Art competitions in the United States

All open calls here: 88

1. 30 Nov 2026

   Chad Walsh Chapbook Series — $2,500, 50 Author Copies and Editorial Consultation for a Poetry Chapbook (Beloit Poetry Journal)

   Beloit Poetry JournalUSA

   Competition$2,500 + 50 copies

2. 30 Nov 2026

   2027 Beam Camp Project Open Call — $5,000 Award and $15,000 Budget for a Large-Scale Build

   Beam CenterStrafford, NH, USA

   CompetitionFree to apply$5,000 award + ~$15,000 fabrication budget

3. 30 Nov 2026

   The Wishing Jewel Prize 2026 — $1,000 and Publication for an Innovative Poetry Manuscript (Green Linden Press)

   Green Linden PressUSA

   Competition$1,000 + publication

4. 30 Nov 2026

   UNT Rilke Prize 2027 — $10,000 for a Book by a Mid-Career Poet (No Submission Fee)

   University of North TexasDenton, Texas, USA

   CompetitionFree to apply$10,000

5. 30 Nov 2026

   A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize 2026 (26th) — Publication by BOA Editions and $1,000 for a Poet's First Book, Judged by Jennifer Chang

   BOA EditionsRochester, New York, USA

   Competition$1,000 + publication

6. 30 Nov 2026

   The Stephen Mitchell Prize for Excellence in Translation 2026 — $1,000 and Publication for a Book-Length Translation into English

   Green Linden PressUSA

   Competition$1,000 + publication

7. 30 Nov 2026

   61st CAIN National Show 2027, Del Mar College — $10,000 in Purchase Awards, Juror Jamie Bates

   Del Mar CollegeJoseph A. Cain Memorial Gallery, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

   Competition$10,000 in purchase awards

8. 1 Dec 2026

   NPRB Photography Awards 2026 — Alaska Marine Ecosystems, Free Entry, $1,000 Photo Story Prize

   North Pacific Research BoardAnchorage, Alaska, USA

   CompetitionFree to apply$1,000 photo story + 3 × $700 categories + youth $300/$100

9. 1 Dec 2026

   8th Juana Goergen Poetry Prize — Spanish-Language Poem, Poesía en Abril Festival, Chicago

   Poesía en AbrilChicago, USA

   CompetitionFestival invitation with travel and lodging covered

10. 1 Dec 2026

    New Harmony Book Award & Residency 2026 — $3,000 Prize, $750 Travel Stipend and a 7-Day Residency for a Book of Fiction

    University of Southern IndianaNew Harmony, Indiana, USA

    Competition$3,000 + $750 travel stipend

11. 1 Dec 2026

    Birdy Poetry Prize 2026 — Publication by Meadowlark Press for a Full-Length Poetry Manuscript

    Meadowlark PressUSA

    CompetitionPublication (prize amount not stated)

12. 1 Dec 2026

    43rd Chicago Latino Film Festival Poster Contest 2027 — $1,000 and the Festival's Official Poster

    International Latino Cultural Center of ChicagoChicago, IL, USA (online entry)

    CompetitionFree to apply$1,000 + official festival poster

13. 1 Dec 2026

    2026 W.S. Porter Prize for Short Story Collections — Publication by Regal House and a $1,000 Honorarium

    Regal House PublishingUSA

    Competition$1,000 + publication

14. 7 Dec 2026

    Odds & Ends Experimental Film Festival 2027 — Call for Films up to 20 Minutes, Screening Fee Paid (Charlottesville, Virginia)

    Light House StudioCharlottesville, Virginia, USA

    CompetitionScreening + screening fee

15. 7 Dec 2026

    Waterloo Greenway Sir Swante Palm Park Public Art — Portals, 100-ft Wall and Seating, Austin

    Waterloo Greenway ConservancyAustin, Texas, USA

    Competition$80k–120k per major element; seating $10k–15k

16. 8 Dec 2026

    Olympia Art Crossings #4 and #5, Washington — Two $55,000 Gateway Public Art Commissions for Artists Connected to Olympia

    City of OlympiaHarrison/Division and Henderson/Eskridge gateways, Olympia, Washington, United States

    Competition$55,000 per project, two projects

17. 15 Dec 2026

    CT State Housatonic Art Purchase — Up to $275,000 to Acquire Works by Connecticut and Tri-State Artists (Beacon Hall, Bridgeport)

    Connecticut Office of the ArtsBridgeport, Connecticut, USA

    CompetitionUp to $275,000 total acquisition budget

18. 15 Dec 2026

    Poetry Society of America Annual Awards 2027 — Seven Individual Poetry Awards from $250 to $2,500 (Dickinson, Hemley, Lyric, Medwick, Di Castagnola, Bogin, Winner)

    Poetry Society of AmericaNew York, USA (open entry)

    Competition$250–$2,500 per award (seven awards)

19. 15 Dec 2026

    Poetry Society of America Four Quartets Prize 2027 — $20,000 for a Sequence of Poems Published in 2026 (Free Entry)

    Poetry Society of AmericaNew York, USA

    CompetitionFree to apply$20,000 winner; finalists $1,000

20. 15 Dec 2026

    Poetry Society of America Chapbook Fellowship 2027 — $1,000 and Publication for Poets without a Full-Length Collection

