HomeCall for Entries: 2026 Appalachian Nature Art & Photography

Call for Entries: 2026 Appalachian Nature Art & Photography Competition and Exhibition

DESCRIPTION

The Appalachian Nature Art & Photography Competition & Exhibition, a juried regional competition celebrating nature across Appalachia.

See full prospectus and enter at: Prospectus: Appalachian Nature Art & Photography Competition & Exhibition - ARCADIAN Gallery

DATES

May 15 – June 20, 2026
Opening reception: Friday, May 15, 2026

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

April 7, 2026

VENUE

Selected works will be exhibited in person at the Arcadian Gallery in downtown Cumberland, MD

ELIGIBILITY

Artists and photographers age 18 and older who reside in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC are eligible to enter. There are over $2000 in prizes. Eligible submissions include two-dimensional artwork and photography depicting nature in Appalachia—landscapes, plants, wildlife, and other natural subjects. While eligibility is limited to residents of the four-state region, entries may portray nature from any Appalachian state.

SUBJECT

Nature in Appalachia—landscapes, plants, wildlife, and other natural subjects. While eligibility is limited to residents of the four-state region, entries may portray nature from any Appalachian state.

MEDIA ACCEPTED:

Two-dimensional artwork and photography

FEE

$15 per entry

Entry limit: 10 artworks or images per artist or photographer. Entry fees are not refundable.

DETAILS

Number artworks per entry: 10

See full prospectus and enter at: Prospectus: Appalachian Nature Art & Photography Competition & Exhibition - ARCADIAN Gallery

Jurors

The competition will be juried by Terry Miller (art) and Steven David Johnson (photography). Miller is an accomplished graphite artist whose work, Icebound—a fox in the snow—won Best of Show at the Arcadian Gallery’s American Wildlife Art Competition & Exhibition in 2025. He is a Distinguished Member of the Society of Animal Artists and a Master Artist of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin. Johnson is known for vivid Appalachian imagery ranging from intimate macro scenes to wildlife behavior, and he is a longtime advocate for conservation. His photography has appeared in Wildlife Photographer of the Year, National Wildlife Magazine, Nature Conservancy Magazine, and many other places. He is a Professor of Visual Communications at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.