2026 Student Art Competition & Exhibit

Davis Arts Council presents the 2026 Student Art Exhibit

 Open to 9th-12th Grade Davis County Students

Entry Instructions – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.

Please apply by November 8th at 10 p.m.

Students may submit up to two (2) total pieces, however, each piece must be a different medium. Each piece should have its own entry form.

Awards will be presented at the Reception and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Winners not present will be notified via email, and announcements will made online the following day.

Prizes include:

  • 1st, 2nd, 3rd
  • Honorable Mentions
  • Purchase Award (selected by DAC Board of Trustees)

TIMELINE

Location

Davis Conference Center

1651 N. 700 W. Layton, Utah

 

Drop off

Monday, November 9th between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. (Artwork may be dropped off by teacher, parent, or student. Applications are required for each piece.)

 

 Framing Workshop

Monday, November 9th starting at 3:00 p.m.

Students who need to borrow a frame or need assistance with attaching hanging hardware can come to the workshop and receive support from DAC staff & volunteers. Frames are loaned free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis, and we have limited sizes and inventory. All frames will be re-claimed at the end of the exhibit when works are collected. Loaned frames cannot be included in a sale if a piece of art is purchased.

 

 Exhibit Duration

 November 10, 2026 – January 11, 2027

Open to the public, free of charge.

 

 Opening Reception & Awards Ceremony

Thursday, November 19 at 5:00 p.m.

 

 Pick-Up

Tuesday, January 12th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Artwork not picked up at this time will be sold or donated unless prior arrangements have been made.

All artwork MUST comply with the following:

  • Size – Including all matting and framing, each piece can be a maximum of 24” x 24.”
  • Weight – Including all matting and framing, each piece can be a maximum 5 lbs.
  • Framing – Framing and matting are not required as long as the piece meets all other requirements.
  • Hanging – All art must be ready to hang on a wall. Sculptural pieces will not be accepted.
  • Hardware – D-Ring and multi-filament wire ONLY – no hooks or sawtooth hangers (see example below.)
    • Mono-filament wire is not acceptable.
    • Wire attachment points must be in the top 1/3 of the piece.
    • Please verify that framed art hangs properly on the wall before submitting.
  • If you are unsure about how to prepare your art to be hung in a gallery, ask your art teacher for help!

Hanging hardware not in compliance may need to be removed and/or altered, or the artwork may be rejected, and any awards forfeited.

Artwork containing nudity, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, vulgar or explicit language, hate speech, or political statements will not be accepted.

Davis Arts Council reserves the right to refuse entry to any artwork deemed inappropriate.

Pricing Your Artwork

We strongly recommend all artists place their artwork for sale!

If someone is interested in purchasing your work of art, Davis Arts Council staff will contact the student and their listed adult with the purchaser’s information. It is then up to the student and their adult to coordinate a pickup date after the close of the gallery on January 8. If you need your art for a college or AP portfolio or to enter into another competition, you may keep it until that is complete. The purchaser will pay the student/adult directly for the artwork upon receipt.

To be eligible for the “Board Purchase” award, which adds the winning piece(s) to DAC’s permanent collection, a piece must be listed for sale.

How to Decide the Price – Analog Artwork/Originals

Here is how we recommend you create a price for your art:

  1. Figure out how many hours it took you to make the art
  2. Decide on a fair hourly wage (many student artists pick a wage around $10-$20 per hour.)
  3. Multiply the number of hours by the hourly wage
  4. Add the cost of materials (frame, canvas, paint, etc.)

You can learn more about how to price your artwork here.

How to Decide the Price – Digital Artwork/Prints

If your art is digital, you will retain the copyright to your work. This means you can continue to print and sell copies of the piece as often as you would like.

To price prints, use the method above to determine pricing and divide that by the number of prints you estimate you will sell (typically 1-10 for student artists.) Or, start with a price of $0.25-$0.50 per square inch (so an 8X10 print would start at $20-$40.) Either way, be sure to add the cost of materials (frame, paper, printing, etc.)

Remember: You get to decide the final price for your artwork. If the formulas above produce a price that feels too high or too low, you can always set the price at whatever feels right to you.