We’re looking for Triangle-based artists or artist teams to create original 2-D designs for local bus shelters, part of our Art + Transit project. These pieces will become part of our growing collection of 45+ artistic shelters around Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Final designs will be printed on adhesive vinyl and installed on bus shelter glass by the Town of Chapel Hill. Artwork will be on display for at least 12 months. 

Location
Chapel Hill, NC

Fees or awards
Finalist Stipends: $100/artist or team; Project Stipends: $500-$600/artist or team, depending on bus shelter size

We are pleased to announce our fourth Black & White online Art Competition for the month of March 2026. A strict Black & White theme will be applied and only works incorporating black, white, or shades of gray will be allowed. All visual art mediums are allowed. In addition to the selected artists, the jury will select award winners in the following art categories: painting, photography, sculpture. All selected artists will receive a digital award certificate.

Fees or awards
Entry fees are $20 for two pieces of artwork

The North Carolina Literary Review is accepting submissions for the 2026 Alex Albright Creative Nonfiction Prize Competition. Writers may submit creative nonfiction (including memoir, personal essays, travel writing, and other forms of creative nonfiction) of up to 7500 words, from January 15 through March 1. 

The winning essay will be published in NCLR and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Finalists will also be considered for publication in NCLR or NCLR Online and for editors’ nominations for various competitions. The 2026 Final Judge is Tracy Crow. 

Fees or awards
We have $1000 for this competition’s prize(s), with the prize for first place being at least $250 and up to the full $1000, depending on how many pieces are selected for publication.

The NC Dance Festival invites applications from North Carolina artists to be part of the 2026-27 season. There are multiple opportunities within this call to present, create, and share dance work, all speaking to NCDF’s aims to support the creation of new choreography and the presentation of high-quality repertory, build and strengthen relationships between dance artists within the state, and provide access to and education about modern and contemporary dance to audiences and students. We strive to provide experiences with dance that are up close and personal, for audiences, artists, and students. It is our vision that anyone, no matter who they are, can see themselves reflected in our programming.

Artists can apply to be considered for multiple opportunities, but are unlikely to be selected for more than one season activity. There is no application fee to apply for these opportunities.

Call #1: NC Dance Festival Season Performances

Call #2: Artist in Residence 2026 Cohort

Location
Greensboro, NC 

Help us celebrate over 30 years of conservation in North Carolina. Conservation Trust for North Carolina was established in 1991 to advance the pace of land conservation in the state. The Blue Ridge Parkway launched our conservation journey and today is the backbone of our work to achieve a resilient future statewide.  

This year, we’re launching our first ever digital art contest, in celebration of the species, landscapes, and vistas found along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina. Open to both professional and amateur artists (16+) statewide, your art has a voice in our story. To enter, create a unique original design celebrating a native species, landscape, or trail in Western North Carolina.  

Your art will be shared with over 20,000 people through our social media, as well as in our web gallery, and in external communications, all with full attribution for your work. You may also see your design on a limited edition gift for our Conservation Celebration sponsors in 2026. No entry fees are required.  

Call For Professional And Amateur Photographers Based In The USA

THEME: Stronger Together: Family. Community. Connection.

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) invites photographers to showcase adults aged 60+ thriving through family, friendship, and community. Celebrate empowered individuals, supportive families, and the vibrant connections that bring joy, purpose, and vitality—demonstrating that aging well means staying active, engaged, and connected.

Location
Arlington, Virginia

Fees or awards
Entry Fee: Free. AWARDS: NCOA will grant the following awards: First Place Award: $1,000; Second Place Award: $600, Public Vote Award: $500; Eight Merit Awards: $300 each; Ten Honorable Awards: $150 each

The South Arts Southern Prize and State Fellowships acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in the American South. The program is open to individual artists living in the South Arts region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. 

The cohort of nine-state fellows will be selected through a two-tiered selection process by a national jury. A second national jury will select the Southern Prize Winner and Finalist. Jurors will make their selections based on artistic excellence that reflects and represents the array of artistic expression of the region. This program is open to visual artists in several categories.

State fellows for Visual Arts, including the Southern Prize winner and finalist, will have their work featured in a traveling exhibition that will tour throughout the region. 

Fees or awards 
Awards include the South Arts State Fellowships: $5,000 (awarded to nine state fellows, each representing an eligible state in the South Arts region) and the South Arts Southern Prize: $25,000 and $10,000 (awarded to the winner and finalist, respectively). Fees: A $25 online application fee. Please note: If the application fee creates a barrier, the applicant may request a waiver from South Arts by contacting southernprize@southarts.org.

Artists Invited to Apply for Airlie Gardens’ 2026 Art Exhibit, unFROGettable

Airlie Gardens is inviting artists and artist teams to apply for its 2026 outdoor art exhibit, unFROGettable. Selected artists will decorate, paint, and adorn one of ten oversized fiberglass frog sculptures, transforming them into unique works of art displayed throughout the gardens. The artist-designed frog sculptures will be installed across the grounds from July through December 2026.

Location
Wilmington, NC

Fees or awards
$900 artist honorarium

Midwest Nice Art is excited to share our upcoming Spring 2026 virtual exhibition, this place is strange, with you! For better or worse, the Midwest has a “nice” reputation, with friendly smiles, polite small talk, and a whole lot of “ope, sorry!” But underneath that kind surface level, things can get a little… strange.

The exhibition will examine this idea through a variety of mediums in art. Any mediums are welcome, including but not limited to sculpture, painting, collage, photography, digital art, video art, installation, ceramics, performance art…anything you can think of! You may submit up to 3 artworks for a $5 fee, due March 20, 2026. Artists will receive a notification a week after the deadline. The exhibition will go live April 2026.

Location
Virtual

Fees or awards
$5 submission fee. Students may submit for free with the code student26 (to use this, please use your school email when applying).

Awe Snapp invites global artists (18+) in 2D and 3D media to enter its annual awards. Win your share of $1,000 in cash and prizes, plus digital awards, gallery features, social media promotion, and global exposure to curators and collectors. Prizes of $250, $150, and $100 are awarded in Traditional and Photography categories. Submit original, high-res images (no watermarks).

Fees or awards
Fees: $20 Early Bird (by Sept 30, 2025), $30 Standard (by Mar 31, 2026)