Short Description:
The Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is recognized as one of the top-rated outdoor fine art festivals in the country. The 56th Annual Festival will be held February 28 – March 1, 2026, at at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in downtown Tampa. The Festival is presented by Gasparilla Arts, Inc. – a non-profit, entirely volunteer-run organization. Each year, up to 235 artists are selected through a juried process to exhibit their work for art enthusiasts and vie for at least $92,000 in award money, including the $15,000 Raymond James Best of Show Award and an additional 38 awards. The Festival is free to the public and attracts an estimated 30,000 visitors.
This application is for GFA’s main show. The Emerging Artists Program application will be available in October. Please follow GFA on social media (@gasparillaarts on all platforms) for more information.
Application Requirements:
Images: 4 (a booth shot is required)
You can submit up to four applications for this show. Artists cannot submit multiple applications in the same medium.
Eligibility:
Artists participating in the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts (the “Festival”) must be 18 years of age or older as of the first day of the Festival. If a participating artist is required to sign any document prior to their 18th birthday, such document must be co-signed by a parent or guardian and ratified by the artist after they turn 18 years old.
To be eligible for jury and awards, all work must be original, created by the artist within the 3 years prior to the Festival, signed by the artist and available for sale with the price clearly visible. Any piece of art that has won an award at our Festival is ineligible for awards at any subsequent Festival.
An accepted application is a commitment to participate in the Festival, and refunds will not be issued for cancellations.
Program Benefits or Awards:
In an effort to continuously improve the Festival and in response to suggestions made by artists in past years, Gasparilla Festival of the Arts has made changes to its jury process. Please closely review the following for details on those changes.
A juror of national prominence (hereinafter, “the Festival Awards Juror”) will jury the Festival on Saturday, February 28, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The Festival Awards Juror will determine the recipients of the top awards which includes the Raymond James Best in Show award of $15,000 as well as ten Awards of Merit in the amount of $1,300 each.
The four Selection Jurors, who reviewed all applications to determine the artists invited to the Festival, will be responsible for determining the recipients of five Awards of Merit, assuming we continue to have funding for 30 Awards of Merit awards in total.
The Emerging Artists Program selection juror will determine the recipients of the following awards:
$1,000 Tampa Bay Regional High School Young Artists Expo Award (Three students receive $1,000 each)
$2,000 Tampa Bay Regional High School Young Artists Expo Award (Three high schools receive $2,000 each)
Entry Fee:
Fee (Application Fee) $50.00
Location: Tampa, FL United States
Deadline: September 7, 2025
Website link:
