2026 Holiday Art Competition

A juried competition for original two-dimensional artwork celebrating “The Holidays in Historic Frederick.” Accepted artwork will be exhibited at the Delaplaine Arts Center, and the Judges’ Choice winner receives a conditional $1,000 prize and will have their artwork used in Celebrate Frederick promotional materials. Additional recognition includes People’s Choice and Judges’ Special Award certificates.

A secular celebration of “The Holidays in Historic Frederick,” conveying Frederick’s winter atmosphere and incorporating recognizable symbols of the city.

Submit one high-resolution image and provide the artist’s full name, city and country of residence, phone number, and email; social-media and website links are optional. Limit one submission per artist. Work must be the artist’s original design and personal execution, must not be commercially published, and cannot be a commercially made print, giclée, or reproduction. Eligible work is two-dimensional and may use any medium, including painting, drawing, hand-pulled print, etching, collage, photography, or digital painting. Artwork should reflect the secular Holidays in Historic Frederick theme, include recognizable Frederick imagery, be reproducible in black and white, and be suitable for reproduction in a vertical poster; winning work may be cropped or altered to fit. Religious imagery uniquely associated with one faith and endorsements of specific downtown businesses make work ineligible for the grand prize, although such work may still be displayed and sold. Accepted work must be professionally framed and wired or have finished gallery-wrapped edges, be labeled on the back with the required artist and artwork details, and be delivered to 40 S. Carroll Street in Frederick on November 16 or 17, 2026, or shipped to arrive by November 17. Required pickup dates depend on whether the work remains in the December gallery exhibition; work left beyond designated pickup dates may be disposed of. The Judges’ Choice winner receives a conditional $1,000 prize. The Holiday Committee retains exclusive commercial rights to the chosen artwork for two years for posters and five years for other promotional pieces; the winner’s artwork may be retained for up to 30 days after the exhibition for scanning, and the prize check is mailed within 30 days after receipt of the winner’s W9.