out when applying to opportunities?” Here’s what five industry professionals, directly involved with running or judging…
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The best sites to list your art competition on
Getting your art competition seen by as many people as possible is always key to bringing in more submissions. Taking a little time to list it on external sites is always a great way to increase exposure. To save you…
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Finding a Balance: Social Media for Creatives
Navigating the world of social media is not a simple feat. With an abundance of tips and tricks at our fingertips, it’s no wonder it has become a growing concern for emerging creatives. For those grappling with the ever-evolving trends,…
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The State of Emerging Creativity
Nurturing emerging creators is pivotal in unlocking the creative sectors full potential. To shed light on the challenges faced by those early in their creative careers, we asked 1,800 individuals breaking into the industry how they felt about creating in…
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Imagery to get your competition attention
In an increasingly fast-paced world, getting attention to your competition is difficult. Using the right imagery plays a huge part in making users notice you and eventually submit to your opportunity. This guide will take you through 6 tips that…
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Freelancer Survival Guide
There’s no one size fits all approach when it comes to managing your freelance business. Whether you’re already self-employed, or thinking about taking the plunge, our survival guide highlights some of the vital factors that will make diving into these…
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Enhancing Your Creative Environment
Creativity cannot function in a void; it needs an effective environment to flourish. Whether it’s our bedroom, office or studio, the spaces that we spend time in impact our productivity, thinking and work ethic. We’ve compiled some of our top-tips…
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The Art of Changing Humanity
How can we rebalance society in a world where politics, core beliefs, and knowledge have become increasingly extreme.
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How to best schedule your open call
A short guide on how long you should keep submissions open for, how long you should give judges and when you should be making your selection.
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5 Podcasts to Feed Your Creativity
If you’re looking for ways to unleash your creativity, unpack art history and gain practical insight from creative industry professionals – here’s five podcasts you’re sure to enjoy.Â
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Mind the Gender Gap
It has been a little more than a hundred years since women were first given a voice in UK politics; yet the last couple of years have still demonstrated a real chasm in securing women’s equal footing within our society.…
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Online talks to boost your creativity
We all turn to creativity for different reasons. Changing the way that Hollywood looks at filmmaking, turning a craft hobby into a full-time business, and preserving heritage through film and music are just some of the ways in which these…
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Free Resources for Creatives
Want to improve your creative skills, manage your time better or send more traffic to your website? The internet has tons of free resources to help you develop your practice. From project organisation tools to industry insights and creative classes,…
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Global creativity, the UK and the arts
The creative industries account for 14.6% of the UK’s GVA. But in a complex political climate and a rapidly developing world; how can the UK retain its edge?
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Website builders for creatives
Choosing the best website builder to showcase and/or sell your work can be a little overwhelming. There are so many options available, and what works well for a filmmaker might not have the same benefits for a visual artist. Our…
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7 tips to boost your open call
From making sure your imagery looks great to inviting judges to review your submissions. Here are our 7 top tips to help boost the number of submissions you get for your next opportunity.
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GDPR for Creative Organisations
This guide was compiled to give you a quick overview of GDPR, keeping it as simple and relevant to you as possible.
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How to get quality submissions
Running an open call? We’ve put together a guide of the best tools you have at your disposal, and how to use them to ensure quality submissions.
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How to Make Your Portfolio Stand Out
With 300+ organisations registered on Zealous, the eyes of the creative industry are on your work. Here’s some handy portfolio tips to help you stand out…
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3 Questions from our Last Zealous Meetup
July Meetup speakers share their thoughts on the meaning and value of space, how politics impact creativity and what the UK needs to support our creativity.
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Support Emerging Creatives At Our Next Zealous Meetup
A Zealous Meetup like never before! Learn how to support emerging artists and growing creative communities.
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Guaranteeing Our Creative Future
It would be dangerous to blindly celebrate the creative industries success—we’re reaping fruit planted decades ago. Here are a few points we must consider to ensure our creative future.
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Coding Tips for Creatives
Coding provides us with the tools to build new worlds and engage new audiences. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get started.
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4 ways to find creative talent using social media
Social media is a welcoming, passionate community of creative talent. Here are 4 ways to find the artists, filmmakers and photographers you need.
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13 Zealous Reads You’d Be Silly to Skip
Here’s the article with all the code removed: Image by Freddie Marriage. Ah, September. Something about this month feels like the start of a new year. September is the time for lists, for new things, for a fresh start. We…
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Zen: Applying the Principles of Interior Design to Your Craft
Here’s the article with all the code removed: Image by Katie Pankowski. We could all use a little more balance. Yin and yang, harmony. All that jazz. Point is, taking a breath isn’t easy for most of us. Relaxing doesn’t…
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3 Brilliant Reasons Why Your Creative Environment Matters
Our creative environments shape us, no questions asked. Whether our bedrooms, offices, studios, or balconies, the spaces we spend time in shape our thinking, our attitudes, and our work ethic. But too often, we ignore those spaces. We keep our heads…
