Art Competitions and Juried Art Exhibitions

The Cincinnati based non-profit arts organization and gallery, Manifest, invites visual artists and designers to submit applications for the Manifest Artist Residency program (MAR) and Scholar in Residence (SIR). We are located in the vibrant neighborhoods of East Walnut Hills and Clifton near the Ohio River, Eden Park, the Cincinnati Art Museum, numerous Universities, and within three miles of downtown. Awards consist of 24/7 use of a private studio, free programming at Manifest Drawing Center, teaching consideration, public exposure, free entry to Manifest calls for entry, potential inclusion in a final showcase exhibit and annual publication, as well as the presentation of a public artist talk. $50 application fee. Deadline: March 9, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 513-861-3638.

The Midwest Center for Photography in Wichita, KS seeks entries for a juried photography exhibition, April 5-26, 2024. Selected artists will have their work featured in the exhibition and online. This annual exhibition gives $500 in Director’s Choice Awards, $100 for each of the five categories: Architecture, Close-Up, Documentary, Landscape, People. Each category will also receive People’s Choice Honorable Mentions. Open to all photographers internationally and all types of image capture: digital, film, iphone, etc. $50 entry fee. Deadline: March 10, 2024. More info. Contact: email

The Pentwater Arts Council in the Village of Pentwater, Michigan is conducting an open entry competition to select 5 outdoor sculptures for the Pentwater Sculpture Walk, June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025. Artists will receive a $3,000 honorarium for each sculpture selected for a 1 year lease. Plus award money for “Best of Show.” All works will be for sale with a possible Purchase Award. This is the final year of a 3 year project, 2 sculptures having been purchased each previous year. The goals of the project are to provide an outdoor art appreciation experience that will enlighten, stimulate, and educate and to help activate the downtown. We hope to see entries that reflect themes that are characteristic of West Michigan and Pentwater. No fee. Deadline: March 15, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 847-542-6020.

Downtown Green Bay Inc. seeks artists for ArtFest Green Bay, held July 20-21, 2024 in Downtown Green Bay, WI. $2,500 total awards. Types of work accepted: 2-D and 3-D Mixed Media, Ceramics, Digital Art, Drawing, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Other, Painting (acrylic, oil, watercolor, pastel), Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture. Application Fee: $25. Artist Booth Fees: 10×10 = $200, 10×20 = $350. Deadline: March 29, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 920-437-3425.

Applications are now being accepted for the Valley Junction Arts Festival on 5th Street in Historic Valley Junction, the original downtown of West Des Moines. This is a juried art event and includes 50+ artists from Iowa and across the Midwest. This one-day event on Sunday, May 19 has long been one of the premier art festivals in Central Iowa. There are art demonstrations, entertainment, and food trucks peppered throughout the festival. $500 Best of Show, $250 Best 2-D, $250 Best 3-D. All art must be original works. No reproductions or commercial products or agents allowed. Accepted categories: Sketch/Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture – Clay, Sculpture – Metal, Ceramics/Pottery, Glass, Mixed Media, Photography, Recycled Materials, Textiles, Handmade Jewelry, Wood. $20 Jury Fee (non-refundable), $125 Booth Fee. Deadline: March 29, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 515-222-3642.

The Cincinnati based non-profit arts organization and gallery, Manifest, invites current visual art and design graduate students and MFA/MA degree recipients since January 2023 to submit works of art in any media, genre, subject matter, or content, traditional and non-traditional for a juried art exhibition, July 12 – August 9. Honorarium of $50 for each exhibiting artist, and Grand Jury Award of $1,000 for one jury-selected work from among exhibits on view. $25 for one entry, $40 for two to four entries, and $5 per each additional entry. Deadline: March 29, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 513-861-3638.

The Cincinnati based non-profit arts organization and gallery, Manifest, seeks entries for a juried art exhibition, July 12 – August 9, 2024. Honorarium of $50 for each exhibiting artist and Grand Jury Award of $1,000 for one jury-selected work from among the exhibits on view. Visual artists and designers are invited to submit works of any type or style that somehow address or feature the animal as primary subject, form, or content. Submissions can range from the most traditional to the most conceptual or experimental two-dimensional or three-dimensional works. $40 for up to 4 entries. $5 per each add’l entry. Deadline: March 30, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 513-861-3638.

