Lady Gaga and Adobe launch Chromatica artwork competition with $10k prize

It’s the collaboration no-one expected: pop icon Lady Gaga has partnered with Adobe to launch an artwork competition with a $10,000 cash prize. Following the release of her sixth studio album Chromatica, Gaga has invited fans (the so-called Little Monsters) to create artwork that brings “their inner Chromatica to life” using any Adobe app (Photoshop, Illustrator, Spark. etc.) and a set of visual assets curated by the singer. The winning submission will receive $10,000 plus a print of their artwork signed by Gaga, plus a 12-month Cloud subscription.

The term Chromatica was described by the artist in an interview with Zane Lowe as both a frame of mind and a planet, which is “anchored by equality”. “I live on Chromatica,” she said. “I found Earth. I deleted it. Earth is canceled. I live on Chromatica.” The album’s artwork is fittingly sci-fi and otherworldly in its aesthetic.

While this represents Gaga’s version of her self-penned planet, this competition asks entrants to express its unique personal meaning to them, from self-portraits to abstract depictions of the “Chromatica state of mind”. Artwork can be submitted by sharing the final work on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #LadyGagaxAdobe. In addition to the top prize, nine runners-up will be awarded $400, a signed Gaga poster and a three-month Cloud subscription. Entries close on 21 July.

“My fans have consistently shown their love and creativity through their art over the years, and always make me feel so happy and understood,” Lady Gaga said in a statement. “I can’t wait to see what Chromatica means to them.”

Ahead of the album’s release, Gaga appeared on the cover of Paper magazine in nude avatar form. To create the imagery, artist Frederik Heyman 3D-scanned the singer as she posed naked in a cage lined with cameras, to create a computer-generated version of her to place in various surreal scenes.