The 2027 Southern Miss National Poster Show

Call for Entries

The University of Southern Mississippi invites professional and emerging artists, graphic designers, illustrators, and printmakers to submit original poster designs for the 2027 Southern Miss National Poster Show.

Centered around the theme Social Advocacy, this national juried exhibition celebrates the poster's unique ability to communicate powerful ideas through compelling visual design. Throughout history, posters have served as catalysts for awareness and action, influencing public opinion, supporting social movements, promoting causes, and giving voice to communities around the world.

The Southern Miss National Poster Show seeks work that demonstrates both conceptual strength and excellence in design, recognizing the poster as a medium capable of informing, persuading, provoking thought, and inspiring positive change.

2027 Southern Miss National Poster Show
A National Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Poster Design

Exhibition: January 21 – February 12, 2027
Entry Deadline: December 1, 2026

The University of Southern Mississippi School of Performing and Visual Arts, in partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art and sponsored in part by Southern Miss Partners for the Arts, is pleased to announce The 2027 Southern Miss National Poster Show.

The poster has long been one of the world's most influential forms of visual communication: educating, advocating, inspiring, and challenging audiences through the power of design. The 2027 exhibition invites professional and emerging artists, graphic designers, illustrators, and printmakers from across the United States to explore the theme Social Advocacy, creating original poster designs that promote awareness, encourage dialogue, and inspire meaningful change.

Whether addressing issues of justice, equity, public health, environmental stewardship, education, civic engagement, or other topics of social importance, entrants are encouraged to interpret the theme through their own unique perspective and creative voice.

Juror & Visiting Artist: Steve Hash

Steve Hash is an American contemporary artist working primarily in sculpture and installation. His practice explores the tension between individuality and conformity, examining how personal identity shapes our relationships with others and the world around us.

Born in Santa Barbara, California, in 1982, Hash was raised in an off-the-grid commune in Mississippi’s DeSoto National Forest. This unconventional upbringing continues to inform his interest in identity, independence, and the complex relationship between the individual and the collective.

As a Creative Director, Hash has worked across music and entertainment with artists including Bruno Mars, Wiz Khalifa, Janelle Monáe, Skrillex, the Grateful Dead, and Interpol., as well as holding creative leadership roles with Warner Music Group, Atlantic Records, and OWSLA. 

Hash’s work has been exhibited at institutions and galleries including the Institute of Contemporary Art, LA Louver, the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden, where he was an artist-in-residence, and The Bunker Artspace. His work has also been featured in publications including Artforum, which selected him as a Critics’ Pick, and Forbes, which featured him in an artist spotlight.

Calendar

Display, Shipping & Delivery

Accepted works will be exhibited as unframed printed posters. Posters will be displayed using a magnetic hanging system designed to securely support the work without damaging the print.

Accepted posters must be professionally printed and either shipped or hand delivered to the University of Southern Mississippi. Artists are responsible for all shipping and return shipping costs.

Posters may be shipped flat or rolled in a mailing tube and should arrive by January 4, 2027. Hand-delivered work should arrive no later than January 13, 2027, unless alternative arrangements have been approved.

Artists may include a prepaid return shipping label or elect to donate their printed poster to the University of Southern Mississippi Art & Design Archive for educational purposes.

Detailed shipping instructions will be provided upon acceptance.

Insurance

The University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art will insure accepted artwork while it is on university property. Insurance during shipment to and from the University remains the responsibility of the artist. The University is not responsible for damage or loss occurring during transit.

Each submission must include:

• Artist name
• Title
• Medium (please list all significant media and production processes used)
• Printed dimensions (Width × Height)
• Year completed
• Brief statement describing the submitted work

Artists may submit up to three different poster designs.

Each entry requires:

• One JPEG image
• 72 dpi
• Maximum file size: 5 MB
• Minimum dimension: 1920 pixels on the longest side

The Southern Miss National Poster Show is open to professional and emerging artists, graphic designers, illustrators, and printmakers who are residents of the United States and are at least 18 years of age.

All submitted work must be original and completed within the past five years.

Theme

All entries must respond to the 2027 exhibition theme: Social Advocacy

Artists are encouraged to interpret the theme broadly. Posters may address social, cultural, environmental, educational, humanitarian, political, or community issues through original visual communication. The exhibition welcomes diverse viewpoints and creative approaches while recognizing the poster's historic role as a vehicle for awareness, dialogue, and change.

Printed posters may not exceed 40 inches in either dimension. Accepted works may not be substituted after jury selection.

Questions

For questions or additional information, please contact:

Catherine Edmonson
Gallery Director
University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art

or

Jacob C. Cotton
Associate Professor of Design
School of Performing and Visual Arts
The University of Southern Mississippi