Looking for fun ways to spark engagement in your creative community? Community Challenges make it easy to motivate members, encourage friendly competition, and showcase talent. Use these ready-made templates to kickstart participation and bring your members together.
Plan your content calendar and auto-post to Skool, Circle, or Mighty Networks
Community Challenges tap into the universal desire to learn, share, and be recognized. By presenting achievable, creative tasks, you lower the barrier for participation, making it easy for even shy or new members to get involved. The playful, motivating tone of these challenges encourages experimentation without fear of judgment.
These challenges also build camaraderie by giving members common goals to pursue and celebrate together. Recognizing participants fosters a sense of belonging, while the structure of clear steps and deadlines helps drive regular engagement. Over time, these shared experiences create a positive, supportive atmosphere that keeps your creative community vibrant and active.
Weekly Art Prompt: Create something inspired by the word 'whimsy.' Share your piece below!
💡 Example: "Weekly Art Prompt: Create something inspired by the word 'whimsy.' Share your piece below!"
Challenge time! Recreate a famous artwork with materials found at home. Post your results here.
💡 Example: "Challenge time! Recreate a famous artwork with materials found at home. Post your results here."
Doodle a self-portrait in under 5 minutes. Show us your quick sketch!
💡 Example: "Doodle a self-portrait in under 5 minutes. Show us your quick sketch!"
Photography challenge: Capture the color yellow in your environment. Share your photo in the thread.
💡 Example: "Photography challenge: Capture the color yellow in your environment. Share your photo in the thread."
30-minute creativity sprint! Set a timer and make anything you want. What did you create?
💡 Example: "30-minute creativity sprint! Set a timer and make anything you want. What did you create?"
Flash fiction challenge: Write a story in exactly 50 words. Post your mini masterpiece here.
💡 Example: "Flash fiction challenge: Write a story in exactly 50 words. Post your mini masterpiece here."
Design challenge: Create a new logo for the community using only two colors.
💡 Example: "Design challenge: Create a new logo for the community using only two colors."
Try using a new tool or medium this week. What did you experiment with?
💡 Example: "Try using a new tool or medium this week. What did you experiment with?"
Show us your workspace! Share a photo or describe what inspires your creative setup.
💡 Example: "Show us your workspace! Share a photo or describe what inspires your creative setup."
Collaboration challenge: Team up with another member and create something together. Share your results!
💡 Example: "Collaboration challenge: Team up with another member and create something together. Share your results!"
Creative remix: Take someone else's post from this week and put your own spin on it.
💡 Example: "Creative remix: Take someone else's post from this week and put your own spin on it."
Monthly theme: Nature. Make something inspired by the outdoors and share your creation!
💡 Example: "Monthly theme: Nature. Make something inspired by the outdoors and share your creation!"
Quick poll: What kind of challenge would you like to see next month?
💡 Example: "Quick poll: What kind of challenge would you like to see next month?"
Share a creative tip you learned this week. Let's inspire each other.
💡 Example: "Share a creative tip you learned this week. Let's inspire each other."
Caption this image! Funniest or most creative wins a shout-out.
💡 Example: "Caption this image! Funniest or most creative wins a shout-out."
Drawing challenge: Use only three lines to create something recognizable. Show us your result.
💡 Example: "Drawing challenge: Use only three lines to create something recognizable. Show us your result."
What is your favorite creative tool or medium? Tell us why.
💡 Example: "What is your favorite creative tool or medium? Tell us why."
Share your go-to playlist or music for creative sessions.
💡 Example: "Share your go-to playlist or music for creative sessions."
Emoji art challenge: Create a picture using only emojis. Post your masterpiece below.
💡 Example: "Emoji art challenge: Create a picture using only emojis. Post your masterpiece below."
Before and after: Share a piece you improved over time. Show both versions if you can.
💡 Example: "Before and after: Share a piece you improved over time. Show both versions if you can."
Weekend warm-up: Create something in 15 minutes or less. Share your quick creation.
💡 Example: "Weekend warm-up: Create something in 15 minutes or less. Share your quick creation."
Creative constraint: Make art using only two colors. Show us what you come up with.
💡 Example: "Creative constraint: Make art using only two colors. Show us what you come up with."
Share your favorite quote about creativity. Why does it speak to you?
💡 Example: "Share your favorite quote about creativity. Why does it speak to you?"
Mini challenge: Draw or write with your non-dominant hand. How did it go?
💡 Example: "Mini challenge: Draw or write with your non-dominant hand. How did it go?"
Post a piece you are proud of from this year. Celebrate your progress!
💡 Example: "Post a piece you are proud of from this year. Celebrate your progress!"
Share a creative goal you have for this month. Let's cheer each other on.
💡 Example: "Share a creative goal you have for this month. Let's cheer each other on."
