Fairs/Festivals
Affordable Arts Festival 2026
Contact Information
Requirement Overview
- Eligible Applicant Types: Artist
- Submission Limit: 4
Media Requirements
- Images | Min: 5, Max: 5
- Total | Max: 5
Opportunity Summary
THE AFFORDABLE ARTS FESTIVAL IS NOW RANKED #4 (OUT OF 200 SHOWS) NATIONALLY!
We invite all artists to apply. The Affordable Arts Festival has a unique and appealing format for art buyers since most of the art in the show is reduced to $150 or less. Plus, the Foundation at the Arapahoe Community College receives proceeds for scholarships. Since its inception, the Affordable Arts Festival has raised over $360,000 for the Foundation. This concept has been modeled after very successful events that have been around for many years. The art-buying excitement created by these festivals is unlike any other arts festival. The Affordable Arts Festival will be held on August 30, 2026, on the beautiful campus of the Arapahoe Community College (easy set-up and tear-down). With extensive promotions and advertising, we have had larger crowds each year. The festival will host approximately 160 artists in 2026. For more info about this unique event please go to our website at http://www.affordableartsfestival.com
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General Information
Be part of the Affordable Arts Festival. The Festival will take place August 30, 2026 on the Campus of Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado. This unique event offers both professional and emerging artists the opportunity to participate in a consumer-friendly event where all art is priced at $150 or less.
JURY INFORMATION:
This competitive show will be chosen by a jury. The jurors will view the five images on monitors. The jurors will have access to the Artist's Statements. All participants in the 2025 show will be chosen by this jury with the exception of up to 20% of the exhibitors who may be named by the Festival Director for purposes of creating a balanced show and artists that were pre-accepted from our show jury from last year.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Affordable Arts Festival is to create a fine arts and fine crafts festival that offers great art at affordable prices. Plus, to raise money for student scholarships at the Arapahoe Community College.
Application Requirements
Rules
Affordable Arts Festival staff will visit all displays at intervals throughout the Festival to ensure that exhibitors comply with all Festival rules. It is our exclusive right and responsibility to remove work that is not in compliance. Repeated noncompliance could result in expulsion and ineligibility for participation in future Festivals.
1. All work exhibited must be created and produced by the artist (includes limited and unlimited editions of artist’s original artwork.) All two-dimensional work must be framed, matted or stretched (no loose prints).
2. Artists may only exhibit work in the category in which they are accepted.
3. Only original artwork, limited and unlimited edition prints may be displayed and/or offered for sale.
4. Ceramic works must be handmade by the artist. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed, each piece must be signed.
5. Artists must be present to exhibit. No spouses or other representatives will be permitted in place of artist.
6. A picture ID is required at artist check-in.
7. This is an outdoor event and artists needing or wanting insurance will be responsible for proper insurance and protection of work and setup. The Affordable Arts Festival will not be responsible for damage to work or setup due to weather or unrelated incidents.
8. Only artists accepted in the jewelry category may display and sell jewelry. Additionally, jewelry may only be submitted for jury in the jewelry category.
9. All work shown must be for sale and priced at $150 or less.
10. Artists may jury in more than one category, but not with the same artwork. Artists may jury more than once in the same category as long as the work is substantially different.
11. Artists wishing to exhibit work produced in more than one media category must create a new profile for each category on Zapplication and submit a jury fee for each category. Only one application may be submitted per body of work represented. Multiple applications must represent either work in different media categories or distinctly separate bodies of work within one category. No advantage is gained by submitting multiple applications for the same body of work in multiple categories. Artists whose work is selected in multiple categories must still exhibit in one booth space.
12. Booth sharing by two artists, although not encouraged, is allowed. Both artists need to apply separately and be accepted by the jury. There will be a $95 fee for booth sharing.
13. Artists are responsible for collecting and reporting all taxes.
PLEASE NOTE – REGARDING COLLABORATING ARTISTS:
If you are submitting an application as a collaborating artist/partner, you must submit the name(s) with the application. Here is how to submit your application as a collaborating artist - Go to “My Profile” first. Enter one of the two collaborating artists as the primary contact in the profile form. After completing the information requested, there is a section at the bottom of the profile page to enter the collaborating artist name(s). This information is carried over to the application for purposes of identifying a collaborative effort. You may not add a partner after the jury. If you have any questions or difficulties registering the partner, please contact the Affordable Arts Festival office before submitting your application.
