43rd Five State Photography Competition & Exhibition

The Hays Arts Council presents the 43rd Annual Five State Photography Competition & Exhibition, a regional fine art photography competition open to photographers living in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado.

For the 2026–2027 competition, artists will submit original photographic works in three categories: Nature, People, and Open. Any photographic process and subject are eligible. Work must have been created within the last three years and must not have been previously included in a Five State Photography Exhibition.

A juror will select 100 photographs for exhibition. Accepted artists will then provide an 8 × 10-inch printed photograph, without a mat or frame, for exhibition. The photographs will be mounted in 11 × 14-inch black wood frames with white mats provided by the Hays Arts Council.

The exhibition will be presented at the Hays Public Library, 1205 Main Street, Hays, Kansas 67601, from December 5, 2026, through January 31, 2027.

Categories

Artists must choose one of the following three categories for each photograph. Each work will be entered and judged within its selected category.

1. Nature
2. People
3. Open

Any photographic process is eligible in any category. Please ensure that all information, including the selected category, is entered correctly for consideration.

Entry Fees

A fee of $25 allows the entry of two works. Two additional works may be entered for a fee of $7.50 each. Entry fees are non-refundable.

Payment may be made online by credit card or via check payable to Hays Arts Council. Please indicate your payment method on your CaFÉ submission accordingly.

All required information must be provided through CaFÉ for notification and identification purposes. Please ensure that all entry information is complete and accurate, as it will be used for exhibition and jurying purposes.

Entries & Payments are due by October 23, 2026.

Jurying & Selection

Following the jurors' selections, 100 photographs will be selected for exhibition. Artists will be notified of the results following jurying.

Juror

Elise Kirk is a photographic artist and educator concerned with human nature in an ecological world, and the ways in which we construct ourselves through our environments. She was raised in middle Missouri, studied film at Columbia College Chicago and on a U.S. Fulbright award in Madrid, and completed her MFA in photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. She worked for a decade as a media producer in New York and Washington, D.C., for clients including National Geographic, Discovery, and VICE, leading to an expanded documentary approach in her own practice. Elise has participated in numerous residencies, including the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska, and the U.S. National Park Service. She is currently Associate Professor of Photography and Chairperson of the Department of Visual Art at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.  

Awards

The juror will award a total of $1,500 in cash across the three categories: Nature, People, and Open. Awards are not categorized by photographic process. Awards will be announced at the photographer pre-reception on December 4th; accepted photographers will receive more details later.

If Accepted

Artists whose work is accepted will be notified by November 4th, 2026. Accepted photographers must deliver an 8 × 10-inch print of the accepted photograph, without a mat or frame, to the Hays Arts Council by Friday, November 20, 2026.

If mailing your accepted photograph, be sure to include adequate rigid support to protect it from damage, as it will be matted, framed, and exhibited. Allow ample time for entries to reach us.

Hand-delivered photographs will be accepted Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you plan to deliver your photograph on a Saturday, please call first to confirm that the gallery is open.

Accepted photographs must arrive no later than 4 p.m. on Friday, November 20, 2026.

Exhibition

The accepted photographs will be mounted in 11 × 14-inch black wood frames with white mats cut for 8 × 10-inch photographs, either vertical or horizontal. These 100 photographs will be installed for exhibition.

The Five State Photography Exhibition will open as the anchor of the Hays Arts Council Winter Art Walk on Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hays Public Library Schmidt Gallery at 1205 Main St, in Hays KS.

The exhibition will run through January 31, 2027.

Sales

With uniformity of size and presentation, and framing provided by the Hays Arts Council, all exhibited photographs will be priced at $100, including the frame and mat.

Should a photograph sell, the artist will receive $60, with $40 retained by the Hays Arts Council as commission and to cover framing expenses.

If you do not wish to sell your 8 × 10-inch photograph, simply indicate NFS (Not For Sale) on your entry.

Payment for sold work will be made at the conclusion of the exhibition.

Return of Accepted Photographs

Accepted photographs will be returned at the conclusion of the exhibition. Artists may arrange for pickup at the Hays Arts Center Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or include a postage-paid envelope or mailer with their accepted photograph.

If no return envelope is included, photographs will be held for collection until April 1, 2027. The Hays Arts Council will not be responsible for photographs after April 1, 2027.

Catalog

A virtual catalog listing all accepted works, including reproductions of the winning cash award photographs, will be published on the Hays Arts Council website and shared across HAC platforms.

Each accepted entrant may access the catalog at haysartscouncil.org/five-state.

Artists must submit digital photographs through CaFÉ.

File Type: JPEG or JPG only.
File Dimensions: 1,200 pixels or greater on the longest side.
File Size: Under 5 MB.
Aspect ratio: 4:5. White or black borders are allowed, but photographs shall be printed by the photographer at 8 × 10 inches.

Artists may submit two works for $25. Two additional works may be entered for $7.50 each. Entry fees are non-refundable.

Payment may be made by card or check payable to Hays Arts Council. Please indicate your payment method on your CaFÉ submission.

Complete all required application fields, including artist information, work titles, categories, and sale status. Accepted artists must provide an 8 × 10-inch printed photograph without a mat or frame by Friday, November 20, 2026.

Open to photographers living in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado.

Original photographic works created within the last three years are eligible. Any photographic process and subject are permitted. Work must not have been previously included in a Five State Photography Exhibition.

Each photograph must be entered in one of three categories: Nature, People, or Open. Any photographic process is eligible in any category.