Gasparilla Festival of the Arts 2027 57th Annual

The Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is recognized as one of the top-rated outdoor fine art festivals in the country. The 57th Annual Festival will be held March 6 - March 7, 2027, 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.

REQUIREMENTS:

Images: 4 (a booth shot is required)

Fee (Application Fee) $50.00

You can submit up to four applications for this show.  Artists cannot submit multiple applications in the same medium.

SCHEDULE:

• September 7, 2026 (11:59pm): Deadline for complete applications to be submitted and for payment of the application fee.
   
• Mid-September 2026: A panel of four qualified selection jurors (hereinafter "the selection jurors") will evaluate all applications (without knowing the artists’ identities) as part of the process for selecting and inviting artists to participate in the Festival.
   
• Late-September 2026: Invitations will be sent to selected artists.
   
• December 1, 2026: Deadline to accept invitation and for payment of the exhibition (booth) fee. 
   
• January/February 2027: Information packets will be e-mailed to participating artists.
   
• January/Early-February 2027: Opening of the online booth request process. Booth assignments will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.
   
• March 4- March 5, 2027: Artist load-in and setup will occur. Artists will be required to check-in at a designated location prior to setup. Detailed information concerning artist check-in, load-in, setup, and load-out will be provided to participating artists prior to the Festival.  Please note that the city of Tampa requires very strict planning for artist load-in.  We are always trying to improve the process, but must do so pursuant to the City's requirements.
   
• March 6 - March 7, 2027: The 57th Annual Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts will be open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

APPLYING TO THE FESTIVAL

• Each artist must complete an individual online application, submit four images (three of images of your art and one booth photo), and pay the $50 application fee by the application deadline.  Application fees are nonrefundable.  Please note that artists cannot submit multiple applications in a single medium.  
• The artwork shown on the three images must have been completed no earlier than February 1, 2024, and the artist must indicate the year of completion for each piece or the application will be marked incomplete. These three images must accurately represent the type of work that will be displayed at the Festival and must be in the medium you have selected for the application.
• The fourth image must show the artist’s display space (booth) with a representative sample of the work visible. This image is to provide the jurors assurance that the artist has an adequate body of work and should illustrate the scale of work. Applications without a booth display image will be marked incomplete.
• Artists who received an award from the juror (excludes Collectors Krewe purchase awards) at the 2026 Festival are automatically accepted into the 2027 Festival. These artists must, however, submit an application and pay the application fee by the application deadline.
• The 2026 Emerging Artists Program award winner will be automatically accepted into the 2027 Festival as a professional artist provided that the artist submits an application and pays the application fee by the application deadline.
• An artist may apply in multiple medium categories for different bodies of work. A separate application must be submitted (including its own set of images) and a separate application fee must be paid for each medium. An artist may not apply multiple times in the same medium.
• A two-person team or partnership collaborating on a single body of work may qualify as a single exhibitor and the collaborator's name should be entered in the space provided. Each artist’s name must appear on the completed application, and both artists must be present during Festival's open hours.
• The City of Tampa requires proof of auto insurance for all vehicles accessing the Festival site. By submitting your application, you confirm that you will have a valid auto insurance policy for your vehicle for the duration of the Festival, including during load-in, setup, and load-out. If you do not have valid auto insurance, you must notify the Festival and your vehicle will not be allowed to access the Festival site.

WAIT LIST
 
A wait list will be developed based on the results of the juried selection process. As space becomes available, wait-listed artists who are selected to participate in the Festival will be notified by email.
 
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, March 6, 2027, 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.

Awards Selection Process

The Festival Awards Juror will walk the show first, visiting every artist booth and requesting that outstanding pieces be brought to the jury room for further consideration.  The four Selection Jurors will each visit a quarter of the artist booths.  Each Selection Juror will select up to eight pieces to be brought to the jury room for further consideration (having a piece of art pulled for further consideration does not guarantee that the piece will receive an award).  If the Festival Awards Juror has already requested a piece of an artist's work be brought to the jury room, the Selection Jurors will not pull any other pieces of work from that artist.  This process will ensure that every artist booth is visited by two jurors, the Festival Awards Juror and a Selection Juror, and that no artist receives two awards.

Once all pulled art has been brought to the jury room, the Festival Awards Juror will review all pieces, including those pieces pulled by the Selection Jurors, and will choose the top awards and ten of the 30 Awards of Merit.  Upon completion of the Festival Awards Juror's selection, the four Selection Jurors will review all as yet unawarded pieces in the jury room and each Selection Juror will select five pieces to receive an Award of Merit.
 