WAIT LIST
A wait list will be developed based on jury scores. Artists will be selected to be on the wait list in each of the categories. Artists on the wait list are notified via telephone or email of their acceptance.
DIGITAL IMAGES
Applicants must submit five color digital images, via the ZAPP application. Four images must show individual pieces representative of your work. The fifth image must be of the display that will be used at the show. We do not expect you to have a booth shot filled with the exact items that you will bring to this show but we would like to see how you display your work normally. The quality of your booth image is important to the overall score from the jury. Your display image should reveal no names and have no people standing in it.
REFUNDS
These rules have been expanded to cover any future pandemic or other cancellations out of our control.
Cancel by AUGUST 1, receive 100% refund, minus fees. Stipulations:
BOOTHS
Booth spaces are 15' wide by 10' deep. Double-wide (30') booths are also available. Exhibitors should be prepared to adapt to outdoor exhibiting. All exhibitor tents must be white in color. There will also be 5’ of storage behind the booths and must be kept visually appealing.
BOOTH FEES (Due upon acceptance):
Single Booth (10' x 15') - $350.00
Double Booth (10' x 30') - $700.00 (limited availability)
Corner Booth - $125.00 additional fee (limited number of corners available)
SCHEDULE
Application Deadline: May 28, 2026
Jurying: June 4, 2026
Acceptance Notification (emailed and listed on our website): June 5, 2026
Booth Fees Due: June 17, 2026
Booth Location Notification: Mid-July 2026
Show Set-up: Saturday, August 29, 2026
Show Hours
Sunday - August 30, 2026 – 9AM to 3PM
Affordable Arts Festival staff will visit all displays at intervals throughout the Festival to ensure that exhibitors comply with all Festival rules. It is our exclusive right and responsibility to remove work that is not in compliance. Repeated noncompliance could result in expulsion and ineligibility for participation in future Festivals.
1. All work exhibited must be created and produced by the artist (includes limited and unlimited editions of artist’s original artwork.) All two-dimensional work must be framed, matted or stretched (no loose prints).
2. Artists may only exhibit work in the category in which they are accepted.
3. Only original artwork, limited and unlimited edition prints may be displayed and/or offered for sale.
4. Ceramic works must be handmade by the artist. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed, each piece must be signed.
5. Artists must be present to exhibit. No spouses or other representatives will be permitted in place of artist.
6. A picture ID is required at artist check-in.
7. This is an outdoor event and artists needing or wanting insurance will be responsible for proper insurance and protection of work and setup. The Affordable Arts Festival will not be responsible for damage to work or setup due to weather or unrelated incidents.
8. Only artists accepted in the jewelry category may display and sell jewelry. Additionally, jewelry may only be submitted for jury in the jewelry category.
9. All work shown must be for sale and priced at $150 or less.
10. Artists may jury in more than one category, but not with the same artwork. Artists may jury more than once in the same category as long as the work is substantially different.
11. Artists wishing to exhibit work produced in more than one media category must create a new profile for each category on Zapplication and submit a jury fee for each category. Only one application may be submitted per body of work represented. Multiple applications must represent either work in different media categories or distinctly separate bodies of work within one category. No advantage is gained by submitting multiple applications for the same body of work in multiple categories. Artists whose work is selected in multiple categories must still exhibit in one booth space.
12. Booth sharing by two artists, although not encouraged, is allowed. Both artists need to apply separately and be accepted by the jury. There will be a $95 fee for booth sharing.
13. Artists are responsible for collecting and reporting all taxes.
PLEASE NOTE – REGARDING COLLABORATING ARTISTS:
If you are submitting an application as a collaborating artist/partner, you must submit the name(s) with the application. Here is how to submit your application as a collaborating artist - Go to “My Profile” first. Enter one of the two collaborating artists as the primary contact in the profile form. After completing the information requested, there is a section at the bottom of the profile page to enter the collaborating artist name(s). This information is carried over to the application for purposes of identifying a collaborative effort. You may not add a partner after the jury. If you have any questions or difficulties registering the partner, please contact the Affordable Arts Festival office before submitting your application.
