Community Art Contest 2026
Hosted by the Creative Arts Center.
Opening Reception & Awards Ceremony:
Sponsored by the
Glaser Family Charitable Foundation.

 Rules and Important Information: (please read carefully!) 

  1. Artwork Drop Off Times: Artwork can be brought to the center during normal business hours between August 25 – September 2. Normal business hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10 am to 5 pm and Saturdays from 10 am to noon.  The Center is located at 200 W. Fifth Street in Bonham.
  2. Entry Deadline: All artwork must be submitted to the Creative Arts Center by 5 pm Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
  3. Entry Forms: Each artist must complete an entry form for their artwork.  Copies will be available at the center when dropping off the artwork.

     

  4. Artwork Labels: Each piece of artwork must have the following information securely attached to the back or underside of the artwork:
    artist name
    artwork title
    artwork medium
    sale price or NFS if Not For Sale.
  5. Wires: All hanging artwork must have a wire, suitable for hanging in the gallery. No sawtooth hangers.
  6. Entry Fees:  all entries will be charged an entry fee, even members.  Entry fees will help ensure we have funds for cash prizes.

    For members, the entry fees are:
    $25 for one piece of artwork
    $35 total for two pieces of artwork
    $45 total for three pieces. 

    For non-members, the entry fees are:
    $35 for one piece of artwork
    $45 total for two pieces of artwork
    $55 total for three pieces of artwork.

    Payment can be made by cash, check or card and must be made at the time of submitting the artwork.

  7. Artists are limited to three entries per person.
  8. Opening Night Reception & Awards Ceremony: All artists are strongly encouraged to attend the opening night reception and awards ceremony on Friday, September 4, 2026, come and go from 5-7 pm.  Awards will be given out at approximately 5:30 pm.
  9. Artwork Sales: Artists have the option of offering their work to be for sale or not. Artists set their own prices.  The Creative Arts Center will retain a 20% commission and handle all sales and sales taxes.  Artists’ checks will be processed and mailed as quickly as possible after the end of the month.  Artists can expect their checks around the middle of October.
  10. All artwork must remain on display at the art center until Sept 30.
  11. Artwork pick up: Any artwork that does not sell or was not offered for sale, can be picked up during normal business hours starting Sept 30. Any artwork that is not picked up by October 31, will become the property of the Creative Arts Center.  The Center will then be able to sell or dispose of the artwork as they see fit.
  12. Artwork must be original. No coloring pages. No arts/craft kits. No copyrighted or licensed characters.
  13. The Creative Arts Center retains the right to determine what is suitable to display. The center reserves the right to not display any artwork that is deemed controversial, inappropriate, overtly political, violent, disturbing or otherwise not suitable for display in the center.  Nudes that are explicit or graphic will not be allowed, as the center aims to be family friendly and often has children and youth in the center. The center reserves the right to not display artwork that could present a risk to safety of people in the gallery, such as a sculpture that is not steady and could fall over or a piece with sharp points or edges. Determining what artwork is not suitable or safe will be generally be determined by a panel of artist members but may also be determined by the Director.

 

Artwork Categories:

Please note the Center reserves the right to make adjustments to the categories, depending on the number and type of entries received.  For example, two or more categories could be combined if there are a low number of entries.

1. Acrylic

2. Oil

3. Watercolors

4. Mixed Media

5. Drawings – including pencil, charcoal, markers, crayons, pastels, pen and ink

6. Photography 

7. 3D – including sculptures, fibers, ceramics, paper, etc.

    

    2026 Contest Judge: Dr. Trina Harlow

    A Texan since 1984, painting and embroidering flowers takes Dr. Trina Harlow back to childhood in her Granny’s Arkansas garden of Eden and also to the effort her mother and grandmother made trying to grow flowers on their dry, windy farm in the flower desert known as western Kansas. The beauty of flowers is part of every day for Trina. She retired in 2024 from 30 years in arts education and has taught more than 12,000 K-12 and university students, and many more adults and art educators. She directed the art education programs at Kansas State University and at the University of North Texas. She has served on numerous arts boards, including the National Art Education Association Board of Directors as the Higher Education Director, and has won national, regional, state, and local awards for her teaching, leadership, and artmaking. She has also taught art in Ecuador, Switzerland, and Uganda. In 2026 she became the president of the Art Club of McKinney, the oldest art club in the State of Texas, dating back to 1914. She is also the founder of the Texoma Area Fiber Arts Guild and co-founder of the Van Alstyne Arts Commission. Dr. Harlow holds a bachelor’s degree in clothing and textiles, fashion design; a master’s degree in art education; and a PhD in education curriculum and instruction. She studied oil painting and art history in Florence, Italy and mosaic making in Istanbul, Turkey. She is a frequent speaker, juror, grant writer, and researcher.