37th JURIED COMPETITION GUIDELINES
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
ENTRY DEADLINE
Sunday, May 17, 2026 | 11:59 PM
[Entry fee & online submission with images and/or video]
ARTIST NOTIFICATION
Friday, May 29, 2026
DELIVER WORK
June 11 - June 13, 2026
Center for the Arts | 121 E. Main St. | Rock Hill, SC
EXHIBITION DATES
June 22 - July 25, 2026
RECEPTION & AWARDS CEREMONY
Thursday, July 16, 2026 | 5:30 PM
Center for the Arts | 121 E. Main St. | Rock Hill, SC
PICK UP EXHIBITED WORK
July 27 - 29, 2026
Center for the Arts | 121 E. Main St. | Rock Hill, SC
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The Arts Council of York County presents the 37th Annual Juried Competition at the Center for the Arts. The Juried Competition is open nationally to artists 18 and older. Only original work, created in the last two (2) years, and not previously shown at the Center for the Arts, Dalton Gallery is accepted. All forms of media are eligible, including video. Limit four (4) pieces per artist.
ENTRY DEADLINE
Sunday, May 17, 2026 | 11:59 PM
CONTACT
Annie Heisel
Gallery Manager
aheisel@yorkcountyarts.org
ELIGIBILITY
Artists, aged 18 and older, are eligible to enter the 37th Annual Juried Competition. Only original work, created in the last two (2) years, and not shown previously at the Center for the Arts, Dalton Gallery will be accepted. All forms of media are eligible. All work must be presented in a professional manner. Accepted work must be exhibition-ready to be included in the show. 3-D work must sit solidly on a flat surface or be properly mounted for hanging. Framed pieces must be securely wired; size is restricted to 72 inches in any direction including the frame. Any video work must be accompanied with a compatible player and a monitor that is 24 inches or smaller unless monitor is provided by artist then limited to max flat art size.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
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All entries must be submitted as:
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.jpg saved at 300dpi, or MP4 videos that are no longer than five minutes in length.
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Artist may provide up to two separate images for each work submitted.
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Video submissions must include at least one still image.
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Digital files must be labeled as such: Artwork Title - FirstInitialLastName
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An example for Kelly Smith's "Trees and Bees" is: TreesAndBees-KSmith. The second view is labeled TreesAndBees-KSmith-a
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FEES
ACYC ARTISTS MEMBERS
$30 for up to two pieces. Each additional piece is $10. Limit four (4) pieces per artist.
NON-MEMBERS
$40 for up to two pieces. Each additional piece is $10. Limit four (4) pieces per artist.
If you'd like to join the Artist Membership, view the benefits and submission information here.
PAYMENT
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Online | PAY NOW
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By Phone | (803) 328-2787
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By Mail | Arts Council of York County, ATTN: Gallery Manager, 36th Juried Competition, PO Box 2797, Rock Hill, SC 29732
Please make checks payable to Arts Council of York County.
Submission fees are non-refundable, even if work is not accepted.
PAYMENT DEADLINE
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All online, mailed, and delivered payments must be received by the Arts Council of York County by Saturday, June 13, 2026.
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ACYC Hours: Mon-Fri | 9 AM - 5 PM , Sat | 10 AM - 4 PM
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PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a postmark deadline.
AWARDS
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Gerald and Barbara Schapiro Best of Show | $1,000
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1st Place | $750
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2nd Place | $500
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3rd Place | $250
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place awards are sponsored by Kathy and Larry Wilson.
SHIPPING
Mailed work must include payment for return postage and insurance.
DELIVERY DEADLINE | Saturday, June 13, 2026
This is not a postmark deadline.
DELIVER or MAIL TO
Center for the Arts, 121 East Main Street, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Please do not ship work before receiving an acceptance email from the Arts Council's Gallery Manager.
MARKETING RELEASE
By entering the contest, competitors agree to allow images of their artwork to be published for marketing purposes. Entrants agree that any image submitted may be used for marketing and promotional purposes directly related to the Arts Council of York County.
SALES
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All entries will be available for sale unless marked NFS (not for sale).
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The ACYC will retain a 30% commission on gallery sales.
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No POR’s (prices on request) will be accepted.
METHOD OF SELECTION
The juror of the annual Juried Competition reviews all images of works submitted. Selected works are to be delivered to the Center for the Arts, where the juror will make their final selection for Gerald and Barbara Schapiro Best of Show,1st Place, 2nd Place, 3rd Place, and Honorable Mentions.
2026 JUROR
MICHAELA PILAR BROWN, Mike Brown Contemporary Art Gallery
WEBSITE | michaelapilarbrown.com
INSTAGRAM | @michaelapilarbrown
Brown is the former Executive Director of 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, South Carolina., where she served from 2020-2022. She has served on multiple boards including One Columbia SC, One Columbia for Arts & History is a non-profit organization formed to support and promote tourism in Columbia, South Carolina, and was also a board member of the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, the oldest ongoing feminist granting agency, and currently serves on the board of directors of the Friends of African American Arts and Culture, an affinity group of the Columbia Museum of Art.
For more than 10 years she has served as a facilitator for Artists U, an incubator for changing the working conditions of artists where everything is artist-run and open-source. She is a member of Tiger Strikes Asteroid, a non-profit network of independently programmed, artist-run exhibition spaces with locations in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Greenville, SC whose goal is to collectively bring people together, expand connections and create community through artist-initiated exhibitions, projects, and curatorial opportunities. She is the owner/director of Mike Brown Contemporary Art Gallery in Columbia, SC.
ACCEPTED ENTRIES
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All accepted work must be labeled on the back with the artist’s name, title of the work, and price.
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All works selected for exhibition must be delivered to the Center for the Arts by Saturday, June 13, 2026 by 4 PM. This is NOT a postmark deadline.
LIABILITY
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The Arts Council of York County (ACYC) assumes responsibility for insuring and caring for the works of art selected for exhibition while they are in our possession. However, ACYC will not assume costs of shipping entries or artwork, nor will the ACYC provide insurance while in transit to or from the Center for the Arts.
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ACYC reserves the right to refuse any entry and to withdraw any work from the exhibition at its discretion.
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ACYC reserves the right to photograph and reproduce any entry submitted for educational or publicity purposes.
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The receipt of an entry in the Juried Exhibition constitutes agreement by the artist with all conditions set forth in this prospectus.
APPLICATION
SUBMISSIONS
Entries are only accepted online.
A new form must be completed for each submission. Multiple submissions are not accepted on a single entry form.
If you experience submission issues, please ensure that all fields are filled, and that the date listed in the submission is accurate. If issues persist, please use a different browser.
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