Creative Futures 2026

The School of Art and Design at Southern Illinois University Carbondale invites Illinois high school art and design teachers to submit works by no more than five (5) current junior or senior students from their schools for consideration in Creative Futures 2026, the third statewide high school art and design competition.

Accepted entries will be featured in an online exhibition from January 9, 2026 to January 15, 2027. A total of $13,500 in scholarships will be awarded across three categories: 2-D Art (drawing, painting, photography, printmaking), 3-D Art (ceramics, glass, metals, sculpture), and Design/Digital Art (web/graphic design, industrial design, animation, video). Entries will be juried by faculty from the School of Art and Design at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Submissions must be still images (JPGs or PNGs, no more than 3600 pixels wide or high) or video/animation (MP4s, MOVs, or AVIs, up to 25MB). Instructors must register using school-affiliated email addresses. All costs associated with the competition and online exhibition are covered by the School of Art and Design. The entry deadline is December 21, 2025 at 11:59pm CST. Jury results will be sent to teachers on January 7, 2026, and award winners will be announced on January 16, 2026. The School of Art and Design reserves the right to utilize images of accepted works for the online exhibition and promotion of future competitions.