The 99th Annual McLean County Amateur Art Exhibition will open on March 6th, 2026, at the McLean County Arts Center. 

Applications close at 11:45 PM on February 7th, 2026. All accepted artists will be notified via email by noon on February 13th, 2026. 

Featuring work by high school, university, and adult artists, this juried exhibition highlights the diverse creativity of our community. Professional artists external to the MCAC serve as paid jurors.

All submitted works will be juried and judged for cash merit awards based on the artist category (high school, university, or adult) and by their medium (painting, graphics, photography/new media, video, sculpture, or fiber/textile). 

At the Awards Ceremony on Saturday March 7th (details below), awards totaling over $2000 will be presented. Each year, the Best of Show Merwin Medal is awarded to the most outstanding artwork, and the Ashley C. Ritter Most Promising Art Award is given to the artist exhibiting the most future potential.

Guidelines for Application

1. An "emerging" artist can be many things -- for the purpose of this exhibition, we broadly define an emerging artist as anyone whose primary source of income is not generated by their art. 
2. Each artist may submit up to two artworks for consideration by the jury. The artworks can be in two different mediums, but please note that each individual only has two submission opportunities -- not two submissions per medium. 
3. If a collaborative artwork is to be submitted, all contributing artists must be listed on the submission. Collaborative artworks will still count as one of an artist's two submission opportunities. 
4. As this is a community exhibition, the artworks submitted must be appropriate for all ages. 
5. All artwork must be original to the submitting artist. Submitting work that is a reproduction, plagiaristic, or misrepresentative in nature is grounds for dismissal from the exhibition and may result in future restrictions for application. 
6. Submitted work(s) must have been produced by the artist within the last three years. 
7. All pieces must be wired for hanging or otherwise installation-ready. If your work is not wired or is wired incorrectly, it will not be accepted. If you are unsure what this means or would like to confirm that your work is installation ready, call MCAC at 309-829-0011 or email Amy at amy@mcac.org. We will not accept work that is not installation-ready.
8. All exhibiting artwork is considered for sale unless marked "NFS". The MCAC utilizes a standard 30/70 gallery price policy (30% of the sale goes to the gallery, and 70% of the sale goes to the artist). Please price your work with this in mind. 
9. A non-refundable application fee of $5 per artwork entered can be made through this secure form. If you need help completing the form, please email us at info@mcac.org, call us at 309-829-0011, or visit us in person at the MCAC (601 N. East St Bloomington, IL 61701). 

Important Dates

Application Deadline: February 7th, 2026

Date of Notification: February 13th, 2026 

Accepted Art Drop-Off Dates:

• Feb. 16-25 (Monday-Friday 12-4 PM, Saturday 9-1 PM)

Exhibition Dates: March 6th - April 24th, 2026

Award Ceremony: March 7th

Adult Awards at 10:00 AM
College Awards at 10:30 AM.
High School Awards at 11:00 AM.