In the past couple of weeks, hundreds of talented artists from around the world joined Artwork Contest 2023. We are excited to announce the winners of the Portrait Category sponsored by Xencelabs, as well as the Extra Reward for the most liked submission.
The Artwork Contest 2023 has concluded, and we are thrilled to announce the winners! This year's competition attracted close to 400 artists, joining four categories. We were very pleased by the worldwide interest in the contest. Below, we are presenting Portrait Category winners and honorable mentions, chosen from more than 200 entries in this category. These art pieces come from creatives from the U.S.A., Canada, Brazil, Ecuador, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Hong Kong.
1st Prize: African Beauty by Ricardo Queiroz
The winning portrait caught our attention with its convincing anatomical capture of the woman's expression, natural painterly handwriting, and fresh color scheme. We see sovereignty and determination. What a beautiful tribute to cultural traditions and heritage. Congratulations!
2nd Prize: Portrait of a Wise Woman by Kenneth Sarafin
The life-long experience and wisdom of a woman who has been through a lot look at us from the picture. The picture caught our attention with the perfect capture of the incident light, the expressiveness of the shapes and drapery, and the overall painterly atmosphere. A real experience!
3rd Prize: Kong by Jingzhou Li
The sharp look and self-confident attitude captured in the portrait of the man are expressed using energetic painterly strokes and a muted color scale. We will never forget his expression. Brilliant!
Honorable Mentions
Baroness by Agata Fiszer
This mysterious portrait captures the gentle gesture of a woman in whose gaze we see pain and ferocity. We were impressed by the beautiful play of light reflections and the fresh painterly approach. The movement and tension in content and form speak out of this painting. Simply beauty!
Taylor by Georg Ireland 
A delicate and poetic portrait caught our attention with its range of colors, sensitive use of background paper, and delightful work with detail. The beautiful hair of this woman seems to be blown by a gentle breeze. We thank you!
Rebelle Artwork by CedricYCS 
What is this revolting beauty thinking about? The cool color range and very relaxed brushwork convinced us of the qualities of this portrait. The brush strokes seem to dance. A very beautiful art piece.
Hope of Light by Kronix 
This futuristic portrait, full of sharp light and beautiful shapes, deserves our recognition. We can see a solid and at the same time dynamic composition and a unique painting style. Interesting!
Portrait by Octavio Cordova 
In this portrait, we were interested in the combination of graphic and painterly approach. Bold colors and the contrast of shapes play an interesting compositional game. We appreciate a different approach!
Digital Oil Portrait by Domenika 
The mesmerizing sight, just a few inches away from us, is truly hypnotizing. The convincing drawing, expressive strokes, and fierce coloring of this portrait deserve our recognition!
Extra Reward: The Most Liked Artwork
Girl Portrait by Valerio Russo 
Apart from the winning artworks, one entry of all contest submissions with the most likes in the Community Gallery (at the time of the contest entry closure) receives a prize bundle as well. Thank you all who voted, you have chosen this beautiful portrait. Congratulations to the winner!
A huge thank you to all who have joined the contest by submitting your portrait or leaving a like. As you can see the talent and variety of styles and techniques used are extraordinary. This is not all! We will announce the winners of Figurative Composition, Landscape, and Abstract Composition in the upcoming days.
Stay tuned!
Escape Motions Team