You could be the person whose artistic design becomes Harborfest’s 2026 official poster!
Just design a poster in line with this year’s theme and send it to us in graphic form. A committee will judge the entries and the winner will receive $250 and the pleasure of seeing their work all over the area as local business supporters display their poster for all to see.
Details and official rules are below. When your entry is ready, send it in digital format to director@oswegoharborfest.com.
The 2026 Official Poster Theme: The Music that Shaped America
Celebrate the sounds that defined a nation in this year’s Oswego Harborfest poster design contest. America has a rich history of innovation in music and the arts, across diverse genres such as country, rock, jazz, rhythm-and-blues, hip-hop, folk, and pop. For 250 years, American musicians have shaped culture, amplified diverse voices, and reflected the struggles, hopes, and triumphs of a growing nation. Artists are invited to capture how these sounds continue to unite generations and tell the story of American culture, and Harborfest’s part of that, through music, past and present. Your poster should reflect this theme.
The Rules:
- Poster design must be portrait orientation with standard poster dimensions.
- 4×5 aspect ratio preferred.
- Art must be submitted in JPG, PNG, or PDF formats.
- Artist retains possession of any physical pieces, if applicable.
- Artists are encouraged to explore different mediums: painting, sketching, digital art, photography, mixed media, etc. will all be accepted.
- All art submitted must be entirely original. Use of clipart, uncredited graphics or AI generated art will not be accepted.
- All art submitted must be free of suggestive content and appropriate for general audiences. Art depicting references to drugs or alcohol, nudity or other adult themes will not be accepted.
- Submissions must be received by midnight, April 1st, 2026. Submissions received after this date will not be accepted. Contest winner will be notified by mid-April and will win a $250 prize alongside their art being featured on the poster for Oswego Harborfest 2026.
- Submissions will be judged by a panel based on their originality, quality, and how well they represent this year’s theme and the festival.
- By submitting your art, you agree to assign full usage rights to Oswego Harbor Festivals, Inc. for promotional purposes and for the sale of merchandise. The artist agrees to allow alteration of the piece to impose the official Harborfest logo or other information as needed.