    Poetry Society of AmericaNew York, USA

    Competition$1,000 + chapbook publication

21. 15 Dec 2026

    Anna Rabinowitz Prize 2027 — $1,000 for Interdisciplinary Work Combining Poetry with Visual Art, Dance, Music or Other Disciplines

    Poetry Society of AmericaNew York, USA (open entry)

    Competition$1,000 (divided equally among principals)

22. 15 Dec 2026

    Wilder Series Poetry Book Prize 2026 — $1,000 and Publication for a Poetry Manuscript by a Woman Over 50

    Two Sylvias PressKingston, Washington, USA

    Competition$1,000 + publication

23. 15 Dec 2026

    Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition (26th Annual) — $3,000 First Prize, Publication and a Trip to the Writer's Digest Conference

    Writer's DigestOnline / USA

    Competition$3,000 first prize

24. 16 Dec 2026

    2027 Honeywell Annual Fine Art Competition — Clark Gallery, Wabash, Indiana

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

    CompetitionCash prizes and award placings

25. 16 Dec 2026

    West Hollywood RFQ — Temporary Public Art Exhibition at Santa Monica Blvd/Doheny Drive «Inventing Traditions» (up to $72,000; $3,000 Semifinalist Fees)

    City of West HollywoodWest Hollywood, CA, USA

    CompetitionUp to $72,000; $3,000 per semifinalist

26. 21 Dec 2026

    Yosemite Renaissance 42 — Juried Exhibition 2027

    Yosemite RenaissanceOakhurst, California, USA

    Competition$4,000 in cash awards + touring show

27. 31 Dec 2026

    John Ridland Poetry Prize 2026 — $500, Publication by Gunpowder Press and 10 Copies for a Book-Length Manuscript by a Poet 55 or Older

    Gunpowder PressSanta Barbara, California, USA

    Competition$500 + publication

28. 31 Dec 2026

    Share the Experience 2026 — Official Photo Contest of America's Public Lands

    National Park FoundationUS national parks and federal public lands

    Competition$10,000 Grand Prize

29. 31 Dec 2026

    Dorset Prize for Poetry 2027 — $3,000, a Two-Week Residency Worth $1,500 and Publication by Tupelo Press, Judged by Allison Benis White

    Tupelo PressNorth Adams, Massachusetts, USA

    Competition$3,000 + residency worth $1,500

30. 31 Dec 2026

    Burnside Review Press Book Contest 2026 — $1,000 and Ten Copies for a Poetry Manuscript, Judged by Danielle Pafunda

    Burnside Review PressUSA

    Competition$1,000 + 10 copies

31. 31 Dec 2026

    Danahy Fiction Prize — $1,000 and Publication in Tampa Review for an Unpublished Work of Short Fiction

    Tampa ReviewTampa, Florida, USA

    Competition$1,000 + publication

32. 31 Dec 2026

    2027 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction — Publication, $1,000 and 53 Copies for an Unpublished Story Collection by a US Writer

    Press 53North Carolina, USA

    Competition$1,000 + 53 copies

33. 31 Dec 2026

    BCALA Literary Awards 2027 — Four $1,000 Prizes for Books by African American Authors (Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, First Novel)

    Black Caucus of the American Library AssociationUSA (ceremony in New Orleans, June 2027)

    Competition4 × $1,000

34. 2 Jan 2027

    Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize 2027 — $1,000 for Black Writers in North Carolina

    North Carolina Writers' NetworkNorth Carolina, USA

    Competition$1,000 + possible publication

35. 6 Jan 2027

    Michigan Annual LIV

    Anton Art CenterAnton Art Center, 125 Macomb Place, Mount Clemens, MI 48043, USA

    Competition

36. 7 Jan 2027

    Jeanne Leiby Chapbook Award 2027 — $1,000 and Publication of a Prose or Graphic Narrative Chapbook (The Florida Review)

    The Florida ReviewOrlando, FL, USA (University of Central Florida; online entry)

    Competition$1,000 + chapbook publication and 50 copies

37. 8 Jan 2027

    TIL Literary Awards 2027 — More Than $25,000 in Prizes in 14 Categories for Texas Writing

    Texas Institute of LettersTexas, USA

    CompetitionOver $25,000 in 14 categories

38. 8 Jan 2027

    Communication Arts Illustration Competition 2027 — Award of Excellence and Publication in the Illustration Annual

    Communication ArtsInternational (online entry); annual published in Menlo Park, California, USA

    CompetitionAward of Excellence + publication in the Annual

39. 11 Jan 2027

    Joe Gouveia Outermost Poetry Contest 2027 — $1,000 National Prize, Judged by Marge Piercy (WOMR, Cape Cod)

    WOMR Outermost Community RadioProvincetown, MA, USA (entries by post)

    Competition$1,000 national prize; $300 Cape Cod regional prize

40. 14 Jan 2027

    Colorado Prize for Poetry 2027 — $2,500 and Book Publication (Final Judge Juliana Spahr)

    Center for Literary PublishingFort Collins, Colorado, USA

    Competition$2,500 + publication