Design Downtown Regional Art Contest

The City of Texarkana, Texas is excited to announce the Design Downtown Regional Art Contest to be held this fall in downtown Texarkana. Residents of Miller, Bowie, and Cass counties will be able to submit renderings of a downtown Texarkana building, public space, or stretch of property in the Arts & Historic District. The winner will receive local recognition, have their submissions displayed in various locations downtown, and prints will be made for the Sesquicentennial Time Capsule, which will be buried on December 8th of this year.

Currently, downtown has large-scale redevelopment happening, new businesses under remodel, landscape and infrastructure improvements, and an energy that’s hard to match buzzing down our historic city streets. To aid in this reimagining of downtown, the city wants to know what a revitalized downtown could look like through the eyes of our community. Do you envision a cafe, bookstore, outdoor community space, or bakery? While many great efforts are being made, there is still room to dream big, and we invite you to dream with us!

Schedule and Deadlines

Artwork may be submitted between September 1st – November 3rd at the Texarkana, Texas City Hall front desk, located at 220 Texas Blvd, during normal business hours. M-F 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
Submissions will be displayed from November 6th – December 8th in various city buildings in the Arts and Historic District.
Local artisans will judge each entry and winners will be announced on December 1st.
Reproductions of winning submissions will be put inside the Sesquicentennial Time Capsule on December 8th. (Place TBD)

Contest Rules and Submission Guidelines

Open to both Texas and Arkansas residents, from Bowie and Miller County, as well as Cass County residents.
An Artist Submission Form must be submitted with your artwork.
Artwork must be original, previously unpublished, and free of copyright restrictions.
Designs must incorporate elements of downtown in the designated Texarkana Arts and Historic District area specified in the map below.
Submissions may be in any art medium (pencil, pen, paint, crayon, digital, oil, etc.). Artwork will be accepted on high-quality paper, with a minimum size of 8.5 x 11 in. and a maximum size of 24 x 36 in.
Participants may submit only one entry per category: 1st-5th Grade, 6th-8th Grade, 9th-12th Grade, Adult, and Senior (55+).
There is no cost to submit your entry.

Categories and Prizes

Each division will have a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner, and each winner will receive a prize along with having their renderings made into copies to be put inside the Sesquicentennial Time Capsule.
1st-3rd Place winners in the following categories will receive an artisan gift basket: 1st-5th Grade & 6th-8th Grade.
Winners in the following categories will receive $250 for 1st Place, $100 for 2nd Place, and $50 for 3rd Place: 9th-12th Grade, Adult, and Senior (55+).
Winners will be announced on social media and will be presented with their prizes in person.

*Contest Organizers reserve the right to deny entry of submissions deemed inappropriate due to the use of derogatory language or imagery, use of copyrighted materials, or entries that do not incorporate appropriate themes and designs.

For questions, please contact Planning & Project Management Coordinator Matt Solomon at john.solomon@txkusa.org

To see updates and announcements on the contest, please follow the Design Downtown Facebook Event Page

To get a feel for what's currently happening downtown, inspiration, and to see the borders of the Texarkana Arts & Historic District please see the attached document here.