IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts 2027

The 51st Annual IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts is January 22, 23 and 24, 2027 in New Smyrna Beach, FL. Consistently RANKED TOP 50 in the NATION for Fine Art Festivals by Sunshine Artist Magazine! The event attracts 53,000+ arts enthusiasts and more than $20,000 in cash awards.

General Information

The Festival takes place on historic Canal Street and picturesque Riverside Drive adjacent to Riverside Park on the beautiful Intracoastal Waterway. New Smyrna Beach is located on Florida's Central East Coast. All artists' booths are located on the street. A food court of food trucks, entertainment tent showcasing outstanding musical acts, student art exhibit and children's art programs and face painting are featured in the park itself. Sponsors of the festival are located in the park and on the street. Application is not a guarantee of participation. Application fees are NON Refundable.

HOUR OF OPERATION: Friday - January 22, 2027 Setup: 6 AM - 12:30 PM Show: 1 PM - 5 PM Saturday – January 23, 2027 Show: 9 AM - 5 PM Sunday- January 24, 2027 Show: 10 AM - 4 PM

Show size: IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts is limited to 225 spaces. The Festival sees 50,000+ people over the three-day weekend.

Space size: Artists will be assigned and must stay within their allotted 10' X 11' exhibition space unless otherwise approved by festival management. Single $350/ Double $675 / Corners $100 limited available/ $50 Electric

Festival Judging: In-Booth Judging for cash awards will begin on Friday afternoon and continue Saturday. Artists will be judged on excellence, originality, presentation and overall.

Awards

2027 IMAGES Awards Best in Show $5000 1st Place $3500 George and June Musson Award of Excellence 2nd Place $2500 Buddy Davenport Award of Excellence 3rd Place $2000 in Honor of Joey Twardowsz Iris Legacy Award $200 2 ACA Volunteer League Choice Awards (1 in 2D $500/ 1 in 3D $500) 28 Awards of Merit (14 in 2D / 14 in 3D) @ $400 each

Eligibility

All work must be made by the artist in the tent. Reps are not allowed. Buy Sell, ai generated work, and sublimation are not eligible to participate.

Selection Process by Jury: Artists invited to participate in IMAGES are chosen by a selection committee consisting of artists and art administrators. The judges review all qualified entries independently on computers. Artist names are not visible during the selection process to guarantee complete impartiality. Each entry receives a numerical score from each juror, and the highest scores in each category are selected. Notices of acceptance or non-acceptance will be emailed to the applicants after the deadline to apply. You will also be notified if you have been placed on wait-list. You can choose to have your name removed from the wait-list if you wish.

Jurying: Artists may enter in more than one category; however, a separate application must be submitted for each category as well as a separate jurying fee. If you receive an invitation into the Festival and accept it, you agree to be committed to the show.

Artist Hospitality: New Smyrna Beach is very welcoming to its visiting artists! Festival Artist Hospitality is available Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and includes breakfast snacks each morning, and the Artist Breakfast on Sunday morning. Times and places of operation will be listed in your Artist Packet picked up at Registration. The Artist Breakfast is held Sunday morning where the Awards are announced, and winner's ribbons are distributed. Award checks will be delivered to the artists on Sunday. We encourage all artists to attend the breakfast.

Rules and Regulations

Artwork:

• The quality of exhibited work is expected to be equal to the images submitted for judging. Compliance will visit every booth on Friday to check your work against the images submitted. If your work is not equal to your submitted images, the Festival has the right to ask you to leave the show and you forfeit your booth space fee.
• Two artists collaborating to produce single pieces of art may qualify as a single exhibitor, but all works displayed should be products of collaboration rather than individual works by each collaborator.
• No ribbons or awards from other shows may be displayed.
• Paintings, graphics and photographs must be suitably framed, matted or wrapped.
• Each artist is to display the provided Festival identification card showing name, space number and city of residence. They are also to wear their nametags provided by the Festival.
• Artists are responsible for supplying their own tents and for making their tents sturdy against 40mph wind, rain, etc. Anchor weights are required.
• Artists will receive a booth space of approximately 10' X 11.' Artists will not take up any additional booth space unless approved by festival staff. Double booth spaces and corners are LIMITED and first-come, first-serve.
• All vehicles must be removed from the show area no later than ½ hour before the show begins on each day. Setup and breakdown times are strictly enforced. Any person closing his/her booth before the scheduled closing time on Sunday may be disqualified from future shows.
• Each exhibitor is solely responsible for collecting the applicable 6.5% Florida sales tax and filing the report with the local department of revenue.

Booth Information and Fees

2027 Booth Fees: $50 non refundable application fee/ Waived for all previous IMAGES Best of Show winners Single $350/ Double $675 / Corners $150 First come, limited available/ $50 Electric

Space size: Artists will be assigned and must stay within their allotted 10' X 11' exhibition space unless otherwise approved by festival management.

• Registration will be open on Date and time TBD from 6 AM until 12:30 PM.
• All booths must be set up and completed no later than 12:30 PM on Friday to be eligible for the show.
• All artists MUST CHECK IN AT REGISTRATION located on Douglas Street near Riverside Drive. You will be given an artist packet which will include your Booth Assignment and your name badge[s] and pertinent information regarding the show. We encourage you to read everything in your packet before the show opens for business.
• Without exception, artists' vehicles will not be allowed on site after the setup times specified above.
• If you need an address for GPS - you can use: 214 S. Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168.

Refund and Cancellation Policy

Application fees are non-refundable. In an instance of extenuating circumstances, booth fee refund requests must be in writing and will be reviewed by IMAGES staff and committee. No refunds will be made after Dec 15, 2026. No refunds will be made for inclement weather.

Jury Details

Average number of applications submitted each year: 500

Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event: 225

Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event: 3

How returning artists are selected: Received an award

Vendors that are excluded/ineligible: NO Buy Sell allowed

How images are viewed by jurors: Computer monitor

Within a medium category, applications are sorted and viewed by: Random Order

Jurors score applications using the following scale: 1 - 5

Number of jurors scoring applications: 6

The show organizes the jurors for a: Multiple jury panels that score applications for specific medium categories that he/she has expertise

Jurors score: Separately from various locations

Am I allowed to observe the jury process?: Jury process is closed

Artists invited to participate in IMAGES are chosen by a selection committee consisting of artists and art administrators. The judges review all qualified entries independently on computers. Artist names are not visible during the selection process to guarantee complete impartiality. Each entry receives a numerical score from each juror, and the highest scores in each category are selected.

Six jurors score applications separately from various locations, organized into multiple panels by medium category, viewing images on a computer monitor in random order on a 1-5 scale. The jury process is closed to observation.