Events
Student art contest
In partnership with the Minneapolis Institute of Art
Students in grades 6–12 from Hennepin County are invited to enter the 2026 Student art contest. Winning art will be honored and exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Art in spring of 2027.
We will start accepting contest submissions starting December 1, 2026. The deadline for submissions is January 8, 2027.
Theme
This year’s theme is Hope takes root.
Explore how hope grows through kindness, compassion, friendship, peace, and caring for one another. This theme allows students to express what hope looks like to them through people, nature, neighborhoods, culture, family, or community.
We hope this theme provides an opportunity to reflect optimism, connection, and what helps hope take root in our own lives.
Wanda Gág, Tree Forms (detail), 1927, watercolor. Bequest of the Estate of Wanda Gag, 56.29.4
Eligibility
- Must be a current student (grades 6–12)
- Must reside in or attend school in Hennepin County
- Only one entry per student
- Students may collaborate on a single entry, please list all collaborators in the name field on the entry form
Art categories
- Painting or drawing
- Digital illustration
- Digital art
- Mia can support up to two works of video art on 12” screens
- Photography
- Mixed media - collage, fabric, tufting, not digital
- Sculpture
- Submit photos of sculpture
- Size max is 12 inches cubed
- Anime - must be 2 dimensional
Materials not allowed
Art cannot consist of anything containing:
- Mold
- Untreated dirt
- Spores
- Living flora and fauna such as trees, shrubs, mosses, algae, flowers, grasses
- Sharp objects
Timeline
Submissions
December 1, 2026 – January 8, 2027
Judging
January 11 – January 22, 2027
Winners announced
Monday, January 25, 2027
Enter the contest
Submissions for the contest will open Tuesday, December 1, 2026. The entry form will be posted here.