An awards ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, March 6, 2027, at the Artists’ Party. Award ribbons and checks will be presented at the ceremony.  If an artist cannot be present at the ceremony, they must claim their award and check no later than 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 7, 2027, or the award and check will be deemed forfeited.

Please refer to the Festival website for complete rules and regulations at: https://gasparillaarts.com/application-rules/

Eligibility and Attendance
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.
All artists, including both artists, if accepted as partners, must exhibit and be present during the complete Festival, from 9 a.m. through 6 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. on Sunday. Artists who fail to follow this rule will be ineligible for prizes and may be denied admission to future Festivals.
Only accepted artists may exhibit works within their assigned booths. Subletting booth space is prohibited. Artists can apply for double booths with fees adjusted accordingly. Artists can apply and display up to two media within a double booth space if the artist has applied and been accepted in both media. Artists shall only exhibit works typified by the images submitted with their application. Only one medium category may be exhibited in a single booth.
An artist may apply in multiple medium categories for different bodies of work. A separate application must be submitted (including its own set of images) and a separate application fee must be paid for each category. An artist may not apply multiple times in the same category.
Any artist who has been accepted in the “Emerging Artist” category may not, in subsequent years, apply to the Festival as an emerging artist.
Display and Sale of Work
Artists shall not display or sell manufactured jewelry, ceramics cast from commercial molds, glass created from commercial molds, art supplies, commercial displays, or any craft items made from a kit. Artists shall not display or sell non-original commercially reproduced items such as posters, greeting cards, postcards, calendars, t-shirts, tote bags, buttons or other items even those with images of their artwork. Works of art that have won any award at the Festival shall not be prominently exhibited in the artist’s booth at any subsequent Festival while the juror is reviewing the booth. Such artwork may be kept in a portfolio, bin, or other non-prominent location.
Only the works of accepted artists may be displayed or sold at the Festival. “Sale” signs are prohibited. Ribbons and awards from other art shows or other festivals may not be displayed. All artwork shall be displayed in its final form. Artists shall not engage in painting, drawing, or any other production of artwork or revisions to artwork during Festival hours.
All exhibited artwork must be available for sale. Prices for all exhibited artwork must be clearly noted on or beside each piece. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the prices for jewelry may be noted on a price list which is readily available for viewing by all patrons.
Booth Display
Regular booth spaces measure approximately 10′ deep x 10′ wide and double booth spaces measure approximately 10′ deep x 20’ wide. All booth spaces will be marked by Festival personnel before artists are permitted to set up their booths. All artwork must be contained within the assigned space. Adding wall extensions beyond your booth footprint or building adjunct space up above booth height is not permitted. All displays should be wind-resistant and able to withstand large crowds. Water-resistant coverings and weights are highly recommended. These items will not be supplied by the Festival. Artwork may not be affixed to or leaned against any tree, pole, or other fixture within the Festival grounds. Stakes, or any tools or displays that penetrate the ground are prohibited.
Sharing of booth space is prohibited. Only one exhibitor will be permitted in each space unless artists applied and were accepted as partners on collaborative work. Each artist must exhibit a minimum of five works to be eligible for jurying, and the name of the artist and the booth number (provided at check-in) must be displayed clearly at the artist’s booth.
All paintings must be framed or mounted. Unframed or unmounted 2-D artworks must be displayed in a portfolio or bin.

