Art competitions in the United States

All open calls here: 88

1. 26 Oct 2026

   NPG 2026 Photography Scholarship Contest — Prizes of $1,000 to $2,500 for US Undergraduate Students

   Negative Population GrowthUnited States (online submission)

   CompetitionFree to applyMultiple scholarships of $1,000–$2,500

2. 30 Oct 2026

   Howard County Public Garden RFQ — $500,000 Permanent Public Artwork, Glenwood, Maryland

   Howard County Arts CouncilGlenwood, Howard County, Maryland, USA

   Competition$500,000 commission

3. 30 Oct 2026

   Fairport-Perinton Art Trail, New York — $30,000 Public Artwork along the Erie Canal, Open to All Artists (RFQ)

   Fairport Public Arts CommitteePerinton Park, Erie Canal, Village of Fairport and Town of Perinton, New York, United States

   CompetitionUp to $30,000; $800 for each finalist

4. 30 Oct 2026

   Historic South LA Black Cultural District Public Art RFQ — Artist Roster for Banners, Markers, Murals and Monuments

   Historic South LA Black Cultural DistrictSouth Los Angeles, California, USA

   CompetitionRoster for multiple paid public art commissions

5. 30 Oct 2026

   Wichita Riverfest 2027 Poster & Button Artwork Contest — $4,000 Cash Prize

   Wichita FestivalsWichita, Kansas, USA

   CompetitionFree to apply$4,000 cash to the winning artist

6. 31 Oct 2026

   Vassar Miller Prize in Poetry 2027 — University of North Texas Press ($1,000 + Publication)

   University of North Texas PressDenton, Texas, USA (online submission)

   Competition$1,000 + book publication

7. 31 Oct 2026

   AKC Family Dog Photo Contest 2026

   American Kennel ClubUnited States

   CompetitionFree to apply$500 / $250 / $150

8. 31 Oct 2026

   Dzanc Books Poetry Prize 2026 — $1,500 Advance and Publication

   Dzanc BooksAnn Arbor, Michigan, USA (online submission)

   Competition$1,500 advance + publication

9. 31 Oct 2026

   Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize 2026 — Northwestern University Press (First Book, Poets of Color)

   Northwestern University PressEvanston, Illinois, USA (submission by email)

   Competition$500 + chapbook publication + 15 copies

10. 31 Oct 2026

    The Garden Awakening Mural — $8,000 Commission, California Center for the Arts, Escondido

    California Center for the Arts, Escondido FoundationEscondido, California, USA

    Competition$8,000 all-inclusive mural commission

11. 31 Oct 2026

    Patricia Dobler Poetry Award 2026 — Carlow University, Pittsburgh (Women Poets 40+, $1,000)

    Carlow UniversityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (submission by email)

    Competition$1,000 + travel, lodging and a reading

12. 31 Oct 2026

    River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Book Prize 2026 — $1,000 + Publication by University of New Mexico Press

    River TeethMuncie, Indiana, USA (Ball State University; online submission)

    Competition$1,000 + book publication

13. 31 Oct 2026

    15th Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards 2027 — Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry ($1,000 + Masters Workshop)

    Tucson Festival of BooksTucson, Arizona, USA (online submission; workshop in Tucson, March 2027)

    Competition$1,000 first; $500; $250 + workshop scholarships

14. 31 Oct 2026

    Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize in Poetry 2026 — Persea Books ($1,000, Publication, Civitella Ranieri Residency)

    Persea BooksNew York, USA (online submission)

    Competition$1,000 advance + publication + residency option

15. 31 Oct 2026

    Helena Whitehill Book Award 2026 — Tupelo Press (Poetry or Creative Nonfiction, $1,000 + Publication)

    Tupelo PressNorth Adams, Massachusetts, USA (online or postal submission)

    Competition$1,000 + publication + one-week residency

16. 31 Oct 2026

    Signature Public Art Commission for the Aplin Center

    Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station, Texas, USA

    CompetitionFree to applyPublic art commission; design stipend

17. 1 Nov 2026

    2026 Holiday Art Competition

    The Delaplaine Arts CenterFrederick, MD, USA (The Delaplaine Arts Center)

    Competition$1,000 Judges' Choice

18. 1 Nov 2026

    Open Genre Book Prize 2026 — Fonograf Editions ($1,500, Publication, 3-Week Residency)

    Fonograf EditionsPortland, Oregon, USA (online submission)

    Competition$1,500 + publication + residency

19. 1 Nov 2026

    Malinda A. Markham Translation Prize 2026 — Saturnalia Books ($2,000 + Publication, Women Translators)

    Saturnalia BooksBroomall, Pennsylvania, USA (online submission)

    Competition$2,000 + book publication

20. 1 Nov 2026

    Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize 2027 — FC2 ($15,000 + Publication, Authors with 3+ Books)

    FC2USA (FC2, an imprint of the University of Alabama Press; online submission)

    Competition$15,000 + book publication

21. 1 Nov 2026

    Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest 2027 — FC2 ($3,000 + Publication)

