26th Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition

The City of Lakeland, Florida, in cooperation with the Polk Museum of Art, is accepting submissions from sculptors for the 26th Annual Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition. Submitted sculptures will be juried by representatives from the City, the Polk Museum of Art, and members of the local art community. The top-scoring sculptures will be selected for a one-year exhibition in downtown Lakeland, Florida, with a $1,700 honorarium. Sculptures will be on loan from February 2026 through February 2027. Sculptures will be publicized, and a People’s Choice Award ($1,700) will be awarded based on community voting.

This call for entries is open to all sculptors working in North America.
Entries must be submitted through the online call process by January 4, 2026. The link to the Call can be found at Lakelandgov.net/FLOSC.
Submissions require a $25 non-refundable application fee per artist.
Each artist selected for the exhibition will receive a $1,700 honorarium

Entry Deadline: 1/4/26

Entry Fee: $25

26th Annual Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition

The City of Lakeland, Florida, in cooperation with the Polk Museum of Art, is accepting submissions from sculptors for the 26th Annual Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition. Submitted sculptures will be juried by representatives from the City, the Polk Museum of Art, and members of the local art community. The top-scoring sculptures will be selected for a one-year exhibition in downtown Lakeland, Florida, with a $1,700 honorarium. Sculptures will be on loan from February 2026 through February 2027. Sculptures will be publicized, and a People’s Choice Award ($1,700) will be awarded based on community voting.

This call for entries is open to all sculptors working in North America.
Entries must be submitted through the online call process by January 4, 2026. The link to the Call can be found at Lakelandgov.net/FLOSC.
Submissions require a $25 non-refundable application fee per artist.
Each artist selected for the exhibition will receive a $1,700 honorarium for transportation, installation, and de-installation.

Previous shows have received much notoriety: 
The Lakelander
The Ledger
Visit Central Florida 
LALToday
National Review

Details:

This call for entries is open to all sculptors working in North America.

Entries must be submitted through the online call process by January 4, 2026. The link to the Call can be found at Lakelandgov.net/FLOSC

Submissions require a $25 non-refundable application fee per artist.
 

Work must be suitable for outdoor installation and must:

1. Be structurally secured and surface mounted to a concrete pad with anchor bolts or similar devices;

2. Be capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions, such as high winds, high temperatures, heavy rain, storms, etc.;

3. Be able to withstand a high traffic, public park environment;

4. Take into consideration the safety of the audience;

5. Be maintenance-free during the exhibition period.

6. Installation must be accomplished by the artist or their provided representative with tools provided by the artist (there will be access to a crane if notice is given in advance).

All entries must be completed prior to submission. No incomplete works, project proposals, or works previously displayed will be considered.

Each artist selected for the exhibition will receive a $1,700 honorarium to cover transportation, installation, de-installation of the sculpture, and all incidental expenses involved.

Any additional costs are the responsibility of the artist.

Accepted sculptures MUST be installed no later than March 1, 2026. Any sculpture that cannot be installed by that time will be disqualified, and an alternate will be chosen. Sculptures must be removed by January 31, 2027.

Artists may sell the work during the project period. However, the work must remain on site for the duration of the exhibition.

City of Lakeland, FL, staff will coordinate the scheduling of sculpture installation.

Crane and City crews are only available on weekdays before 3 p.m. If a crane is required for installation, the artist MUST have the work on-site by 8 a.m. on the scheduled installation day.

The City of Lakeland will attempt to utilize the current concrete pads. A specific shape for the concrete pad cannot be guaranteed. All pieces must be surface-mounted to the pad.

The City of Lakeland will provide insurance coverage throughout the exhibition period, with a maximum claim amount determined by the value of each piece. Neither the City of Lakeland nor the Polk Museum of Art will be held responsible for damage due to inherent vice or poor construction materials.

A simple majority vote will determine the winner of the People’s Choice Award via a survey method administered by the City of Lakeland. (The City of Lakeland retains the right to adjust the voting method if deemed necessary.)

The artist agrees to comply with all rules and requirements by submitting to this Competition.

Selection Process:

Works will be selected by a committee composed of City of Lakeland staff, representatives from the Polk Museum of Art, and select members of the local arts community. Incomplete or late applications will not be juried. Additionally, sculptures that do not meet the requirements listed (e.g., incomplete works or proposals) will not be juried.

Award: (in addition to the $1,700 honorarium)

People’s Choice: $1,700

Submissions:

Submissions must follow all guidelines as stated within this prospectus.

The deadline for submissions is January 4, 2026

Submission Guidelines:

Images of up to three works, three views each, without text or graphics added to the image in .jpg or .png format.

Image list Please include the image number (or some way to identify separate pieces), artist name, title, media, dimensions (in feet: h x w x d), estimated weight, date, the value of the work, and other applicable notes such as concrete pad mounting size needed.

