The South’s Most Engaging Art Competition and Festival!
2026 ArtFields Festival Submissions Open through Nov 1st
ArtFields started in 2013 with a simple goal: honor the artists living & working in the Southeast with a week’s worth of celebration and competition in the heart of a traditional Southern small town. Since then ArtFields has grown into an entire organization with year round programming that celebrates art!
Now, the annual ArtFields Festival has become a staple of the region and offers over $100,000 in cash prizes. The winners of two People’s Choice Awards are determined by the votes of people visiting ArtFields; a panel of art professionals selects all the other awards, including the $50,000 Grand Prize and $25,000 Second Place award.
Up to 400 works of art will be on display in locally-owned venues, from renovated 1920s warehouses and professional art spaces, to the history museum, the Ronald E. McNair Life History Center, restaurants, boutiques and other shops. Additionally, the ArtFields Jr. Statewide Art Competition features hundreds more artworks from talented South Carolina students in grades 1 -12. During the ArtFields Festival, what was once one of South Carolina’s most prosperous agricultural communities becomes a living art gallery as we recognize, celebrate, and share artistic talent.
Submissions are now open for the 2026 ArtFields Festival! Each year, hundreds of artworks are exhibited throughout our downtown in galleries, warehouses, restaurants, shops, and other venues. This event offers a special way for art to be displayed outside of the traditional white walls of a gallery or museum and celebrates art & community coming together.
A recent festival expansion brings the artworks’ time on display up to 17 days from the standard 9 days. With this historic expansion, the ArtFields Festival aims to accommodate growing crowds, offer expanded programming, and increase opportunities for participating artists.
Artists interested in submitting their artwork for the signature competition should read the 2026 rules by clicking HERE and submit their artwork via our online platform, ArtBooth. Submissions will be rated by a panel of art professionals and the highest rated artworks will be invited to participate in the 2026 festival.
The 2026 Festival will be a unique celebration that includes visual art, live entertainment, an artisans market, plein air day, and much more. Follow along with us on social media for weekly updates as the team plans the expansion in real time!
To view our past winners, click HERE.
Submission Timeline
- Call For Entries – September 1 – November 1, 2025
- Selected Artists Notified – December 2025
- 2025 Festival – April 10th – May 2nd, 2026
Prizes
- Grand Prize – $50,000
- Second Place- $25,000
- People’s Choice 2D – $12,500
- People’s Choice 3D – $12,500
- 5 Merit Awards – $2,000
- Southeastern Partnership Awards – (Exhibitions & Opportunities)