    FC2USA (FC2, an imprint of the University of Alabama Press; online submission)

    Competition$3,000 + book publication

22. 1 Nov 2026

    RED NOTE New Music Festival Composition Competition 2027 — Chamber, Orchestra, Chorus

    Illinois State University School of MusicNormal, Illinois, USA

    Competition$1,000 and a performance at the festival in each category

23. 2 Nov 2026

    James Hearst Poetry Prize 2027 — North American Review ($1,000, Judge Forrest Gander)

    North American ReviewCedar Falls, Iowa, USA (University of Northern Iowa; online submission)

    Competition$1,000

24. 2 Nov 2026

    Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize 2027 — North American Review ($1,000, Judge Kate Folk)

    North American ReviewCedar Falls, Iowa, USA (University of Northern Iowa; online submission)

    Competition$1,000

25. 3 Nov 2026

    Minds on Fire Open Book Prize 2026 — Conduit Books & Ephemera ($1,500)

    Conduit Books & EphemeraSaint Paul, Minnesota, USA (Submittable or post)

    Competition$1,500

26. 4 Nov 2026

    Next Generation: University Art Competition 2026 — for Indiana College Students, Honeywell Clark Gallery

    Honeywell Arts & EntertainmentClark Gallery, Honeywell Center, Wabash, Indiana, USA

    CompetitionBest of Show $175; places $85–$150

27. 6 Nov 2026

    Crocker Kingsley 2027

    Blue Line ArtsRoseville, CA, USA (Blue Line Arts; Crocker Art Museum selection)

    Competition$5,500 in prizes; top $2,000

28. 7 Nov 2026

    The 2027 CVG Show — 20th Annual Juried Competition for Washington and Oregon Artists, Bremerton

    Collective Visions GalleryCollective Visions Gallery, Bremerton, Washington, USA

    CompetitionOver $10,000 in cash and purchase prizes

29. 12 Nov 2026

    2027 International Juried Ceramics Exhibition, The Center for Contemporary Art (Bedminster, NJ) — Juror Jack Troy, Cash Prizes and Solo Shows ($35)

    The Center for Contemporary ArtBedminster, New Jersey, USA

    CompetitionThree cash prizes; up to three solo exhibitions in 2028

30. 13 Nov 2026

    Winston-Salem Dream Center Mural RFQ — $60,000 All-Inclusive Commission, Open to All Professional Artists

    City of Winston-SalemWinston-Salem, NC, USA

    Competition$60,000 all-inclusive; $1,000 finalist fee

31. 15 Nov 2026

    PJI Prize 2026–27 — Poetic Justice Institute Book Prize and Editor's Prize for a BIPOC Writer, Judged by Alicia Ostriker

    Poetic Justice InstituteUSA

    Competition$1,000 + publication

32. 15 Nov 2026

    California Book Awards 2026 (96th) — Five $2,500 Prizes for Books by California Authors

    Commonwealth Club of CaliforniaCalifornia, USA

    Competition5 × $2,500

33. 15 Nov 2026

    Perugia Press Prize 2027 — First or Second Poetry Book by a Woman ($2,000 + Publication)

    Perugia PressFlorence, Massachusetts, USA (online submission)

    Competition$2,000 + book publication

34. 15 Nov 2026

    C.D. Wright Poetry Prize 2026 — The Arkansas International ($1,000, Emerging Poets, Judge Shane McCrae)

    The Arkansas InternationalFayetteville, Arkansas, USA (submission via Submittable)

    Competition$1,000 + publication

35. 15 Nov 2026

    Nightboat Books Poetry Prize 2026 — $1,200 Advance, Royalty Contract and 25 Copies for an Unpublished Poetry Manuscript

    Nightboat BooksUSA

    Competition$1,200 advance + 25 copies

36. 16 Nov 2026

    DC Color the Curb: School Safety Program FY2027 — Four $30,000 Ground-Mural Grants for DC Artists

    DC Commission on the Arts and HumanitiesWashington, DC, USA

    Competition$30,000 per project (4 awards)

37. 16 Nov 2026

    The Story Prize 2026 — $20,000 for the Year's Best Short Story Collection (Books Published July–December)

    The Story PrizeUSA

    Competition$20,000 (runners-up $5,000)

38. 18 Nov 2026

    Firecracker Awards 2027 — $2,000 Prizes for Independent-Press Books and $1,000 for Literary Magazines

    Community of Literary Magazines and PressesOnline / USA

    Competition$2,000 per book, $1,000 per magazine

39. 19 Nov 2026

    2027 Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program: Thrive — Kennedy Center

    The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsUnited States (touring exhibition)

    Competition$3,000 stipend + touring exhibition

40. 27 Nov 2026

    Public Art at Wolfs Lane Park — Pelham Art Center

    Pelham Art CenterWolfs Lane Park, Pelham, New York, USA

    CompetitionFree to applyStipend + 3–6 month park installation