Visual storytelling: Post one image that tells a story. No words allowed.
💡 Example: "Visual storytelling: Post one image that tells a story. No words allowed."
What is the biggest creative risk you have taken? Share your experience.
💡 Example: "What is the biggest creative risk you have taken? Share your experience."
One-word inspiration: Make something based on the word 'spark.' Post your result.
💡 Example: "One-word inspiration: Make something based on the word 'spark.' Post your result."
Weekly challenge: Use recycled materials to create something new. Show us your eco-friendly art.
💡 Example: "Weekly challenge: Use recycled materials to create something new. Show us your eco-friendly art."
Share a time when you overcame creative block. What helped you?
💡 Example: "Share a time when you overcame creative block. What helped you?"
Photo challenge: Take a picture that represents 'joy.' Share your shot.
💡 Example: "Photo challenge: Take a picture that represents 'joy.' Share your shot."
Creative swap: Exchange unfinished work with another member and finish it for each other.
💡 Example: "Creative swap: Exchange unfinished work with another member and finish it for each other."
Show us your most colorful creation. Brighten up the feed!
💡 Example: "Show us your most colorful creation. Brighten up the feed!"
Try a new art style or genre this week. What did you pick? Share your experiment.
💡 Example: "Try a new art style or genre this week. What did you pick? Share your experiment."
Time capsule: Share a piece of your earliest creative work. How have you grown?
💡 Example: "Time capsule: Share a piece of your earliest creative work. How have you grown?"
Share a behind-the-scenes look at your creative process. Show us your steps.
💡 Example: "Share a behind-the-scenes look at your creative process. Show us your steps."
Random object challenge: Make something inspired by the nearest object on your desk.
💡 Example: "Random object challenge: Make something inspired by the nearest object on your desk."
Share a creative resource or tool that has helped you recently.
💡 Example: "Share a creative resource or tool that has helped you recently."
Friday fun: Create a meme about the creative process. Make us laugh!
💡 Example: "Friday fun: Create a meme about the creative process. Make us laugh!"
Weekend showcase: Post your favorite piece from the week. Let's celebrate your creativity.
💡 Example: "Weekend showcase: Post your favorite piece from the week. Let's celebrate your creativity."
To use these templates, simply copy and customize them for your community's theme, platform, and upcoming events. Announce the challenge at the beginning of the week or month, and pin the post if possible to keep it visible. Encourage members to post their entries using a dedicated hashtag or thread, and offer small rewards or public recognition for participation. Share progress updates and highlight creative submissions to maintain momentum throughout the challenge.
Since these templates are for all platforms, adapt your post format to fit each channel. For forums and Facebook groups, use pinned posts and threaded replies. On Discord or Slack, create a dedicated challenge channel and use announcements. For Instagram or Twitter, promote a hashtag and share visual highlights. Always encourage members to engage with each other's posts, regardless of the platform.
When designing challenge prompts, try to write open-ended briefs that focus on concepts or themes rather than specific techniques or materials. For example, instead of 'Create a digital illustration of a cityscape,' use 'Interpret the theme of urban life using your preferred medium.' This inclusive approach encourages participation from artists working in illustration, painting, sculpture, photography, and more, fostering diverse creative outputs.
Encourage members to post 'work-in-progress' (WIP) images or videos as part of the challenge workflow. You can make this an explicit part of the template by adding prompts like 'Share your initial sketches or inspiration board' or 'Post a short video of your creative workspace.' This not only builds engagement but also highlights the diversity of creative processes within your community.
Include prompts that gently push members out of their comfort zones, such as 'Create a piece in 20 minutes without overthinking' or 'Share your first draft or rough sketch.' Additionally, build in reflection questions that acknowledge the challenge of creative blocks, like 'What was the hardest part of starting this piece?' or 'How did you overcome self-doubt during this challenge?'
Collaborative challenges can foster deeper connections and expose members to new techniques or styles. Unlike solo prompts, these require coordination—consider templates with paired sign-ups, shared project boards, or 'pass-the-artwork' formats. Provide guidelines for communication, deadlines, and respectful feedback to ensure a positive collaborative experience.
Embed feedback guidelines into your templates, such as 'Share what you love about the piece and offer one suggestion for growth.' Encourage members to use creative vocabulary (e.g., composition, color harmony, line work) rather than generic praise. Consider hosting dedicated 'critique threads' for challenge entries to normalize supportive, skill-building feedback.
Design templates that prompt members to reflect on their work and articulate their creative process, such as 'Describe your inspiration and techniques.' Suggest hashtags or pre-written captions for social sharing, and encourage members to tag the community. Providing follow-up prompts like 'Post your completed piece to your portfolio and share the link here' can help members leverage challenge outputs professionally.
Skool · Circle · Mighty Networks