A current professional résumé and artist statement in plain text, Word document, or .pdf format is appreciated but not required.

SLIDES OR PRINTED PHOTOGRAPHS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Incomplete or late applications will not be juried. Images submitted for consideration may be used by the City of Lakeland, Florida, for publicity. Submission constitutes agreement to the rules and details published in this prospectus and to the use of your image for publicity purposes. All entrants will be notified of the results of the selection process in a timely manner. Please do not call about the status of your application. Submission materials from the selected artist will become part of the permanent record of the exhibition and will not be returned.

This call for entries is open to all sculptors working in North America.

Entries must be submitted through the online call process by January 4, 2026. The link to the Call can be found at Lakelandgov.net/FLOSC

Submissions require a $25 non-refundable application fee per artist.

Work must be suitable for outdoor installation and must:

1. Be structurally secured and surface mounted to a concrete pad with anchor bolts or similar devices;

2. Be capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions, such as high winds, high temperatures, heavy rain, storms, etc.;

3. Be able to withstand a high traffic, public park environment;

4. Take into consideration the safety of the audience;

5. Be maintenance-free during the exhibition period.

6. Installation must be accomplished by the artist or their provided representative with tools provided by the artist (there will be access to a crane if notice is given in advance).

All entries must be completed prior to submission. No incomplete works, project proposals, or works previously displayed will be considered.

Each artist selected for the exhibition will receive a $1,700 honorarium to cover transportation, installation, de-installation of the sculpture, and all incidental expenses involved.

Any additional costs are the responsibility of the artist.

Accepted sculptures MUST be installed no later than March 1, 2026. Any sculpture that cannot be installed by that time will be disqualified, and an alternate will be chosen. Sculptures must be removed by January 31, 2027.

Artists may sell the work during the project period. However, the work must remain on site for the duration of the exhibition.

City of Lakeland, FL, staff will coordinate the scheduling of sculpture installation.

Crane and City crews are only available on weekdays before 3 p.m. If a crane is required for installation, the artist MUST have the work on-site by 8 a.m. on the scheduled installation day.

The City of Lakeland will attempt to utilize the current concrete pads. A specific shape for the concrete pad cannot be guaranteed. All pieces must be surface-mounted to the pad.

The City of Lakeland will provide insurance coverage throughout the exhibition period, with a maximum claim amount determined by the value of each piece. Neither the City of Lakeland nor the Polk Museum of Art will be held responsible for damage due to inherent vice or poor construction materials.

A simple majority vote will determine the winner of the People’s Choice Award via a survey method administered by the City of Lakeland. (The City of Lakeland retains the right to adjust the voting method if deemed necessary.)

The artist agrees to comply with all rules and requirements by submitting to this Competition.

This call for entries is open to all sculptors working in North America.

Entries must be submitted through the online call process by January 4, 2026. The link to the Call can be found at Lakelandgov.net/FLOSC

Submissions require a $25 non-refundable application fee per artist.

Work must be suitable for outdoor installation and must:

1. Be structurally secured and surface mounted to a concrete pad with anchor bolts or similar devices;

2. Be capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions, such as high winds, high temperatures, heavy rain, storms, etc.;

3. Be able to withstand a high traffic, public park environment;

4. Take into consideration the safety of the audience;

5. Be maintenance-free during the exhibition period.

6. Installation must be accomplished by the artist or their provided representative with tools provided by the artist (there will be access to a crane if notice is given in advance).

All entries must be completed prior to submission. No incomplete works, project proposals, or works previously displayed will be considered.

Each artist selected for the exhibition will receive a $1,700 honorarium to cover transportation, installation, de-installation of the sculpture, and all incidental expenses involved.

Any additional costs are the responsibility of the artist.

Accepted sculptures MUST be installed no later than March 1, 2026. Any sculpture that cannot be installed by that time will be disqualified, and an alternate will be chosen. Sculptures must be removed by January 31, 2027.

Artists may sell the work during the project period. However, the work must remain on site for the duration of the exhibition.

City of Lakeland, FL, staff will coordinate the scheduling of sculpture installation.

Crane and City crews are only available on weekdays before 3 p.m. If a crane is required for installation, the artist MUST have the work on-site by 8 a.m. on the scheduled installation day.

The City of Lakeland will attempt to utilize the current concrete pads. A specific shape for the concrete pad cannot be guaranteed. All pieces must be surface-mounted to the pad.

The City of Lakeland will provide insurance coverage throughout the exhibition period, with a maximum claim amount determined by the value of each piece. Neither the City of Lakeland nor the Polk Museum of Art will be held responsible for damage due to inherent vice or poor construction materials.

A simple majority vote will determine the winner of the People’s Choice Award via a survey method administered by the City of Lakeland. (The City of Lakeland retains the right to adjust the voting method if deemed necessary.)

The artist agrees to comply with all rules and requirements by submitting to this Competition.