Mixed Media Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

An individual art entry for teens aged 13 to 19 in which the entrant combines two or more materials or techniques in one finished piece, rated by the panel.

Mixed Media is the combination class of a teen arts competition. The entrant submits one finished piece that deliberately brings together more than one material or technique, for example ink over watercolour, collage with paint, fabric stitched onto card, or pressed leaves set into modelling clay. What makes it mixed media is that the materials work together in a single idea rather than sitting side by side.

In eTalenter’s templates the item appears once, in an international teen talent competition that is run at state or regional level and then at national level. It sits in the Art category beside Ceramics and Glass, Graphics and Sculpture, so a piece made from a single material or from a single medium belongs in the matching class instead. It is an individual entry for Teens (13-19), open to boys and girls together, in English. The assignment sets a maximum score of 5 and prints no time limit, because the work is made beforehand and brought in.

On the day the piece is registered, labelled with the entrant’s number and placed on display, and the judges look at each one in turn. Flat work is usually mounted or framed so it can stand or hang; layered or raised work needs a sturdy base so loose parts do not shift in transport. Entrants normally add a short title card, and an organiser may allow a line or two on the materials used.

Organisers run a mixed media class because it welcomes teens who enjoy experimenting and do not want to be limited to a pencil or a brush. For coordinators using eTalenter it is entered like any other Art item: register the entrant, record the panel’s rating, and the ranking is calculated within the Teens group.

Where Mixed Media is run

In eTalenter’s data Mixed Media appears on one template: an international teen talent competition for the 13 to 19 age band. Mixed media categories are a familiar part of school and youth art shows, but this page describes only the format that template defines.

• International teen talent competition (state, regional and national levels)

Key facts

• Individual entry: one teen makes and submits one piece.
• Single age group, Teens (13-19); boys and girls compete together; English.
• Rated by the panel and ranked within the Teens group; the assignment sets a maximum score of 5.
• No time limit in the template, because the piece is made in advance and displayed.
• Needs at least two distinct materials or techniques working together; a single-medium piece belongs in another Art class.
• Idea starters, not rules: a map of your street in ink, thread and torn paper; a collage portrait with painted background; a tin lid turned into a relief using clay, paint and found objects.

On eTalenter, Mixed Media is filed under Art and typically scored with Rating out of 10. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Mixed Media is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 5.

What judges look at in Mixed Media

What a Mixed Media panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Purposeful combination: each material should earn its place, with the techniques supporting one idea rather than being piled on.
• Idea and originality: a clear theme or story that is the entrant’s own, not a copied tutorial or kit.
• Technical control: glue, stitching, layering and paint should be secure and neat, with nothing peeling or smudged.
• Composition and balance: texture, colour and space arranged so the eye moves across the piece with a clear focal point.
• Finish and condition on arrival: sturdy mounting and a tidy label; loose parts or a damaged piece lose marks before the idea is even judged.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Mixed Media under Scoring Setup, or start from the full art and drawing judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Mixed Media

How entrants and their teachers usually get Mixed Media right on the day:

• Pick the idea first, then choose the materials that serve it; two or three well-chosen materials usually beat six used at random.
• Test how your materials behave together on a scrap, since wet paint can lift glue, and some papers buckle under heavy layers.
• Plan the layers in order, from background to detail, and let each one dry fully before adding the next.
• Mount the work on stiff card or board so it keeps its shape, and attach loose items firmly, not just with a dab of glue.
• Keep a short note of what you used and why, so you can answer a judge in a sentence if the organiser allows questions.
• Photograph the piece before you hand it in, and pack it flat with protective paper for travel.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mixed Media judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

What counts as mixed media?

Any piece that deliberately uses two or more materials or techniques together, such as paint with collage or ink with fabric. Confirm borderline cases with your organiser.

How is Mixed Media different from Graphics or Sculpture?

Graphics is designed visual communication such as a poster or logo, and Sculpture is a modelled or carved form. Mixed Media is defined by the combination of materials, so choose the class that matches your main idea.

Is there a time limit?

The template prints none, because the piece is made beforehand and brought to the display. Ask the organiser for the entry deadline and size limits.

Can a group enter?

No. In this template it is an individual entry, so each teen submits their own piece.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full art and drawing judging criteria guide, or browse every art competition item.