Festival poster contest open for submissions

Calling all local artists.

The Festival at Sandpoint's 2026 poster contest is now open for submissions as the nonprofit seeks an art piece to represent its 2026 summer performance series.

The contest closes Feb. 2, 2026.

To enter, create an original art piece that embodies the Festival at Sandpoint, music and/or the Sandpoint region in a creative way. All mediums are welcome and encouraged.

Submissions are evaluated on multiple criteria: overall appearance, demonstrated artistic skill, creativity, reproduction and marketability potential, and how well the art embodies the spirit of the Festival.

The winning art piece will be featured on poster prints and merchandise, with the winner and their art included in marketing materials viewed by thousands. The winner will receive two 2026 summer series sponsor passes or a scholarship (available for students pursuing continuing education).

All ages are welcome to apply, but entrants under 18 will require parental/guardian consent.

Art pieces and applications must be submitted digitally or in person at the Festival office by 5 p.m. Feb. 2, 2026, to be eligible.

The winner of the 2025 poster contest was Perky Smith-Hagadone, who submitted the piece "Wild Cantata" showing a great blue heron perched on Gold Hill as it lifts its wings to the music.

Set as the day deepens into dusk, a lazuli bunting, an American goldfinch, a song sparrow, a western tanager, a California quail, and a rufous hummingbird sit perched on the heron's wings as music rises into the air, wrapping around the moon.

"As a birder and a lover of our natural world, finding inspiration was not difficult," Smith-Hagadone said. "As the Festival at Sandpoint is surrounded by stunning mountains, lakes and rivers and filled with essential native flora and fauna, I wanted to showcase some of the beauty of our native birds in hopes that we continue to preserve our wild areas for all who call it home."

The Festival at Sandpoint, a nonprofit organization, hosts an annual summer performance series at War Memorial Field in Sandpoint. The 2026 Summer Concert Series will take place July 30-Aug. 9.

For more information about the poster contest or the Festival at Sandpoint, go online to festivalatsandpoint.com.