2026 Annual Student Competitive Exhibition

Exhibition Dates: Friday, November 6 – Friday, December 11, 2026

Reception and Award Announcements: Friday, November 6, 2:00-3:00pm

About the juror: David Lusk opened his first gallery in Memphis in 1995. He opened David Lusk Gallery Nashville in 2014 and in July of this year was accepted in the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) – the first gallery in Tennessee and the only gallery in the Southeastern United States to be accepted into the ADAA. Both galleries represent contemporary artists from the American South and the broader Southeastern region.

https://www.davidluskgallery.com

Important dates to remember for students!:

  • Digital submission dates, Monday, September 21 – Saturday, September 26, at midnight.
  • Students notified about selected and rejected artworks, Tuesday, October 13 – Wednesday, October 14.
  • Drop off selected artworks to the Brad Cushman Gallery, Monday, October 26 – Thursday, October 29
  • Post-exhibition, pick up your artwork on Monday, December 14 – Tuesday, December 15

Digital Submission Guidelines:

  1. The Annual Student Competitive is open to all students currently enrolled in a School of Art and Design studio art course. Majors and minors can submit along with students taking an studio art course as an elective. You don’t have to be a studio art major to enter.
  2. Artworks created during workshops and residencies at The Penland School of Craft, Arrowmont School of Art and Craft, Haystack Mountain School of Craft and other locations are also eligible for submission.
  3. You may enter upwards of four (4) artworks. A set or grouping are considered an individual entry. Do not group non-related works or “barely related” works as an individual entry.
  4. You must be currently enrolled in an art course with the UA Little Rock School of Art and Design to submit artworks.
  5. Only artworks made in relation to a UA Little Rock School of Art and Design art course created during or after the Fall 2025 Semester can be entered (basically, artwork created since the previous Student Competitive).
  6. Uploaded images of your artworks must be 1-5 MB. Each image must be labeled with the student’s last name and the title of the artwork: A. The Photography Student Assistant will set dates in the Lighting Studio to help students digitally photograph their artwork, B. There is also a lighting and photography studio in the 3D area. 1 to 3 views of sculptural objects may be entered per 3D artwork. NO PDFs OF IMAGES WILL BE ACCEPTED.
  7. Entry Form fields. You must fill out all fields for each entry. Failure to enter ALL requested information could result in your submissions being disqualified. A. Student first and last name, B. Email, C. Physical address, D. Student Workday#, E. Title of artwork, F. Date created, G. Media* and dimensions, H. Instructor name and course name, I. Sale price or Not For Sale. Scholarships, purchase awards and cash awards are presented to students which is why we need your Workday# and mailing address. *Identify the exact media. Do not say “digital”; identify the exact program or programs. Do not say “drawing”; identify the exact media used and the matrix. Do not say “painting”; identify if it is acrylic, oil and if it is on canvas, paper, board, etc. Should you have questions, please contact Brian, [email protected] or Nathan, [email protected].
  8. 3D artwork must include the height (H), width (W) and depth (D). If the 3D artwork is wall mounted, please include “(wall hanging)” after the title. There are no size restrictions, but please be aware that if a large artwork, a heavy artwork, or a complicted-to-install artwork is selected by the juror, you may be asked to help move, install and deinstall that artwork. **The Gallery Director and the Unit Head of the School of Art and Design have the right to reject an artwork based on difficulty of installation or installation danger to the staff.
  9. Animation submissions should adhere to the following formatting requirements: A. MP4 formatted using h.264 codec, B. 720p video resolution, C. minimum of 30 seconds and a maximum of 120 seconds in length.
  10. A sale price or Not For Sale are the only options. Price upon request is unacceptable. You should be learning how to price your artwork. Don’t be afraid to discuss pricing with your instructor and or Brian, [email protected] or Nathan, [email protected]
  11. The Annual Student Competitive is juried by a person with no affiliation to UA Little Rock or to the School of Art and Design.
  12. Students will be notified by email – only – as to the selection or rejection of their submissions.
  13. Students with selected artworks will delivery them to the Brad Cushman Gallery during the posted drop-off days and hours.
  14. Artworks must be “presentation ready” which means ready to install when dropped off at the gallery. If you need an explanation as to what constitutes “presentation ready”, please talk with your instructor and or Brian, [email protected] or Nathan, [email protected]. We are all here to answer questions and to offer assistance!
  15. At the end of the exhibition, you are responsible for picking up your artwork. The dates are listed above. If you are unable to pick up your artwork during those days you must tell Brian, [email protected] and Nathan, [email protected] in advance!

The School of Art and Design Student Competitive Entry Form is now CLOSED. Good luck!