Type “AI Studio” into a search engine and most of what comes back is about Google. Google AI Studio is a browser tool for developers who want to test Gemini models and turn prompts into code, and it offers some of the same image models. So the first thing to say about AIContestList AI Studio is what it is not: it is not a developer console, and it is not made by Google.
It started from a smaller problem. People who browse a list of open competitions tend to find a call they like, note the deadline, and then lose a week deciding which tool to make the entry in. AI Studio puts an image generator one click away from that list, so the distance between “I should enter that” and a first draft is short.
What AI Studio does
AIContestList AI Studio turns a written prompt into an image. It works in two modes:
- Text to Image: you write a prompt of up to 2,000 characters and choose a model, size and shape.
- Image to Image: you add a reference image (JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 10 MB, at least 256 px on a side) and describe what should change or carry over.
You can ask for up to four images per run. Before you press Generate, the button shows what the run will cost in credits, so there is no surprise afterward. Two small tools sit under the prompt box. Enhance rewrites a short prompt into one fuller paragraph, and shows it to you before you use it. Translate turns a prompt written in another language into English for the model.
Models, sizes and shapes
AI Studio runs image models from Google’s Nano Banana family and OpenAI’s GPT Image family. The exact list changes as new versions are released; the current one is printed under “Models, sizes and pricing” on the AI Studio page.
| Choice | Options |
|---|---|
| Size (long side) | 1K (1,024 px), 2K (2,048 px), 4K (4,096 px); 4K with the Nano Banana models |
| Aspect ratio | Up to 10, from 21:9 panoramas to 9:16 vertical frames, depending on the model |
| Style | An optional preset, or none (General) |
| Images per run | Up to 4 |
Which model to use for what is a longer question, covered in Nano Banana or GPT Image?.
What it costs
AI Studio is free to start. A new account comes with free credits, and accounts that have never paid can make a limited number of free images a day at 1K. After that, images are paid with credits bought in packs. Each image costs a few credits, more for larger sizes and the most detailed models, and the cost is shown before every run.
Where your images go
Every image you make is saved to My Creations, a private library that only you can see. From there you can download an image, reuse its prompt, make a variation, or prepare it as an entry for an open competition.
Showing your work to anyone else is a separate choice. The AI Studio Gallery is a public exhibition of works people decided to share, and every image is reviewed before it appears. On a competition page, works made for that call can appear under “Made for this competition”. That list is not a list of official entries; you still submit through the organizer.
How it connects to the rest of AIContestList
AI Studio is one of three parts of the site, and it is wired to the other two.
- From a competition: every open call in the competitions directory has a Create in AI Studio button that opens the Studio with that competition attached. From Brief to Entry in One Weekend walks through that route from start to finish.
- From a prompt: every page in the Prompt Library has Try in AI Studio next to Copy prompt, which opens the prompt ready to adapt.
- From nothing: if you have no idea yet, Inspiration Lab builds a prompt for you by chance, free and unlimited.
For the bigger picture of why these three parts sit together, read AIContestList, Explained.
AIContestList AI Studio and Google AI Studio side by side
| AIContestList AI Studio | Google AI Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | AIContestList | |
| Built for | Artists and creators making images, often for competitions | Developers testing Gemini models and building apps |
| What you get | Finished images saved in a private library | Model responses, settings and code to call the API |
| Image models | Google Nano Banana and OpenAI GPT Image models | Google’s own models, including Nano Banana (model page) |
| Link to competitions | Built in | None |
If you are a developer who wants raw API access, Google AI Studio is the right tool. If you want to make an image and enter it somewhere, AIContestList AI Studio is built for that.
Questions people ask
Is AIContestList AI Studio the same as Google AI Studio?
No. Google AI Studio is Google’s tool for developers working with Gemini models. AIContestList AI Studio is an image generator for creators, made by AIContestList, that uses image models from Google and OpenAI and connects to a directory of AI art competitions.
Is AIContestList AI Studio free?
It is free to start: a new account comes with free credits, and accounts that have never paid get a small number of free 1K images each day. Larger sizes, more images per run and the most detailed models use credits bought in packs.
Who can see the images I make?
Only you. Every image is saved to My Creations, which is private. An image appears in the public Gallery only if you choose to show it there and it passes review.
Which models does AIContestList AI Studio use?
Image models from Google’s Nano Banana family and OpenAI’s GPT Image family. The current list, with sizes and credit costs, is shown on the AI Studio page.
Can I use AI Studio images in a competition?
You can make and download them for any competition that accepts AI-generated work. Each competition sets its own rules on AI use and disclosure, so read them before you submit.
Sources
- Google AI Studio
- Google AI for Developers, Gemini 3.1 Flash Image (Nano Banana 2) model page
- OpenAI API documentation, Image generation
