OCALA, Fla. — The City of Ocala and Fine Arts For Ocala issued a call to artists today for the 2026 Student and Emerging Artist Competition, titled “Foundation.”
The competition invites Marion County artists with up to six years of experience to submit original artwork for display at Ocala City Hall.
The exhibition will run from Dec. 3, 2026, through March 9, 2027, at Ocala City Hall, located at 110 SE Watula Ave. Artists must submit their entries by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. Submissions are limited to one original piece of art completed within the past two years.
Participants will compete across three divisions: high school students, artists with one to three years of active experience and artists with four to six years of active experience.
A jury will evaluate entries to select division winners and an overall Best of Show recipient.
The Best of Show winner will receive a $1,000 prize from Fine Arts For Ocala and a feature in the Ocala Gazette. High school division winners will be awarded scholarships to the College of Central Florida.
The first-place winner in the one-to-three-year division will receive a $150 Chelsea Art Center gift certificate, while the first-place winner in the four-to-six-year division will receive a Cartigliano Art Center gift certificate.
All first-place division winners will receive a free Painting with a Twist class. In addition, all contest winners will receive annual memberships to the Appleton Museum of Art and Marion Cultural Alliance, along with a waived registration fee for either the 2026-27 or 2027-28 First Friday Art Walk season.
Submissions must include a completed exhibit agreement form, an artist statement and a high-resolution photograph of the artwork in JPG format measuring at least 1,900 pixels wide.
Submissions can be completed online at www.ocalafl.gov/seaexhibit, emailed to artinfo@ocalafl.gov or mailed to City of Ocala Cultural Arts at 201 SE Third St., Second Floor, Ocala, FL 34471.
The competition is sponsored by the Appleton Museum of Art, Cartigliano Arts & Rogers Framing, College of Central Florida, Fine Arts For Ocala, Marion Cultural Alliance, the Ocala Gazette and Painting with a Twist.
Accepted artists must drop off their artwork at Ocala City Hall on Dec. 1 or Dec. 2 between 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. An awards reception is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2027, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and artwork pickup will take place March 9, 2027, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. following the close of the exhibition.
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