Fairfax Spotlight On The Arts

Spotlight on the Arts 2026 Art Contest

• New York Life Grand Prize Award: $1,500


• 2nd Prize: $1,000


• Student Artist Award: $500


• Community Choice Award: $500

Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts is seeking to support local artists in the Northern Virginia region, enhance awareness of the visual arts, and encourage emerging artists in our community by hosting an annual Art Contest open to any artist in the Northern Virginia region.

Participating artists will enter original works of art and be eligible for prize money awarded at the annual Spotlight on the Arts Festival Opening Reception on Friday, April 24, 2026.  The contest is open to everyone with no age limitation. 

The Spotlight on the Arts Board and a jury panel will select a total of twenty (20) finalists from the total pool of submissions, and the finalists

will then be eligible for the top four prizes.  The artwork of the twenty finalists will be displayed at the Opening Reception and will be offered for sale throughout the Spotlight Art Show, April 24 – May 21, 2026. Artists may opt out of the sale. A distinguished jury panel will carefully review all entries and recognize the top artworks. The jury’s decisions are final and binding.

• The contest is open to artists of all ages


• There is no fee to enter your submission


• All submissions must be received by 4:00 p.m., February 22, 2026


• Finalists will be notified by 4:00 p.m., Friday, March 27, 2026


• Finalists’ artwork must be available for display at The Sherwood Center for the Spotlight Art Show. Only submit artwork that is available for exhibiting this entire time period.


• Finalists’ artwork will be accepted at the Stacy C. Sherwood Center on Monday, April 20 and must be picked up on Thursday, May 21. Drop off and pick up time to be announced at a later date.