Where to Find Art, Craft & Design Competitions: 10 Resources for Artists and Makers

Posted by John Burger on Aug 14, 2026

You've created something you're proud of. Now what?

Whether you work with felt, fiber, textiles, ceramics, woodworking, painting, sculpture, mixed media, or another creative medium, entering your work in a competition or juried exhibition can be an exciting way to challenge yourself and share your creativity with a larger audience.

The hard part is often finding the opportunities in the first place.

Fortunately, there are websites, arts organizations, online communities, and newsletters dedicated to sharing calls for artists, craft competitions, juried exhibitions, grants, residencies, and design opportunities.

Here are some great places to start your search.

1. American Craft Council Opportunities Board

The American Craft Council is an excellent resource for artists and makers.

Its Opportunities Board features calls for entry along with grants, residencies, jobs, internships, and other opportunities for the creative community.

For anyone working in craft-based mediums, this is a resource worth checking regularly.

2. CaFÉ and Creative West Opportunities

CaFÉ (CallForEntry.org) has long been a popular resource for artists searching for calls for entry.

In 2026, CaFÉ moved its call listings into the Creative West Opportunities Portal, where artists can search for opportunities and then use their CaFÉ profile and portfolio to apply for participating calls.

You'll find opportunities ranging from public art projects and exhibitions to competitions and juried shows.

Because new opportunities are continually added, it's worth checking regularly rather than visiting just once.

3. Artwork Archive Calls for Entry

Artwork Archive maintains a searchable Calls for Entry directory that can be especially helpful if you're looking for a wide variety of opportunities.

Artists can search for competitions, exhibitions, grants, residencies, public art proposals, workshops, and other opportunities.

You can also narrow results using filters such as location, deadline, eligibility, entry fee, and category—including Craft/Traditional Arts.

4. Fiber Art Now

If your work involves felt, fabric, fiber, quilting, weaving, embroidery, or other textile-based mediums, Fiber Art Now is particularly relevant.

The organization publishes Calls for Entry for fiber artists and promotes opportunities to have selected work featured in publications and exhibitions.

For artists creating unique projects with felt, this is one we'd definitely keep bookmarked.

5. Textile Society of America

The Textile Society of America maintains a Calls for Art section featuring opportunities related to textiles, fiber arts, printmaking, exhibitions, and other creative disciplines.

If you work primarily with fabric or felt, specialized organizations like this can sometimes uncover opportunities that don't appear when searching general art competition websites.

6. Local Arts Organizations and Craft Centers

Don't overlook organizations in your own community.

Local arts councils, museums, galleries, universities, craft centers, and community art organizations frequently announce:

Juried exhibitions
Craft fairs
Art competitions
Gallery opportunities
Artist residencies
Workshops
Grants
Calls for artists

For example, Craft Alliance in St. Louis maintains news and information about exhibitions, contemporary craft, artists, classes, and what's happening within its craft community.

Search for similar organizations in your own city and state and subscribe to their email newsletters.

7. Facebook Groups and Online Artist Communities

Facebook groups can be surprisingly useful for discovering competitions.

There are communities dedicated specifically to calls for artists, art competitions, craft fairs, fiber artists, textile artists, and individual creative mediums.

Members frequently share opportunities they've discovered, including smaller regional competitions that might be difficult to find through a Google search.

The Facebook group linked with this article is one example of a community you can explore.

Try joining communities related specifically to your medium as well. A fiber artist may discover opportunities in a textile group that would never appear in a general art competition group.

8. Fiber and Textile Guilds

If you're working with felt, don't limit your searches to the word "felt."

Felt generally falls within the much larger world of fiber and textile art.

Fiber guilds frequently maintain lists of upcoming calls for entry. These may include local, regional, national, and even international exhibitions.

Search for terms such as:

"fiber art calls for entry"

"textile art competitions"

"fiber art exhibitions"

"felt art competitions"

"wearable art competitions"

"mixed media calls for artists"

Changing your search terminology can reveal entirely different opportunities.

9. EntryThingy and Art Call Aggregators

Some websites collect opportunities from multiple submission platforms in one place.

EntryThingy's call listings, for example, allow artists to browse opportunities by medium, including Fiber/Textile, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, woodworking, mixed media, photography, and many others.

These aggregator-style websites can save time because you aren't searching dozens of individual galleries and organizations separately.

10. Follow Galleries, Museums, and Arts Organizations

If there's a gallery, museum, craft organization, or annual exhibition you admire, follow them directly.

Follow their social media accounts.

Bookmark their opportunities or exhibitions page.

Many organizations announce their annual calls for entry months before the exhibition opens.

Once you've identified several organizations that regularly feature work similar to yours, create a simple list and check their websites a few times each year.

Don't Forget About Smaller Competitions

It's easy to focus exclusively on large national art competitions.

But smaller opportunities can be just as worthwhile.

Look for competitions through:

County and state fairs
Libraries
Local galleries
Universities and colleges
Art festivals
Craft organizations
Community centers
Museums
State arts councils
Local arts councils

A regional competition can be a great place to begin if you've never submitted your work before.

Always Read the Rules Before Entering

Before submitting your work, carefully review the competition requirements.

Pay particular attention to eligibility, accepted mediums, dimensions, deadlines, entry fees, shipping requirements, image specifications, judging criteria, and whether the artwork must be available for an exhibition.

You should also understand what rights you're granting the organization when submitting photographs of your work.

Legitimate competitions should clearly explain their rules, fees, deadlines, prizes, and organizers.

Don't Be Afraid to Enter

Submitting creative work for judging can feel intimidating.

Don't let that stop you.

Every artist and maker starts somewhere.

You don't necessarily need years of professional experience or a gallery résumé to begin entering competitions. Look for opportunities appropriate to your experience level and medium and give them a try.

You might win an award.

You might have your work selected for an exhibition.

You might meet other artists.

Or you might simply get the motivation you need to create your next project.

All of those can make entering worthwhile.

What Will You Create Next?

At Playfully Ever After, we love seeing people turn simple materials into something completely unexpected.

Our precut felt shapes and felt sheets aren't just for children's crafts. Felt can be used for fiber art, textile design, sculptures, wall art, installations, costumes, mixed-media projects, and countless other creative ideas.

So grab some materials, experiment with something new, and see what you can create.