National Arts Program - Delaware Division of the Arts

Gallery walls filled with artwork by state employees

Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition

Don’t miss the chance to be recognized in Delaware for your creativity!

Enter your artwork in The Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition. Sponsored by The National Arts Program® in support and cooperation with the State of Delaware and the Delaware Division of the Arts, the exhibit is judged by professional artists and visual art professionals. The Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition is designed to give artists at all skill levels a unique opportunity to exhibit their creative work and to compete for cash prizes.

See the 2025 Exhibition >>>

Information and Eligibility

Participants must be a current, benefit-eligible employee, or immediate family member of a current, benefit-eligible employee (spouse, parent, sibling, child, grandchild), of the State of Delaware. (Participating Group Members are also eligible.)

All entries must be the original work of the applicant completed within the last three years.

Not accepted: Kits; paint-by-number pieces; photocopies or photographs of artwork; magazine or book illustrations; low resolution photographs and snapshots; artwork entered in previous years.

The National Arts Program and the Delaware Division of the Arts reserve the right to disqualify entries they consider to be unacceptable or inappropriate for a public exhibition.

Limit one artwork per registered artist, no exceptions.

Please read the full submission instructions here: Exhibit Information

Artistic Categories and Accepted Mediums

There are five categories related to the judging aspect of this program:

Amateur: a person 18+ with little or no experience
Intermediate: a person 18+ with some experience/training, beginning art students, etc.
Professional: a person 18+ with advanced art training, or employed in an art-related job
Teen: 13–18 years old
Youth: 12 years and under

The following artistic mediums are accepted for exhibition:

Painting (oil, acrylics)
Works on Paper (watercolor, pencil, ink, charcoal, pastel, marker, crayon, digital, or reproductions of your original work)
Photography (black & white, color)
Sculpture
Craft (ceramics, glasswork, jewelry, woodcarving, fiber, etc.)
Mixed Media (a work of visual art that combines more than one medium)

Artwork will be judged in the classification of the artist’s selection. However, in some cases, the exhibition judges will make the final determination.

How to Register

Preparing Entries

Submit only entries that fit into the listed medium categories
Prepare an image of your artwork to submit as part of the registration process. For tips, view the Tips for Photographing Artwork (below)
All work (excluding textiles) must measure no more than 40 inches in any direction