Call for Artist Submissions

Queer Spectra Arts Festival 2026

May 14 - May 16

SORENSON UNITY CENTER

Transportation: UTA bus line 9 (California Ave / 900 W - Stop ID: 198489900) Plenty of places to chain up bikes and park

The submission deadline is Friday, March 13th at 11:59 PM MDT.

For questions, please contact queerspectra@gmail.com

APPLY HERE

Three people stand looking at a wall filled with visual art from the 2025 Queer Spectra Arts Festival

Festival 2026: Troubling the Lines

“In a country leaning hard toward fascism, seeking to strip us of agency means seeking to strip us of creativity. The creative person is a site of agency, intuition, patience, & deep listening. When told we are supposed to shut up & fall into line, the person who practices creativity is dangerous.”

— Shira Erlichman, writer, musician, visual artist

Learn about the theme

Submission Details:

Artists from all disciplines are invited to submit, including those in inter/multidisciplinary fields. Categories include (but are not limited to):

Categories include (but are not limited to):

2D visual arts (drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, etc.)

3D art works (sculpture, installation, fashion, etc.)

Time-based arts (dance, theatre, music, comedy, literature, film, drag, performance art, etc.)

Literary Arts (poetry, zines, short stories, literature essays, etc.)

We accept both finished works and works-in-progress. For works-in-progress, in your application, tell us how you plan to complete your work and provide us a detailed timeline.

One dancer, dressed in black, performing in a Black Box theater at the 2025 Queer Spectra Arts Festival.

The submission deadline is Friday March 13th at 11:59pm MDT.

Questions? Check out our FAQ’s. Email queerspectra@gmail.com with additional questions.

Additional Information:

Adjudication Committee:

Submitted applications will be reviewed by an adjudication committee. This is a separate group of people from the Queer Spectra Organizing Committee.

Finished & Work-In-Progress

We accept both finished works and works-in-progress. For works-in-progress, in your application, tell us how you plan to complete your work and provide us a detailed timeline. We also welcome submissions from out of state and outside of the US.

Festival Events and Workshops
Queer Spectra Arts Festival includes multiple events like workshops and artist discussions. We invite submitting artists to be a part of any events throughout the festival. To learn more about the festival, we encourage you to visit: https://www.queerspectra.com/past-festivals

Submission Fee & Financial Support:

Thanks to generous support from grants, donations, and our community, there are no fees or costs for artists to participate in the festival. Queer Spectra does not charge any fees for artists to apply or present work. Additionally, artists scholarships are available for participating artists. Scholarships are intended to offer support for the creation process, especially for those who would otherwise not be able to present their art without financial assistance. The scholarship application will be available to artists after they have been accepted into the festival.

For time-based art works, we encourage the following time limits: Dance, theatre, performance art: maximum 8 minutes for solos, 10 minutes for group works (including duo). Music: 10 minutes max. Short films: maximum 8 minutes.

For literary works, artists can read their pieces and/or have them available for audience members to read them in the gallery. For reading literary works, 8 minutes for solos, 10 minutes for group works (including duo).

For 2D/3D works, we have the opportunity to keep these works on display after the festival ends until the end of May in the Sorenson Unity Center. This is an optional opportunity.

The long term exhibit may not display artwork or other items containing:

• Explicit sexual imagery;

• Nudity;

• Graphic descriptions or depictions of violence;

• Anything that promotes a particular political party or candidate;

• Anything that promotes unlawful or illegal goods, services, or activities;

• Anything that creates a hostile work environment for employees; or

• Anything that would violate applicable City, Utah, or federal laws, including obscenity, defamation of character, or invasion of privacy.

You may still submit and will be equally considered for display during the festival dates May 14, 15, and 16th if your work contains anything listed above.

*Please note that the Sorenson Unity Center and Queer Spectra Arts Festival does not insure the artwork displayed. The artists bears the risk of loss from damage, destruction, or theft of the artwork while displayed in the Sorenson Community Campus. In no event shall the City assume financial responsibility for any lost, damaged, or stolen works displayed at the Sorenson Community Campus. Twenty four hour video surveillance of the building is provided.

2D Works should be framed in order to be displayed using a rod hanging system. If you have concerns about this, please reach out at queerspectra@gmail.com

THANK YOU

Queer Spectra Arts Festival is made possible by generous support from the following sponsors: