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Applications Open for 2027 Columbus Arts Festival on Sept. 7 - Columbus Arts Fest

Submit work in 16 visual art categories for jury selection to exhibit at the 2027 Columbus Arts Festival.

Does this fit your work? 5 questions score every call to your medium, location and budget. Free.

Deadline: 88 days left
Entry fee: Free
Award: Exhibition opportunity at nationally ranked festival
Location: Columbus downtown riverfront, Columbus, Ohio
Exhibition window: Jun 11, 2027 → Jun 13, 2027
Applicants notified: Feb 1, 2027

Heads up: this show’s exhibition window can overlap other calls you enter - the same piece can’t hang in two places at once.Check conflicts →

About

Overview

The 65th-annual Columbus Arts Festival, ranked as a top festival in the country by USA Today and Sunshine Artist Magazine, will take place June 11-13, 2027 on Columbus' downtown riverfront. Applications for exhibiting visual artists, performing artists, and food vendors open September 7, 2026.

Visual Artist Categories

Applications are accepted online in 16 categories: 2D Mixed Media, 3D Mixed Media, Ceramics, Emerging Festival Artist Program, Digital Art (including Digital Photography), Drawing, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Leather, Metal (non-sculptural), Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Wood.

Emerging Festival Artist Program

Designed specifically for artists with limited or no experience exhibiting and selling artwork at festivals. This program is open to qualifying artists in Franklin and surrounding counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union. Select 'Emerging Festival Artist Program' as the category in your application.

Key Dates

Applications open: Monday, September 7, 2026
Visual artist and Emerging Festival Artist applications deadline: Friday, December 11, 2026
Big Local Arts Village participant applications open: February 16, 2027
Artists chosen by blind jury process: early 2027
Festival dates: June 11-13, 2027

Informational Meetings

September 15, 6-8 p.m.
October 13, noon to 2 p.m.
November 10, 6-8 p.m.

Festival Hours

Friday, June 11: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (artist booths close at 8 p.m.; optional to stay open later)
Saturday, June 12: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (artist booths close at 8 p.m.; optional to stay open later)
Sunday, June 13: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Selection Process

Each year more than 1,000 artists apply for approximately 230 booth spaces. Artists are chosen by a panel of experts in a blind jury process in early 2027.

Contact & More Information

For application links, specific deadlines and other details, visit columbusartsfestival.org/apply/visual-artists. Call (614) 221-8531, email [email protected], or visit columbusartsfestival.org. Contact: Jami Goldstein, [email protected], (614) 221-8492.

Media accepted

abstractacrylicceramicscharcoalcollagecraftdigitaldrawingencausticfiber

Award: Exhibition opportunity at nationally ranked festival
Entry fee: Free to enter
Eligibility: Open to visual artists; Central Ohio artists encouraged; BIPOC communities, LGBTQIA+ communities, artists with disabilities and other historically underrepresented groups encouraged to apply.
Audience: Central Ohio artists encouraged; Emerging Festival Artist Program for artists with limited or no festival exhibition experience in Franklin and surrounding counties
Contact: [email protected]

Every listing links to the organizer's official page. Always confirm deadlines, fees, and entry rules there before you apply.