Now Accepting Submissions for the Student Poster Contest
Highland Jazz and Blues Festival - September 19, 2026
Deadline for Submission - March 27, 2026
Notice of Status - April 10, 2026
Public Announcement of poster winner - April 2026
Are you an aspiring artist? The Highland Jazz and Blues Festival is seeking artists to submit designs in a contest for the 22nd Annual Highland Jazz and Blues Festival poster!
Theme: Highland Jazz & Blues Music Festival: Be creative, we would like to see an artist’s take on OUR festival. We are celebrating our 22nd Anniversary this year.
Eligibility: Emerging artists must reside in Caddo, Bossier, or Desoto Parish and can be either a Junior or Senior in high school. Artists may submit multiple entries.
Entry fee: There is NO entry fee for this submission - free to submit
Award: Winner will receive: $500.00, 2 VIP passes to the festival, poster and festival swag.
Entry Specifications:
Only ORIGINAL artwork created specifically for the 22nd Annual Highland Jazz and Blues Festival poster contest will be considered. Artwork must be in an 11 x 17 inch, vertical format, having a 1:1.5 ratio. Original artwork may be larger than 11×17, for example, 18 x 24 or 22 x 34 but must maintain a 1: 1.5 ratio for printing purposes. The printed poster size will be 11 x 17. Original Artwork should not be smaller than 11 x 17. Artwork may be completed in any media, including digital and computer graphics.
Use of 3-dimensional media such as collage or low-relief sculpture is acceptable, however, it should photograph well and enhance the overall quality of the poster.
Copyrighted, trademarked products, packaging, brand names and advertisements may not be used within the poster.
The following MUST be included/incorporated in the design:
The words “22nd Annual Highland Jazz and Blues Festival” should appear somewhere in the artwork, but do not have to be the focal point.
A bluebird should also appear somewhere on the poster. The bluebird is the mascot for the festival, named Jazzy.
Lastly, must include the date and location: Saturday, September 19, 2026, Columbia Park, Shreveport, LA.
Poster Sales and Retention of Designs:
The winning entry becomes exclusive property of the Highland Area Partnership dba Highland Jazz and Blues Festival. All proceeds from the sale of prints of the winning design go to the festival. The Highland Jazz and Blues Festival has exclusive rights to the reproduction of winning entries and the submitting artist agrees to the sale and reproduction, along with relinquishing all rights to such design.
Publicity and Agreement:
The winning artist must be available for official presentation and poster signing, to be done in April 2026 at the official Announcement Party.
Deadline: ENTRIES ARE DUE BY 11:59 PM FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2026.
Submitting your entry: Artists must fill out this Google Form and upload their artwork here: SUBMIT Poster Artwork HERE
Artwork is to be submitted in digital formats (JPG, PNG, or PDF formats including vector).
Name the file: YOUR NAME for ease of cataloging the entries. If there are more than one
entry per artist add a number to each additional submission. Example; YOURNAME,
YOURNAME2, YOURNAME3, etc.
Judging and winner selection: The entries will be judged on the following criteria:
■ Visual appeal – Overall Impact
■ Artistic Interpretation of the theme
■ Marketability
■ Specification Details
The Highland Area Partnership dba Highland Jazz and Blues Festival poster selection committee reserves the right to alter the final poster design (add sponsor logos, dates and other information that may be necessary for printing and sale of the winning design) in collaboration with the submission artist. The committee will strive to ensure that the overall artistic integrity of the winning piece is maintained.
Winner will be notified by April 10, 2026 and official artwork will be revealed to the public at the Official Highland Jazz and Blues Announcement Party in late April 2026.
To view past festival posters, click here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Yt7eDcftD5pcD98hHsCsAu5j3HuWAxf3?usp=sharing
For questions, please e-mail us at HighlandJazzandBlues@gmail.com.