Artists are invited to apply for the 44th Annual Art in the Park Juried Fine Art & Craft Fair held on beautiful Geneva Lake in Lake Geneva, WI on August 10 & 11, 2024. Awards given include Best of Show; seven Merit Awards; and one John Larson Memorial Award for animal themed artwork. This annual event accepts 80 talented artists who exhibit in a variety of media categories, including but not limited to: Ceramics, Digital Media, Fiber, Glass, Graphics, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Sculpture and Wood. Work from molds, kits, commercial or manufactured items, and mass-produced or vended items are not permitted. Reproductions of your original art must be marked as such. Full prospectus is available online. $35 Jury Fee per media category. Booth fees begin at $255. Deadline: March 31, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 262-249-6765.

The Midwest Center for Photography in Wichita, KS seeks entries for a juried photography exhibition, May 3-31, 2024. Open to all photographers internationally. Photographers can approach the theme from a variety of viewpoints, capturing images of green literally or conceiving photographs conceptually. Green is seen synonymously as burgeoning, to grow, someone new to a skill, or green can be interpreted psychologically as a person being green with envy for instance, referring to currency, or green can imply environmentalism or the manner in which methods are good for the earth. $50 entry fee. Deadline: April 10, 2024. More info. Contact: email

The Butler Institute of American Art announces a call to artists for the 88th National Midyear Exhibition, June 23 – August 11, 2024 in Youngstown, Ohio. Solo show + cash prizes. Juror: Audrey Flack. Entrants must reside in the USA or one of its territories and must be 18 years of age or older. Entrants may submit up to three original works created after January 1, 2022 not previously included in Butler exhibitions. Works may be paintings, works on paper (including photography), or relief that hang on the wall by securely attached D-rings. Works must measure less than 6 feet in any direction and must weigh less than 125 pounds. $50 entry fee. Deadline: April 11, 2024. More info (PDF). Contact: email or call 330-743-1107.

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, WI invites submissions to its annual juried Birds in Art exhibition, September 7 – December 1, 2024. Birds in Art has showcased the remarkable talents of more than 1,100 international artists since 1976 and is recognized globally as the exhibition setting the standard for avian art. Artists working in all mediums other than photography can submit up to two original artworks interpreting birds and related subject matter. $60 entry fee. Deadline: April 15, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 715-845-7010.

The Kenosha Public Museum in Kenosha, Wisconsin announces a call to artists for a juried art exhibition, August 17 – October 27, 2024. More than $4,000 in cash and prizes. Juror: Reginald Baylor. Seeking original artwork created since January 1, 2022. 80% or more of the painting/visible painted image must be acrylic paint. Finished/framed size is 40 inches or less (approx.1 meter) in widest height or width. $35 for one entry; $5 each additional entry (up to 5 total). Deadline: April 15, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 262-653-4435.

The Center for the Visual Arts in Wausau, WI announces a call to artists for a juried art exhibition, June 5 – August 10, 2024. $1000 in Cash Awards. Juror: Masako Onodera. Eligible media: metalwork, jewelry, blacksmithing, metal casting, welding, stone carving, stone jewelry, found metal sculptures, glass mosaics, fused glass, blown glass, stained glass, and other artworks that feature the materials as a significant component of the artwork. Entry fee: $30, $15 for students. Deadline: April 22, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 715-965-4545.

The Toledo Zoo is seeking creative artists and skilled makers to take part in “Wild about Art”, our uniquely wild, two-day art fair, that takes place throughout Zoo grounds, August 10 & 11, 2024. This event features local and regional artists with various mediums on display and for sale for thousands of Zoo visitors. It also includes live entertainment, hands-on art activities and of course animals! Mediums permitted: Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Glass, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Metal Working, Photography, Printmaking/Graphics, Sculpture, Textiles and Wood. Work does not have to be animal related. $25 application fee. Deadline: April 26, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 419-385-5721.

