Over $100,000 in Prizes and New Public Art Opportunities at 2027 ArtFields Festival

A small town in South Carolina may not be the first place you think of when it comes to the Southʼs art scene, but each spring Lake City proves otherwise. For three weeks, storefronts, restaurants, and galleries become a town-wide exhibition
during the ArtFields Festival, which returns April 15 – May 1, 2027.

Now celebrating its 15th year, ArtFields invites emerging and established artists from across the Southeast to apply. From now through November 1, 2026, artists working in any medium and living in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia can submit one 2D or 3D work to the festivalʼs signature juried competition. Around 400 works are selected for exhibition, competing for more than $100,000 in cash prizes, including a $50,000 Grand Prize. The entry fee is $25.

For the first time, ArtFields is also accepting public art proposals during the same
window. Artists with an idea for an outdoor, large-scale, site-specific installation —the kind of project that needs more room than a gallery wall— can propose it for the streets and spaces of Lake City by the same November 1 deadline. There is no fee to apply.

Since 2013, ArtFields has grown from a bold idea to elevate artists living and working in the South into a year-round arts organization, awarding more than $1 million in prize money along the way. The festival also features a live portrait contest, plein air painting, and more, with details available on the ArtFields website.

For more information and to apply, visit artfieldssc.org.

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