If you’ve spent more than five minutes on social media lately, you’ve likely seen the ads: Johnny Depp presents “The People’s Artist.” It looks flashy, it promises a life-changing $25,000 prize, and it’s wrapped in the prestige of Artforum magazine.
At first glance, it looks like a golden opportunity for artists to get “discovered.” But after digging into the fine print, I’ve decided to take a hard pass. I believe an artist’s value lies in their craft—not in their ability to act as a free marketing arm for a billion-dollar celebrity brand.
Here is why this “competition” isn’t what it seems—and why I won’t be asking you for your votes.
1. It’s a Popularity Contest, Not an Art Show
In a real art competition, your work is judged by curators, historians, or established peers based on technique, concept, and vision. In “The People’s Artist,” the winner is determined by public voting.
While there is a “free vote” option, the system is designed to favor those who can buy their way to the top. People can purchase “charity votes” for roughly $1 USD each. This means the win doesn’t go to the best artist; it goes to the artist with the wealthiest network or the most aggressive social media marketing strategy.
2. The “Pay-to-Win” Fundraising Model
The competition is run by Colossal, a U.S. for-profit company that specializes in “fundraising competitions.” While they partner with a legitimate charity (The Art of Elysium), their business model is built on taking a massive cut of the proceeds—often up to 50%.
In the charity world, a 50% administrative fee is astronomically high. When you “buy a vote,” you aren’t just donating to a cause; you are lining the pockets of a US-based corporation and paying for the celebrity branding used to lure you in.
3. The Canadian Disconnect
As a Canadian, this contest makes even less sense.
- Zero Local Impact: The charity involved, The Art of Elysium, is based in Los Angeles. It does wonderful work in California hospitals and shelters, but it has no programs in Canada.
- No Tax Benefit: Because it’s a US-based 501(c)(3), Canadians buying votes cannot claim them as charitable donations on their taxes.
- Exporting Support: Why would I ask my Canadian friends and family to send their hard-earned money across the border to a US for-profit company just for a chance at a prize?
4. Artists are the Product, Not the Priority
The most frustrating part of this model is that it treats artists as unpaid marketers. To stand a chance, artists have to spam their followers for weeks, driving massive amounts of traffic to the competition’s website.
Colossal gets free advertising and millions in “donations,” while 99.9% of the participating artists walk away with nothing but a tired social media feed. Artists are creators of culture, not leverage for a corporate bottom line.
The Verdict
I love making art, and I love supporting charity. But I believe art should be judged on its merit, and charity should be transparent and local.
If I want to support the arts, I’ll donate to a local Canadian gallery or a registered non-profit where the money stays in our community. If I want to compete, I’ll look for a juried show that doesn’t require my friends to open their wallets just to give me a “score.”
But if you truly want to “vote” for an artist’s success, buy their work. Skip the middleman and the corporate voting blocks. When you purchase directly from a local creator, you aren’t just buying an object; you’re casting a vote for their future, their studio, and their ability to keep creating. That is the only “People’s Choice” award that actually changes an artist’s life.
“The People’s Artist” might have a famous face on the poster, but our creativity is worth more than being used as a tool for someone else’s profit.
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