Join Dance Project for a full weekend of classes designed for professional dancers and pre-professional dancers alike! Each day will consist of technique classes, Q&A sessions, networking, and more. Featuring special guest artists from all over, this intensive is aimed at Intermediate to Advanced dancers.

Event details
August 15 & 16, 2026
Tentatively 9am-5pm
Ages 13+

Fees or awards
$250 per person. Discounted group rates are available. Early bird special: 10% off all prices if you register & pay by July 30th.

The Schwa Show is Emerge Gallery & Art Center's iconic show. The gallery's logo is a schwa, which is part of the phonetic spelling of emerge. This juried exhibition has grown to a national presence and includes artwork of all mediums and subject matter.

Location
Greenville, NC

Fees or awards
$20 entry fee; up to $1,000 in awards

The Blu Sky Artist Award: August 2026 Edition is an international art award hosted by Ten Moir Gallery, created for artists seeking meaningful visibility, professional recognition, and real promotional value. Two artists will each receive a $500 cash award, one in traditional or mixed media and one in photography or digital, with additional finalists selected for feature opportunities. The award package includes artist interviews, press releases, collector-focused catalogue inclusion, certificates, and permanent feature in our archive of past winners and finalists.

Fees or awards
$28 entry fee; $1,000 in awards

The Literary Arts Fund will award a total of $1 million in grants in 2026 to literary arts nonprofits for new, one-time, and forward-thinking projects that aim to address critical infrastructural/structural challenges that, if improved or solved, would ultimately strengthen literary arts nonprofits’ abilities to serve creative writers. Proposed projects, which may be collaborative, should align with this description and goal and have impact beyond the project timeline.

Projects must commence some time after January 1, 2027, and conclude before or by December 31, 2027.

Fees or awards
Grant requests may range from $25,000 to $100,000 as determined by the project budget.

The City of Raleigh’s Planning & Development Department seeks to hire a public artist for a 9-month residency from October 2026 - June 2027 to assist with Reflecting Raleigh Planning efforts. This residency requires strong interpersonal skills and the ability to listen deeply and thoughtfully to community input. Illustrators, visual, performing, and literary artists are all encouraged to apply. 

Location
Raleigh, NC

Fees or awards
The budget for the residency is $20,000.

Get ready for an art-filled adventure at this year’s International Folk Festival! If you’re a creator, maker, or artist of any kind, this is your invitation to join the largest celebration of arts and culture in the area. Apply to be a vendor in our Arts Market and share your work with tens of thousands of festival-goers who are ready to discover something new, meaningful, and uniquely yours.

Your approved application secures one (1) 10x10 booth space at our 48th Annual International Folk Festival. As the Arts Vendor, YOU are responsible for tents, tables, chairs, merchandise, Wi-Fi access, and other equipment needed to sell your art/wares during the event.

Arts Market Vendor Load-in:
Friday, September 25th: 2 pm-7 pm

Arts Market Hours:
Saturday, September 26th, 12 pm-7 pm

Location
Fayetteville, NC

Fees or awards
$75 booth fee. Vendors will be charged the full amount of the application if/when the application is approved. The festival is a rain or shine festival and no refunds or exchanges will be allowed after submission. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to admin@theartscouncil.com or 910-323-1776.

Craven Arts Council & Gallery is seeking submission for the 2026 Ekphrastic Poetry Competition! This poetry contest is held in conjunction with our biennial Bank of the Arts National Juried Exhibition, and asks poets to submit up to three poems inspired by works in the exhibition. Poets may view the works online anytime, or in person beginning August 4th. Artwork and poems will be featured in the 2026 Ekphrasis book, to be released following the exhibition.

Location
New Bern, NC

Fees or awards
$10 submission fee per poem (max of 3). Prizes include 1st Place ($200), 2nd Place ($150), 3rd Place ($100), and Honorable Mentions ($25). Publication opportunity also offered.

Baran Dance is a nonprofit contemporary dance company focused on performance, mentorship, and collaboration in the Charlotte community. Selected dancers are expected to actively participate in collaborative creative processes, a culture of reciprocal feedback, and consistent professional development. Choreographic and teaching opportunities may be available as well.

Baran Dance is comprised of a paid professional company, Baran Dance Company (BDC) and unpaid intern company, Baran Dance University (BDU). With few exceptions, all selected new/incoming dancers will be placed in BDU. Promotion to BDC is possible after one year of participation with Baran Dance. Email abaran@baran.dance with any questions.

Audition details
Sunday, August 30th
1:00 - 3:00pm @ Open Door Studios
Charlotte, NC

Fees or awards
Audition Fee: $10 via Venmo or Paypal

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.