The Battleship North Carolina Memorial has launched the Battleship North Carolina License Plate Art Contest, a statewide competition open to North Carolina residents of all ages and abilities. The winning artwork could inspire the design of the Battleship’s future custom North Carolina specialty license plate, pending approval by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. Artists are asked to submit original work depicting or interpreting the Battleship North Carolina and its significance as the state’s official World War II memorial.

Artwork may be created using digital design, illustration, painting, mixed media or other forms of human-created artwork. Entries should be suitable for use on a North Carolina license plate.

Fees or awards
$20 entry fee/design (up to two design entries per artist) OR secure five verified license plate pre-orders from family, friends, or supporters. Cash prizes will be awarded to First Place ($1,000), Second Place ($500), Third Place ($250), and People’s Choice ($100) recipients.

This October, Arts of the Pamlico brings together two distinct exhibitions celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the natural beauty that surrounds us in Eastern North Carolina.

Artists are invited to submit work for the Wildlife & Waterways Art Exhibit, an exhibition inspired by the wildlife, rivers, creeks, wetlands, sounds, and coastal landscapes that help define our region. On view from October 1–21, 2026.

Location
Washington, NC

Fees or awards
Entry fees are $20 for Members, $40 for Non-Members, and free for BCS Middle & High Students. Awards include the $300 People’s Choice Award and $100 Youth Award.

Waterworks Visual Arts Center is a nationally accredited, non-collecting art museum presenting three rotating exhibitions of contemporary fine art and craft each year by local, regional, national, and international artists. Submissions from established and emerging artists with credentials are accepted and reviewed within 60–90 days following the deadlines of January 30 and September 30. Exhibitions are planned 18–24 months in advance, and submission review does not ensure inclusion.

Location
Salisbury, NC

Fees or awards
Submission Fee: $10

Calling all sculpture artists! Sculpture on the Town is an annual public art contest featuring large-scale, outdoor sculptures around town in Morganton, NC.

This project aims to increase community interest for public art and to offer artists a unique opportunity to showcase their original sculptural works. Artwork shall be uplifting and creative. Other aspects to consider might be: how the art visually engages and creates a sense of discovery, surprise, boldness or intimacy; how it uses kinetic devices, dynamic shapes or colors; how it celebrates movement or whimsy; how the art celebrates Morganton.

Location
Morganton, NC

Fees or awards
$3,000 honorarium awarded to artists. There are no fees for submittal.

Traditional arts endure because skilled artists choose to carry knowledge forward and share it with others. The Emerging Traditional Artists Program (ETAP) supports artists who are deepening their practice while carrying cultural knowledge forward for the next generation. Awardees receive a $5,000 award, along with professional development opportunities, peer networking, and mentorship designed to strengthen both their artistic practice and long-term impact.

The program serves eligible artists living in Appalachian Regional Commission and Delta Regional Authority communities, as well as members of state or federally recognized Native American tribes.

Fees or awards
Selected ETAP artists will receive $5,000 awards (with limited restrictions) to support learning opportunities including training, networking, and promotion.

The rich traditions of Central Appalachia are sustained not only by artists and tradition keepers, but by the organizations that create space for those traditions to thrive. In These Mountains Infrastructure Grants support nonprofit organizations preserving handcrafts, foodways, music, and other traditional arts across the region. Through $30,000 awards, the program strengthens the operational foundation these organizations depend on, supporting essential expenses that build long-term sustainability and community impact.

Fees or awards
Non-match grants are awarded in the amount of $30,000.

Since 2000, Artspace has provided emerging visual artists with time and space to explore their work in a supportive and thriving open studio environment in our historic building at the heart of downtown Raleigh. Every year, Artspace selects up to two artists in an emerging stage of their professional careers to participate in this year-long residency.

Benefits include: 24-hour access to rent-free studio space, $200 monthly stipend, a professional solo exhibition, and more.

Location
Raleigh, NC

Fees or awards
No application fee; $200 monthly stipend

Built from the successful model established through the Artspace North Carolina Emerging Artist in Residence program, this year-long residency focuses on graduates from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU). Every year, Artspace selects one emerging artist for this career-stimulating residency.

Benefits include: 24-hour access to a rent-free studio space, $200 monthly stipend, professional solo exhibition, community of artists, paid teaching opportunities, and more.

Location
Raleigh, NC

Fees or awards
No application fee; $200 monthly stipend

Vermont Studio Center is currently accepting applications through September 30. This open call will fill residencies for visual artists and writers from July 2027 to December 2027. We offer two, three, and four week residencies at our Johnson campus in the Northern Green Mountains of Vermont.

We have many fellowships available. All accepted residents receive partial fellowships and 35% receive full fellowships.

Location
Johnson, VT

Fees or awards
$25 application fee

Blue Koi Gallery invites artists worldwide to submit work inspired by dreams, imagination, memory, fantasy, and the worlds that exist beyond ordinary reality. We are looking for work that invites viewers to step outside the familiar and enter the artist’s imagination. All mediums and skill levels welcome. Open to artists worldwide, 18+.

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