35 Under 35 Annual Juried Exhibition

35 Under 35

Second Annual Juried Exhibition featuring the emerging talent of our region.

Sponsored by the Blacksburg Regional Art Association, our juror will choose 35 works from artists under the age of 35 to be showcased during the month of November at THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS AT VIRGINIA TECH. Awards ceremony to be held on November 20th, 2026 with First, Second, and Third place awards. Honorable mentions sponsored by art centric community businesses to be awarded as well.

Juried by Laura K. Higgins, Curator of the Permanent Collection and Special Projects Officer at the Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke VA. 

35 Under 35 - 2nd Annual Juried Exhibition.

Blacksburg Regional Art Association, in collaboration with community galleries and the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech are excited to present our second annual 35 under 35 exhibition. 

This exhibition was built around the concept of showcasing emerging artists and giving them the opportunity to display their work in established gallery and museum spaces. We aim to help them navigate their way into the art community of curators, gallery owner's, art collectors, art appreciators and more. 

This years exhibition will run from November 2 - November 20 at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech on the campus of Virginia Tech, with an artist and awards reception to be held on November 20th from 4-6pm. Awards to be presented by our juror, Laura K. Higgins at 5pm:

Awards:

Best in Show: $300

2nd Place: $200

3rd Place $100

Honorable mentions to be given out at the juror's discretion:

Meet the Juror:

Laura K. Higgins is Curator of the Permanent Collection and Special Projects Officer at the Taubman Museum of Art. Previously, she worked at leading New York contemporary art galleries, including Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Gladstone Gallery, Petzel, and Gagosian, where she collaborated closely with artists on exhibitions, commissions, collection placements, and international art fair presentations. At the Taubman, she curated 75th Anniversary: New Visions for the Permanent Collection (2026) and is curating forthcoming exhibitions with Nancy Lorenz (2027) and Joni Pienkowski (2027). Higgins holds a B.A. in Studio Art from Hollins University and an M.A. from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She is currently preparing the Museum's first Permanent Collection catalogue.

This show will become a staple in our area as it has been scheduled to continue in various locals over the next 4 years across the NRV and the Virginia Tech campus.

Important Dates:

Call for Entries opens: July 16th 2026

Call for Entries closes: September 18th 2026

Notifications of acceptance will be sent out: September 30th 2026

Show Dates: November 3rd - November 20th 2026 at The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.

Artist Reception and Awards : November 20th 4-6pm (The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.

Artists accepted into this exhibition will be notified of specific delivery/drop-off and pick up instructions in a separate notification e-mail.

Entries:  Artists are permitted to submit up to 3 works of art

Entry Fees: $5 for up to 3 works of art 

Images: 2-5 images may be submitted that represent 3 works of art (no video or audio files)

Works in any media will be accepted, excluding AI generated works. (See rules and guidelines for specific definitions)

2D works must not exceed 40" in either direction and must have suitable hanging (no sawtooth) on the back.

3D works must not exceed 50 lbs and must be able to be displayed on a 24" X 24" pedestal.

Artworks must remain on display for the entire duration of the exhibition.

Artist residing in Virginia who have not turned 35 by November 2nd, 2026 are eligible to apply to this exhibition. 

Artwork must be original to the artists: (see rules and regulations for definition of Original)

Artwork must be suitable to hang in a family friendly public art space. 

Artwork submitted to previous 35 under 35 shows are ineligible.