Photos provided by MSU Art Galleries
The Cotton District Arts Festival includes the Juried Arts Competition and Exhibit: carefully juried works from both local and regional artists. Submissions to the Juried Arts Show are entirely separate from the Artisan Village. An artist may participate in either or both, but must submit to each separately for consideration.

Each piece in this Exhibit is hand selected by a notable guest juror. From the accepted pieces, prizes are awarded in several categories. In addition, numerous merit prizes, provided by local individuals and businesses, are given to artists selected by the juror as honorable mentions. 
We are very proud of both the quality of the work and the number of pieces sold and enjoyed by those in attendance each year. The depth and breadth of the art, and the creative and invigorating atmosphere found at the Juried Arts Exhibition each year is phenomenal, you won’t want to miss it.

To be selected as an exhibiting artist for the Juried Art show is an honor in itself. Works selected are viewed by thousands of festival goers providing the artist with recognition and publicity. The competition is open to artists eighteen years old and older, and whether you have been creating art for years, or are just getting started, we encourage you to enter the competition. To submit, please navigate to the Applications page.

If accepted, works must be delivered on April 17 (the day before the Festival).

NOTE: In 2020, admitted works will now have an opportunity to remain part of an extended show in downtown Starkville. Given the late announcement of this development, participation in the extended show will be at the choice of each participating artist.


2020 CDAF Juried Arts Show
April 18

@ the ​MSU Visual Arts Center (in the Cotton District)

2020 Juror​
Stay Tuned!

Awards

All submission fees, sponsorships, and donations to the Juried Arts Show fund a purse of prizes that are paid back out to artists in awards. Although the final amount of awards is ultimately in the discretion of SAAC and CDAF, the following awards are anticipated.
  • Best in Show: $750
  • 1st Place (each category): $500
  • 2nd Place (each category): $250
These awards are paid whether or not the work is sold.

SUPPORT THE ARTS

Each year at the Cotton District Arts Festival, the Juried Arts Committee makes available 
two opportunities for supporters of the arts to be more involved in this venue:
Purchase Prize: 
This is a pledge by an individual or business to purchase a piece of art from the exhibit at a private reception prior to the exhibit being opened to the public. The artist is paid the asking price on the piece and the check is made payable directly to the artist. 
Merit Award (Honorable Mention): 
This is a monetary award given either by an individual, in honor of someone, or in memory of someone. When the “First”, “Second”, and “Best in Show” prizes are awarded, the juror will choose artwork that is worthy of honorable mention and award each of them a Merit Award. The artist retains their artwork and receives the amount of the award as a prize. The recipient and the donor will find out on Saturday, at the awards ceremony, who was the recipient of their Merit Award. 
Both of these prizes are an incentive for an artist to enter the competition and receive compensation for their work. There are labels placed on the pieces or art designating who purchased them or who sponsored a Merit Award and are displayed during the exhibit on Saturday. For further information, please email Elle Lindig here.

Juried Arts Show Winners


​Come back after the festival for #CDAF2020 winners!