The Schwa Show is a National Juried competition recognizing excellence in fine arts and crafts
Exhibition Dates: October 2 - 31, 2026
Deadline Date: August 15, 2026 by 11:59pm
Eligibility
This exhibition is open to artists in any media and subject matter. Artists must be age 18 and up. All work must have been completed in the past 3 years and never previously exhibited at Emerge Gallery. All pieces must fit through our exterior door (36” x 80”). Work must be available for entire exhibition. Video entries are accepted, but special equipment must be provided. Work must be ready to hang or will not be eligible.
Application Submission and Deadline
Entries and Fees
All entries are to be submitted digitally through www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ).
Please retain a copy of the information you provide on the entry form.
If you have not registered previously with CaFÉ, setting up your portfolio is free. CaFÉ requires that all images conform to a specific format. Before you begin the entry process, review CaFÉ’s instructions and tutorials. For technical assistance with your entry, please see https://artist-help.callforentry.org/, or contact cafe@westaf.org.
Each artist may submit up to 5 entries. Artists are required to submit 3 entries for a fee of $20, with the option to submit 2 additional entries at $5 each. There is a limit of 5 entries per artist. Ideally, this would be 3 to 5 individual artworks. Each entry allows for only 1 photo, so if the same artwork is submitted multiple times, please note that if the artwork is chosen, only 1 submission will be notified of acceptance.
Each entry will receive the jury’s decision in a separate email, via CaFÉ, on August 31, 2026. It is the artist’s responsibility to monitor his/her CaFÉ account where all submissions will be listed and marked either invited or not under “My CaFÉ Entries.”
It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to note each artwork's application number, as this identifier will be used to announce the accepted works. Please retain a copy of the information you provide on the entry form.
Entries will be active on the CaFÉ website and must be completed by 11:59PM MDT on August 15, 2026. Notifications of acceptance will be emailed by August 31, 2026.
Awards
There will be cash awards:
Best of Show - $1000
Best of 2D - $500
Best of 3D - $500
Honorable Mention (3): $100
Juror - Holly Garriott
Holly Garriott is the Executive Director of Emerge Gallery & Art Center, Home of the Pitt County Arts Council and an Associate Teaching Professor at the School of Art and Design at East Carolina University. Holly founded Emerge Gallery in Greenville, NC in 2000, when she was a graduate student in ceramics at ECU. In 2009, Emerge became the designated partner to the North Carolina Arts Council as the Local Arts Agency. For 25 years, Holly has helped build the arts community in Pitt County and has assisted with the revitalization of the Downtown Greenville District.
Holly received a B.S. in Art from James Madison University focusing on printmaking and ceramics, where she was also on the 1994 Division 1 National Championship Field Hockey team. She then received a B.F.A. and M.F.A. in ceramics from East Carolina University.