WAIT LIST
A wait list will be developed based on jury scores. Artists will be selected to be on the wait list in each of the categories. Artists on the wait list are notified via telephone or email of their acceptance.
DIGITAL IMAGES
Applicants must submit five color digital images, via the ZAPP application. Four images must show individual pieces representative of your work. The fifth image must be of the display that will be used at the show. We do not expect you to have a booth shot filled with the exact items that you will bring to this show but we would like to see how you display your work normally. The quality of your booth image is important to the overall score from the jury. Your display image should reveal no names and have no people standing in it.
REFUNDS
These rules have been expanded to cover any future pandemic or other cancellations out of our control.
- Policy for all "Confirmed" artists should the festival be canceled or postponed by authorities at any time:
- All artists who are confirmed to attend the festival will receive the most generous percentage of booth fees that we are able to return should the festival be called off by the City, State or any other entity.
- If we have to move the show to another weekend, we will address the issues for those who can’t do the new weekend.
Cancel by AUGUST 1, receive 100% refund, minus fees. Stipulations:
-
- Refund issued only IF the festival takes place as planned
- Refund issued only AFTER the festival dates have passed
- If the show is canceled by authorities at any time, any artists who dropped out prior to August 1 will receive the same percentage that we can offer all artists who were planning to take part in the event. 100% will no longer be available if the event is canceled, as any available funds will be divided and shared fairly to keep all afloat.
BOOTHS
Booth spaces are 15' wide by 10' deep. Double-wide (30') booths are also available. Exhibitors should be prepared to adapt to outdoor exhibiting. All exhibitor tents must be white in color. There will also be 5’ of storage behind the booths and must be kept visually appealing.
BOOTH FEES (Due upon acceptance):
Single Booth (10' x 15') - $350.00
Double Booth (10' x 30') - $700.00 (limited availability)
Corner Booth - $125.00 additional fee (limited number of corners available)
SCHEDULE
Application Deadline: May 28, 2026
Jurying: June 4, 2026
Acceptance Notification (emailed and listed on our website): June 5, 2026
Booth Fees Due: June 17, 2026
Booth Location Notification: Mid-July 2026
Show Set-up: Saturday, August 29, 2026
Show Hours
Sunday - August 30, 2026 – 9AM to 3PM
Jury Details
Average number of applications submitted each year
360
Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event
160
Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event
60
Booth Information
Each booth is oversized at 10x15 plus 5 feet of storage behind the booth. The additional space is necessary for most artists to handle the early and enthusiastic crowd of art buyers. Set up will begin on Saturday, August 29 at 10AM. Set up can also be done Sunday morning from 5AM to 9AM. The gates will open at 9AM so if you are planning set up on Sunday morning you need to be done and open by 9AM (vehicles need to be removed by 8AM).
Refund Policy
REFUNDS
These rules have been expanded to cover any future pandemic or other cancellations out of our control.
Cancel by AUGUST 3, receive 100% refund, minus fees. Stipulations:
These rules have been expanded to cover any future pandemic or other cancellations out of our control.
- Policy for all "Confirmed" artists should the festival be canceled or postponed by authorities at any time:
- All artists who are confirmed to attend the festival will receive the most generous percentage of booth fees that we are able to return should the festival be called off by the City, State or any other entity.
- If we have to move the show to another weekend, we will address the issues for those who can’t do the new weekend.
Cancel by AUGUST 3, receive 100% refund, minus fees. Stipulations:
-
- Refund issued only IF the festival takes place as planned
- Refund issued only AFTER the festival dates have passed
- If the show is canceled by authorities at any time, any artists who dropped out prior to August 3 will receive the same percentage that we can offer all artists who were planning to take part in the event. 100% will no longer be available if the event is canceled, as any available funds will be divided and shared fairly to keep all afloat.
Additional Fees
Double Booth : $700
Single Booth : $350
Corner booth request : $125
Booth Sharing (in addition to booth fee): $95
Terms to Apply
Jury Fee (non-refundable): $45
