Epiphone Guitar Design Contest 2027

A guitar-design contest for middle school and high school students living in East Tennessee. Selected youth artists will implement their original designs on Epiphone guitars for exhibition at the Dogwood Arts Gallery in Knoxville and Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort. The guitars will be auctioned to benefit Dogwood Arts’ youth art programs. Winning designers each receive $50 for art supplies and complimentary Dollywood tickets, with additional cash prizes awarded to select artists at the exhibition reception.

Customizing Epiphone guitars with original artwork

Open to middle school and high school students living in East Tennessee. Students must create a unique design on the supplied guitar template and return the template and application form to their art educator or guardian. Art educators or guardians must submit the guitar designs and completed applications by January 25, 2027. Applications may be submitted online with photos of the work or mailed to Dogwood Arts, ATTN: Raina Weber, 123 W. Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Winning-design notifications will be sent by February 12, 2027, and guitars will be delivered to art educators by the end of February. Completed art guitars must be returned by April 30, 2027; Dogwood Arts will coordinate retrieval from art educators, or guitars may be dropped off at its office at 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Winning designers each receive $50 for art supplies and complimentary tickets to Dollywood; additional cash prizes will be awarded to select artists at the exhibition reception. Guitars will be exhibited at the Dogwood Arts Gallery May 7–20, 2027, with a reception May 7 from 5–8 PM and awards at 6 PM. Guitars will also be displayed at Dollywood’s HeartSong Resort in June. Auction proceeds benefit Dogwood Arts’ youth programs. The overview and event schedule give an online auction period of May 7–June 21, 2027, but the application summary also contains a conflicting statement that the auction concludes June 21, 2026.