Art Competitions Open as CHArts 2026 Countdown Begins
The countdown is on for one of Circular Head's biggest annual celebrations, with the official CHArts Festival website now live and entries now open for the 2026 art competitions.
Held throughout September, CHArts is Circular Head's signature celebration of arts, culture and heritage. The month-long festival brings together local artists, performers, community groups, businesses and visitors to celebrate the creativity, stories and unique character of our region.
Entries Now Open
Artists, photographers and writers from across Tasmania are invited to enter this year's competitions through the new CHArts website.
The competitions provide an opportunity to showcase creative work as part of the CHArts Festival exhibition and feature more than $10,000 in prize money thanks to the generous support of local businesses, community organisations and festival partners.
Competition categories include:
- CHArtchibald Portraiture Prize
- Open Art
- Photography
- Writing
- Youth categories across multiple disciplines
Prize highlights include the $2,000 CHArtchibald Prize, the $1,000 Community Bank Smithton and Districts Photography Acquisition Prize, the $1,000 Open Art Prize, along with a range of youth awards designed to encourage emerging artists.
A Festival for Everyone
CHArts celebrates the creativity, talent and community spirit that already exists across Circular Head. It's something we can all be proud of and something we're excited to share with visitors.
Whether you're entering a competition, exhibiting your work, attending an event or simply coming along to enjoy the festival, CHArts is an invitation for everyone to be part of a celebration that belongs to our whole community.
There are categories for all ages and abilities, making CHArts a wonderful opportunity to be part of one of Circular Head's most loved community events.
Important Dates
- Competition entries close: 5pm Monday 17 August 2026
- Artwork delivery: 27–28 August 2026
- Exhibition opening: Friday 4 September 2026
- Festival program released: Friday 7 August 2026
Visit the New CHArts Website
The new CHArts website includes competition information, entry forms, categories, conditions and festival updates.
The full 2026 festival program, featuring exhibitions, workshops, live performances, pop-up events and returning favourites including Sounds Around Town, will be released on Friday 7 August.
Visit www.chartsfestival.com to enter the competitions and keep up to date with everything happening at CHArts 2026.