Interest for crypto and the ownership of digital assets spiked to unforeseen levels throughout 2021 all over the world. This turned digital art into a new asset class, which sparked a wave of digital art enthusiasts collectively known as the NFT community.
The Certified Artists Token Society Inc (CATS), an open-to-the-public membership organization consisting of producers, Artists, and art collectors, wants to bring the sophistication of the traditional art world into the NFT art space in order to legitimize it and demonstrate that it’s here to stay.
In one such effort, they’re inviting all Artists to join the first known NFT CATS Award Show, a gala event to be held in late 2022 or early 2023 in Miami or Tampa, FL, with which they hope to increase recognition for emerging Artists, raise the exposure for top-notch NFTs, and offer a curation of high-quality works to the public.
With a total of 39 categories spanning Best Male Artist, Best Female Artist, Best NFT Art Collection, Best Hand Drawn Art, Best NFT Website, and more, CATS hopes their NFT Award Show will become something Artists aspire to be a part of, and something enthusiasts look forward to every year.
“Our mission is to celebrate creativity and the birth of a new medium where imagination can thrive without physical limitations. We want to create an environment where Artists feel safe creating digitally, in what until recently was an unfairly under-rewarded medium, both economically and in terms of reputation”, commented Rick Alan Heene, the spokesperson for the CATS team.
Winners at the NFT CATS Award Show will not only earn widespread recognition, but also receive a Golden CATS Awards Statue, an NFT consisting of a pixel man that stays true to the event’s nature.
In an effort to attract the best crypto talent to the event, CATS is offering free memberships to the event’s designated hosts and presenters. If you have experience hosting live or online events, and/or as a comedian, auditions for these roles are currently open through their website.
Other producers, collectors, and Artists can also join CATS by acquiring a membership. Upon becoming members, they’ll receive a Certified Artists Token Society seal to place in their NFTs that shows the art is genuine and gives them more legitimacy.
“You could say our ultimate aim is to transform culture. Digital art is a source of inspiration for us, and we want Artists to get the recognition they deserve. We hope that our efforts reach other NFT enthusiasts in the community as well”, Rick concluded.
Among some of the best known projects in the NFT space currently are the Cryptopunks collection; OpenSea, one of the largest NFT marketplaces; and Yuga Labs’ Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), and Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), which also host their own annual community event called Apefest.
The team at CATS hopes their initiatives not only create a healthier digital art ecosystem, but also that they eventually reach levels that DeFi their current imagination.