West Michigan Art Competition

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Important Dates

Deadline to Submit:
January 5, 11:59pm

Notification of Acceptance:
January 13

Artwork Drop-off

January 22 and 23, 10am–6pm

January 24, 12–5pm

Artwork Pick-up

March 31 to April 3, 10am–6pm

Exhibit Dates

January 31 – March 28, 2026

About the Exhibition

The 40th Annual Lowell Arts West Michigan Art Competition highlights outstanding artwork by Michigan artists. In honor of the 40th anniversary of this exhibition, artwork will be accepted from an expanded 42-county region of Michigan. Artwork in any visual art media can be submitted by artists 18 yrs. and older. Cash awards totaling $3500 are presented. Artists may submit one piece for consideration by the juror.

$3500 in cash awards will be presented. Six awards of $500 each, and five honorable mention awards of $100 each.

Entry Deadline

January 5, 2025 at 11:59pm MT

All entries must be submitted digitally through the www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ) website. There is no cost to register on CaFÉ, but it is required. Video entries may not be submitted.

CaFÈ Entry Form

For more general information visit our WMAC page

Eligibility

The West Michigan Art Competition is open to all visual art media by artists 18 yrs. and older who reside in one of the eligible West Michigan counties. Eligible West Michigan counties include:

Allegan
Antrim
Barry
Benzie
Berrien
Branch
Calhoun
Cass
Charlevoix
Cheboygan
Clare
Clinton
Crawford
Eaton
Emmet
Grand Traverse
Gratiot
Hillsdale
Ingham
Ionia
Isabella

Jackson
Kalamazoo
Kalkaska
Kent
Lake
Leelanau
Manistee
Mason
Mecosta
Missaukee
Montcalm
Muskegon
Newaygo
Oceana
Osceola
Otsego
Ottawa
Roscommon
St. Joseph
Van Buren
Wexford

Application Information

Entry Fee

Artists may submit one piece only. The fee for entry is $40. Lowell Arts Members and Students over 18 with a college ID receive a discounted entry fee of $30. Members and students should call 616-897-8545 to receive their discount code before entering. Memberships need to be active through March of 2026 to receive the discount. Refunds cannot be provided after entry. Entry fees help fund prizes for the competition, as well as programs and services provided by Lowell Arts.

Image Files

Digital image files must conform to the requirements as listed on the CaFÉ site. All entries require that the title, media, and dimensions be listed. Incomplete entries will not be juried. Accepted works that differ dramatically from the submitted images may be refused at the discretion of Lowell Arts staff. Lowell Arts will offer technical assistance on applying through CaFÉ to artists as needed, by appointment. Contact 616-897-8545 or gallery@lowellarts.org.

Artists may submit ONE PIECE in any medium for consideration by the juror. Artists are asked to submit at least 2 views of the same piece, up to 5 images of the same piece can be submitted.

Image #1 should show the piece in its entirety. If applicable, do not include the picture frame in this image.
Image #2 should be used to highlight details, texture or an alternate angle of the piece. If applicable, the picture frame may be shown in this image.
Images #3, #4, #5 are optional – included to highlight additional details, textures, or angles of the piece.

Artwork Information

Artwork Requirements

Only original works completed in the last three years and not previously exhibited at Lowell Arts are eligible. Commercial reproductions, including giclée prints, will not be accepted. Traditional print media, photography, and digital art should be from a limited edition.

2-Dimensional entries may be no larger than 62 inches in any one direction, including the width of the frame. 3-Dimensional entries must fit through a standard door frame and be no larger than 62 inches in any one direction. Only artwork easily handled by two people will be accepted.

Entry Conditions

Upon Delivery:

All artwork must be ready to display
Entries must be dry and completely assembled
Artists with accepted entries will be provided an identification label at the time of drop-off to affix to the back of their piece

Hanging Works:

All artwork should be fitted with secure hanging wire
Artwork should be properly framed or mounted
Fabric-wrapped canvases are acceptable and do not require additional framing
Frames with exposed glass edges are not acceptable
Sawtooth hangers are not permitted
3D hanging works must have adequate hanging hardware or a hanging system

Unsuitably prepared, hazardous, unstable, or extremely fragile works will be declined.

Accepted Entries

Delivery

All accepted entries must be hand-delivered or shipped to: Lowell Arts, 223 W Main St, Lowell, MI 49331. The Lowell Arts Gallery is located in historic downtown Lowell at the corner of Broadway and Main Street. For hand-delivery, accepted artwork must arrive at Lowell Arts on January 22 and 23, 10am-6pm and January 24, 12-5pm. Shipped works must be prepaid and arrive by Friday, January 23. For shipped work, please include a prepaid return shipping label with the entry. All packing and shipping costs are the responsibility of the artist.

Pick Up

Accepted entries must remain in the exhibition through March 28, 2026. Artists may pick up accepted work in person March 31 and April 1-3, 10am-6pm. Artists must call ahead to authorize someone other than themselves to pick-up their work, otherwise artwork will not be released to anyone except the artist. Artwork not picked up at the designated times will be considered abandoned and become the property of Lowell Arts. Shipped artworks will be sent back in the packing materials they arrived in. Return of shipped artwork will begin April 7. Shipment costs are the responsibility of the artist.

Art Sales

Accepted artwork must remain on display for the duration of the exhibit. Lowell Arts requires a 30% commission on all artwork sold during the exhibition. If the work is not for sale, please indicate “0 (zero)” for value on entry form. The artwork will be labeled as “NFS” – not for sale.

Rules and Terms to Apply

I understand that Lowell Arts will take every precaution to ensure protection of artwork. Owners of artwork will release and hold harmless Lowell Arts, its staff, and volunteers of any liability that may arise by damage, loss, or theft while artwork is on the Lowell Arts premises. Lowell Arts is not responsible for any damage to art objects incurred during regular handling of the work during installation and exhibition. Artists wishing to otherwise insure their work should contact their insurance agents directly. I understand that all artwork must arrive be ready to install and meet the entry conditions as described by Lowell Arts. If these conditions are not met, the artwork will not be included in the exhibition. Entry to the exhibition also constitutes the artists' consent to Lowell Arts to use images of their artwork for publicity purposes. I understand that all artwork not picked up at the designated times will be considered abandoned and become the property of Lowell Arts.