Discover the Journey of Creativity
A Decade to celebrate: The Annual Re-Purposed DooDad Competition
Join us as we look back at over ten years of incredible sculptures and the talented students who brought them to life. This unique competition focuses on 3-dimensional art and challenges young people to reuse unconventional art materials in response to an environmentally conscious theme. The all-volunteer Doodad Committee, part of nonprofit Tampa Regional Artists, collaborates with local organizations and generous sponsors in order to organize this annual competition. Since 2012, 1,030 sculptures have been created by over 3,200 students with over $42,000 awarded!
Events
Spring 2025
View our 2025 Competition Winners!
After successful exhibitions at The Florida State Fair and Gasparilla Fine Art Festival we are delighted to share our collection of judged and People's Choice Winners!
Please visit our awards page to view all the stunning work created by Hillsborough County Students.
DooDads by the Numbers
Sculptures created since 2012!
Student Artists created sculptures!
Amount awarded directly to students!
2024 ~ 2025 SPONSORS
Getting Involved:
Are you a Student Artist?
We know how exciting, but also how daunting, starting a new project can be! Visit our theme page for information on this years theme : WATER, and this years DooDads: FABRIC and CARDBOARD (household and shipping boxes). We discuss the impact of these resources on our enviorment, and offer suggestions for different sculpting methods!
Are you a Teacher or Student Group Organizer?
We know fitting a new project into your planning can be tough, so we’ve compiled resources to help make the job a little easier on you! Please visit our teaching resources page for more information about how the DooDad competition can help you enhance your Art Program and excite your students!
Would you like to Sponsor DooDads?
We invite you or your company to become a sponsor of the Annual Repurposed DooDad Sculpture Competition and help support art activities for students within Hillsborough County. Sponsorships and donations to the DooDad competition are made through Tampa Realistic Artists which is a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible charity #CH36880.
Please visit our SPONSORS page for more information or to get in touch with Kathy Durdin directly at 813-220-5800 .
Would you like to Volunteer?
The DooDad Competition could not exisist without the help of a great numebr of volunteers who offer up their time and energy each year. If you are interested in donating time please get in touch here. We’d love to have you as a part of our DooDad team!
Watch Artist's Statement Videos!
During the pandemic, like everyone else, we needed to pivot to meet the challenges of the time. How do you share the beauty of the these sculptures and the wonder of seeing the student artists share their excitement without meeting in person? We decided to implement Artist Statement videos! They have been so successful that we’ve continued the practice even though we are exhibiting in person again. Take a peek at all the videos from last year’s competion here.