Gallery Seven in Lockport, IL seeks entries for a juried photography exhibition, June 1 – July 7, 2024. Awards: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Best of Show and 3 Honorable Mentions. Open to all fine art photography. $35 entry fee. Deadline: April 30, 2024. More info (PDF). Contact: email or call 815-483-4310.

The Department of Art at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS welcomes Solo and Group Exhibition Proposals for the 2024-2025 academic year. Pittsburg State University Department of Art, located in Porter Hall has two galleries, the University Gallery and the Harry Krug Gallery. There is no application fee. Deadline: May 1, 2024. More info (PDF). Contact: email or call 620-235-4302.

The Liberty Center Association for the Arts in Sedalia, MO announces a call to artists for the Trail’s End Western Art Show, July 11 – August 31, 2024. $1,000 Best of Show Award and two $500 Merit Awards. Juror: Grant Kniffen. Open to any artist 21 years of age or older. All artwork must be the original work of the submitting artist and created during the last three years. Commercial duplications of prints or drawings will not be accepted. $30 entry fee. Deadline: May 16, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 660-827-3228.

The Edward A. Dixon Gallery in Dayton, OH seeks entries for a juried art exhibition, August 2 – September 28, 2024. Award categories: Best of Show, 2nd Place, Signature Artwork. Jurors: Stay Kranitz, Judith Huacuja, Ed Dixon. Open to all artists 18 years and older living in the United States. Wall art (paintings, drawings, fiber art, photography, etc) not to exceed 50″ on its longest side. $30 entry fee. Deadline: May 24, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 937-985-2115.

StarEvents and the Southport Neighbors Association invite artists to apply to the annual Southport Art Festival, July 13th-14th in Chicago’s iconic Southport Corridor. The two-day festival will showcase live performances, a children’s craft area, food trucks, and interactive experiences that captivate the imagination of attendees. Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in a community that values and supports the arts. Whether you’re a painter, sculptor, photographer, or mixed-media maestro, this is your opportunity to celebrate creativity. Application fee: $50. Booth fee: $595. Deadline: June 3, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call (773)665-4682.

The Highland Arts Council seeks artists for the “Art in the Park” Art Fair, held October 11-13, 2024 at Lindendale Park in Highland, Illinois. $8,000 in awards. Media Categories: Clay, Drawing/Graphic Design/Printmaking, Fabric/Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Painting/Pastels, Photography, Mixed Media, Sculpture/Wood. $30 application fee. Deadline: June 14, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 618-558-0054.

Blue Cat Gallery & Studio in Wayne, Nebraska seeks entries for a juried art exhibition, July 10 – August 17, 2024. Best of Show ($250), Second Place ($175), Third Place ($125), People’s Choice ($75). Juror: Lori Elliott-Bartle. Seeking a wide variety of interpretations of the theme, Rural Life… traditional, contemporary, whimsical, social commentary, and more. Open to all U.S. artists, 18 years of age or older. Submit up to five entries created in the last five years (and not previously accepted to Signs of Rural Life juried exhibition). Max Size: no one side larger than 50″ (3-D work requiring a pedestal, no more than 20″ wide or deep). Any media including, but not limited to: painting, works on paper, printmaking, photography, mixed media, sculpture. No installation art. Works must be display ready. and must be for sale. $30 for up to 5 entries. Deadline: June 15, 2024. More info (PDF). Contact: email or call 402-454-5144.

Artists nationwide are invited to apply for the Madison Chautauqua Festival of Arts, held September 28-29, 2024 along the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana. Awards: Best in Show, Best Presentation, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Place Fine Craft, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Place Fine Art, 2 Honorable Mentions. Eligible categories: painting (2D artists may sell prints but must include originals, as well), drawing, photography, sculpture, weaving, folk art, jewelry, fiber, wood, baskets, clay, glass, paper and leather. Individual consideration of a media not listed may be given upon request. All work must be handmade and individually designed by the artist. Multiples of the same general design must be signed. Kitwork, patterns and items manufactured or mass-produced are not allowed. $25 application fee. Deadline: June 30, 2024. More info. Contact: email or call 800-559-2956.