Carroll Harris Simms National Black Art Competition and Exhibition

The Carroll Harris Simms National Black Art Competition and Exhibition was established in 1976 by the African American Museum to build a distinguished art collection and provide Black artists a venue to display their work. In 1999, the Museum's Board of Trustees named the biennial competition after Professor Carroll Harris Simms in recognition of his outstanding contribution to art and art education.

The competition awards $1,000 to one artist in each of six categories: painting, sculpture, mixed media, drawing, printmaking, and photography. One work is chosen from the category winners as the Best in Show artist, who receives the opportunity to have a solo exhibition in the two years following the competition. The Best in Show artist agrees to donate a piece of their work from the show to the museum's permanent collection. Previous winners include Charley Palmer (AL), Sedrick Huckaby (TX), Jeremy Biggers (TX), Florence Staats (NJ), Asia Youngs-Bailey (TX), Lee Ransaw (AR), and Leamon Green (TX).

Eligibility is open to all artists of African descent over the age of eighteen. Applicants may submit 1-4 works. Each entry requires the artist's name, title of work, completion date, medium, size, and entry number. Images must be submitted in JPEG format only at 300 dpi (maximum 5MB). For sculpture entries, submit 3-4 images reflecting different perspectives. An artist's statement and current biographical information are required. The entry fee is $10.00 per application. Artist selection notice will be between December 21-27, 2024. Accepted work must be received by January 17, 2025. Upon receipt of artwork, withdrawal from the exhibition will not be allowed. The exhibition runs January 30 - July 31, 2025.