Organizers of the Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival are inviting artists across the region to submit designs for the event’s official poster, opening the annual contest earlier than in past years in hopes of drawing a larger field of entries.
The festival, now heading into its 17th year, is scheduled to run July 27 through Aug. 2 in Mobile. Festival staff said moving up the poster contest timeline should give artists more breathing room to develop and submit their work before the deadline.
The competition is open to artists of all backgrounds and skill levels, though each participant may submit only one entry. Submissions must be original, unpublished two-dimensional works that have not appeared in any other contest or publication.
Entries must measure 24 inches high by 18 inches wide and be mounted on white core foam board. Each piece is also required to incorporate the words “Gulf Coast Ethnic & Heritage Jazz Festival,” the phrase “Mobile, Alabama,” and the year “2015” somewhere in the design.
Completed artwork, along with a signed entry form, must be delivered to the festival’s offices at 56 St. Joseph St., Suite 1311, in downtown Mobile no later than May 1. Entry forms are available through the festival’s website.
A panel of judges will review the submissions and select a winner in May. The chosen design, or elements of it, will be used as the official festival poster and may also appear across other promotional materials tied to the event.
The winning artist will receive a $200 cash prize, along with a vendor booth to display and sell additional artwork during the festival’s “Jazz at the Temple” performance, set for Saturday, Aug. 1.
The Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival has become a fixture of Mobile’s summer arts calendar, drawing musicians and visitors from across the Gulf Coast for a week of performances celebrating jazz and its cultural roots. Organizers say the poster contest gives local visual artists a chance to put their own creative stamp on the festival’s identity each year.
Artists with questions about entry requirements or the submission process can contact festival organizers by phone at 251-459-2298 or visit the festival’s website for full contest rules.