2026 Holiday Art Competition

The Holiday Art Competition is jointly presented by The Delaplaine Arts Center (the Delaplaine) and the Holiday Committee, a sub-committee of Celebrate Frederick Inc., a private, non-profit corporation working in partnership with the City of Frederick. The theme for the competition is a secular celebration of "The Holidays in Historic Frederick." The artwork should be a way for people unfamiliar with Frederick to have an idea of the winter wonderland that awaits locals and tourists during the winter months.

The selected artwork, or portions of the artwork, will be used by Celebrate Frederick in several "The Holidays" promotional pieces for the upcoming year. The finished product may include logos and/or copy added by Celebrate Frederick as needed. All two-dimensional works in any medium are acceptable, including paintings, drawings, hand-pulled prints, etchings, collage, photography, digital paintings, etc. The artwork should incorporate recognizable symbols of Frederick: architectural highlights of the city, such as the Carillon, Schifferstadt, the Clustered Spires; people having fun in a winter or snowy depiction of Patrick Street, East Street, or Market Street; the Carroll Creek Linear Park; and carolers, carriage rides, candlelight, and camaraderie.

The work should be able to be reproduced in black and white. Judging: the first round will be conducted virtually through the Delaplaine's online exhibit entry portal, with all judges working remotely and individually, determining which artworks will be accepted for exhibition during the reception and which will remain on display at the Delaplaine throughout December. The second round will be conducted in person after the artwork has been installed, and these judges will confer with each other to determine the recipients of the Judges' Choice Award, and if applicable, the Judges' Special Award.

Judges' Choice: A prize of $1,000 will be awarded to the winning artist during the reception, based on artistic merit, ease of reproduction, exemplification of theme, and adherence to rules. Barbara Maghan People's Choice: A certificate will be awarded to the winning artist during the reception as selected by popular vote that evening. Judges' Special Award: Judges may choose to honor an artist with a Judges' Special Award certificate recognizing exceptional artistic merit.

The competition will be judged in two rounds. The first round will be conducted virtually through the Delaplaine's online exhibit entry portal, with all judges working remotely and individually. This round will determine which artworks will be accepted for exhibition during the Holiday Art Competition reception, as well as which of those will remain on display at the Delaplaine throughout December.

The second round will be conducted in person after the artwork has been installed, and these judges will confer with each other to make their decisions. This round will determine the recipients of the Judges' Choice Award, and if applicable, the Judges' Special Award. Accepted artwork will be announced on November 7.