2026 Student Annual — Call for Entries

Since 1974, the Student Annual has showcased new artwork produced by students at Illinois State University. This exhibition has offered many students the first opportunity to have their work reviewed by professionals outside the University. Each year, two external arts professionals determine which works are selected for the exhibition and which works receive awards.

Eligibility

All current students at Illinois State University are eligible to enter their artwork. Students must be enrolled in a Spring 2026 course. Artwork must have been made while the student was attending ISU.

Submission Details

You may submit up to two entries. There is no cost to participate.

Submissions are accepted online from Monday, February 16 through Sunday, March 1 at 11:59 p.m.

Artists will be notified of jurors' selections for accepted works by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 20.

All works juried into the exhibition must be dropped off to University Galleries on Tuesday, March 31 between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.

NEW THIS YEAR! The exhibition opening day will occur Wednesday, April 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. with the Awards Ceremony at the Normal Theater at 4:30 p.m. The Normal Theater is located at 209 W North Street, Normal, IL 61761.

The exhibition will be on view April 8 through May 3, 2026.

Exhibited works must be picked up on Monday, May 4 or Tuesday, May 5 between 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. If you cannot pick up on those dates, other arrangements must be made with gallery staff. Artists whose works are not picked up without making arrangements will be given three reminders for pickup. After three reminders without a response, University Galleries will dispose of remaining works in July 2026.

Please send any questions to gallery@ilstu.edu.

Submit your artwork here

Entry Formats

• Image must be titled in this format: LastName_FirstName_Title (e.g., Smith_John_SunsetinPalmBeach).
• Upload a single image for all 2-D works. Two images can be uploaded for 3-D works using the second "Upload file" button (e.g., Smith_John_SunsetinPalmBeach_Back).
• Two images must be uploaded for a video or audio file, including the video or sound and a still image using the second "Upload file" button (e.g., Smith_John_SunsetinPalmBeach_Still).
• Any book or multiple-page entries should be uploaded as an MP4 file.
• Tips for documenting artwork can be found at this link.
• Jurors will review works through a private and anonymous Flickr album. Please format your file to one of the file types listed below.
• Photo formats: JPEG, PNG, or GIF (non-animated). All other formats will be converted to JPEG or MP4.
• Upload limitations for Photos: RAW photos are not supported. Each photo can be up to 200 MB. Images can be no more than 31.25 times wider than they are tall.
• Video format: MP4 (H.264)
• Upload limitations for Videos: Each video can be up to 1 GB. Video playback is constrained to 10 minutes.
• Audio Format: All MP3 files should be converted to MP4 with a black screen displaying only the title.
• All performance proposals should be uploaded as a Word document describing the details of the performance and performance needs. Images may be included in the Word document.

Exhibition Dates

The exhibition will be on view April 8 through May 3, 2026.

NEW THIS YEAR! The exhibition opening day will occur Wednesday, April 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. with the Awards Ceremony at the Normal Theater at 4:30 p.m. The Normal Theater is located at 209 W North Street, Normal, IL 61761.

Please send any questions to gallery@ilstu.edu.

Jurors

Rebecca Tegtmeyer is the 2026 Graphic Design Juror.  Nazafarin Lotfi is the 2026 Studio Juror.

 

Exhibition Documentation

Coming soon

Educational Resources

Coming soon

Events & Programming

• • Coming soon

Exhibition Information

Coming soon