Category-Specific Rules
Artwork (other than photography) that is printed using inkjet technology will be permitted only in the digital art category. Original, limited edition prints of digital art will be permitted and must be signed and numbered as part of an edition. Digital art refers to artwork created on a computer by hand using the artist’s original ideas and concepts. Artwork created using artificial intelligence is not permitted.
Photographs must be signed and numbered and must be the artist’s original image. Artists are encouraged to identify clearly whether a photographic print is produced digitally or through a traditional photographic process (silver print, Polaroid, dye-transfer, etc.).
Ceramic works must be handmade and signed by the artist. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed, each must be signed.
Jewelry must include components designed and hand-crafted by the artist using traditional methods of casting or fabrication/construction. No commercially manufactured elements, other than findings, are permitted. Items created solely through the stringing of beads and similar materials on wire, string, or cord, with no elements handmade by the artist, are not permitted. 
Wearable art, such as hats, purses, shoes, and other apparel that are designed and hand-made by the artist are eligible to be displayed and sold. Each must be labeled with the artist’s name.
Definitions
“Original artwork” shall refer to artwork designed by the artist that is one-of-a-kind. Artwork that is printed utilizing inkjet technology must be created on a computer and then exhibited as first printed in order to qualify as an original artwork. Original artwork printed utilizing inkjet technology may be modified by other methods, such as traditional painting, and exhibited in the mixed media category.
“Original limited-edition print” shall refer to an image that originates as digital art, a photographic negative or a traditional printmaking technique (including, without exclusion, linoleum block prints, woodcuts, etching plates, stone lithographs, or serigraphs) when such image is executed in media worked by the artist, printed in a limited edition, signed, and numbered.
“Reproduction” shall refer to original artwork that is digitally captured into a computer or photographed onto film and then printed as an inkjet print, photograph, offset lithograph, giclee, etc. The defining factor is that an original piece of artwork already exists prior to the printing – everything that follows is a reproduction.
Reproductions are not eligible for awards. All reproductions must be clearly and individually labeled as reproductions. No other terms, such as “print,” “giclee” or “offset lithograph” may be used. Labels must say “reproduction.” Reproductions must be in signed editions of no more than 750. They may not be framed and displayed alongside original work but must be placed framed or unframed in a browsing bin separate from original work and clearly labeled “Reproductions.” Reproductions must be an ancillary part of the artist’s display.
“Hand colored” or painted reproductions are not permitted and may not be displayed or sold as original artwork. Giclees or ink-jet prints of original artwork produced in another medium, are considered reproductions whether they are printed on canvas, paper, or any other surface.
For digital media, only one of each image can be displayed on booth walls.
Miscellaneous
Conducting opportunity drawings, raffles, auctions or other games of chance is strictly prohibited.
Each artist is responsible for collecting Florida state sales tax on sales made during the Festival and remitting such taxes to the local office of the Florida Department of Revenue. Vehicles will only be permitted on Festival grounds during designated load-in and load-out times absent expressed permission from authorized Festival personnel. Artists must present a photo ID when delivering or picking up any artwork that has been selected by the jurors. Artwork selected by a juror and delivered to the jury room by the artist may not be retrieved until the last day of the Festival, after the time designated by the jury room staff.
Penalties for failure to abide by these rules include immediate removal of artwork in violation of the rules, ejection from the Festival and possible suspension from exhibiting in future Festivals. If an artist fails to disclose previous award-winning artwork in violation of these rules, all artwork from that artist may be deemed ineligible for jury and awards.
Any artist, artist assistant or companion who engages in inappropriate, aggressive, abrasive, or illegal behavior or who violates these rules or any other Festival policy may be expelled or banned from the Festival and future Festivals. Any artist who applies for admission to the Festival after having been banned shall not be entitled to a refund of any application fee. Any artist who is inadvertently invited to participate in the Festival after having been banned may be asked to leave and shall not be entitled to a refund of any application or booth fee.
NEITHER GASPARILLA FESTIVAL ARTS, INC., NOR ANY OF ITS
DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, AGENTS, SPONSORS, OR VOLUNTEERS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST, DAMAGED, OR STOLEN PROPERTY

To accept an invitation to the Festival, artists must pay a non-refundable exhibition (booth) fee by December 1, 2026.  As in past years, there will be a standard 10' x 10' booth, a limited number of corner booths, and a limited number of double booths. Booth fees for the 2027 festival, are as follows: $525.00 for a single booth, $675.00 for a corner booth, $1050.00 for a double in-lin booth, and $1400.00 for a double corner booth.  Double booths must be adjacent to one another and can be a single 10'x20 booth or two separate 10'x10' booths. Only your accepted medium can be displayed in the booth. All 2026 Festival award winners who are exempt from the selection process are still required to pay the applicable booth fee.
 
The Festival is an outdoor festival and makes no representations or guaranties as to attendance, foot traffic, weather conditions, or the availability of the Festival site. The Festival site is a park owned by The City of Tampa, and in severe cases, the Festival site may be closed in whole or in part.  This is a risk assumed by each artist, and there will be no refunds due to weather or other events that impact attendance at the Festival or causes a park closure.

Gasparilla Festival of the Arts adheres to a strict no refunds policy for application fees and booth fees.