Blue Koi Gallery invites artists worldwide to submit to the Echoes of Abstract Art Competition. Explore the power of abstraction through color, form, texture, and emotion. Whether your work is abstract, semi-abstract, representational, or experimental, we welcome all artistic approaches that challenge perception and express a unique creative vision. All visual art mediums, including photography and digital art, are accepted.

Fees or awards
Entry fee is $20. $150 cash award for first place. Exhibition feature, social media promotion, and certificate offered to finalists.

The Caldwell Arts Council invites you to participate in the 40th Annual Sculpture Celebration on September 12, 2026. Join emerging and established sculptors to compete for a total of $11,000 in cash awards. Sculptors can enter up to three works.

Registration includes free admission to the Friday Night Welcome Dinner and a continental breakfast on Saturday morning. Sales of competition entries and commissions are encouraged, with 100% of proceeds going to the sculptors. All mediums are accepted, including metals, glass, stone, wood, paper, plastic, fiber, found objects, natural and recycled materials, etc.

Event details
September 12, 2026
Broyhill Walking Park
Lenoir, NC 28645

Fees or awards
Registration fees vary. $35 for students and $50 for non-students if registered by June 30, 2026. $11,000 in total cash awards.

Great art brings people together. Arts in Community Grants support organizations that host Southern artists for meaningful public experiences that go beyond a single performance or exhibition. Projects include a public presentation alongside a community engagement activity such as a workshop, discussion, lecture, demonstration, or masterclass, creating opportunities for audiences and artists to connect in lasting ways.

Fees or awards
Awards of up to $10,000 are available for eligible projects featuring Southern artists working across film, literary, performing, traditional, and visual arts. The grant requires a dollar-for-dollar cash match.

Ten Moir Gallery invites artists and photographers worldwide to submit work to our monthly online art challenges. Each theme offers artists a chance to share meaningful work, receive recognition, and be featured in a curated online showcase. The first entry is free during the early entry period.

Fees or awards
First entry is free during the listed early entry/free entry period. Additional entries may be added for a fee within the same application.

Experience the beauty of eastern North Carolina at its most colorful during Fall on the Roanoke, a multi-day plein air event celebrating the rich landscapes, history, and culture of Plymouth and Washington County.

Artists are invited to spend several inspiring days painting along the scenic Roanoke River, exploring centuries-old historic sites, quiet waterfronts, wildlife refuges, and breathtaking natural preserves. Whether your passion is architecture, landscapes, or wildlife, you'll find endless subjects to inspire your work.

Event details
October 21st - 24th, 2026
Plymouth, NC

Fees or awards
Housing will be provided in a historic home in Plymouth. Artists will have the opportunity to sell their artwork at the Oysters & Art Showcase on October 24th.

The Click! Photography Festival Plein Air Exhibition is a public celebration of the universal language of photography now hosted in Dix Park in downtown Raleigh. We invite emerging and established photographers, visual artists, and storytellers to submit their work for consideration.

This is your opportunity to feature your work in front of 100,000+ visitors in one of Raleigh's most iconic public spaces October 1-31, 2026.

Location
Raleigh, NC

Fees or awards
$45 submission fee

Vendor applications are open for two events hosted by the Town of Chapel Hill this fall:

• Chapel Hill Día de Muertos on October 25
• Festifall Arts Market on November 7

Sell your creations, connect with other small businesses, and experience the Chapel Hill community.

Location
Chapel Hill, NC

Fees or awards
Free to apply & participate

Period: 2 weeks
When: 3-18 December 2026
Where: Arteles Creative Center, Hämeenkyrö, Finland

Residency Program for Creators & Visionaries of Tomorrow: Neo Future is a special short-term residency for people reaching beyond the familiar and investigating what may emerge next. Artificial intelligence, expanded consciousness, human transformation, singularity, future societies and realities not yet named form an open field for creative research. 

Location
Hämeenkyrö, Finland

Fees or awards
No application fee

Celebrate the energy, emotion, and impact of color in the Vibrant Colors International Art Competition. Blue Koi Gallery invites artists worldwide to submit artwork that embraces bold palettes, striking contrasts, and expressive use of color. Whether your work is abstract or representational, traditional or contemporary, we welcome art that captivates, inspires, and leaves a lasting impression.

Fees or awards
Entry fee is $20. $150 cash award for first place. Exhibition feature, social media promotion, and certificate offered to finalists.

Raleigh Arts and the Block Gallery are seeking artists to submit works that relate to the theme “Celebrating the Greenways” for a group exhibition. This exhibition aims to bring attention to the importance of retaining and maintaining the Greenway System and vibrant network of public trails and open spaces.

Artists living or working in North Carolina are invited to submit their work for consideration by the September 4, 2026 deadline. The exhibition will be on view November 2026 through January 2027.

Location
Raleigh, NC

Fees or awards
No application fee.