Musquash MPA Art Contest
In case you haven't heard, this year is the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area (MPA)!!
To celebrate, we're hosting an art contest, open to all ages and artistic levels.
We want you to dig deep and get inspiration from the beautiful Musquash Estuary to create an art piece to share with the community.
We encourage you to think about your personal connection to the Musquash MPA - how does it bring value to your life? Is it the environmental benefits of protection, the tranquility and beauty of the place itself?
Whether you want to showcase your art skills, or just showcase your appreciation for the Musquash MPA, we want to see it all! We will also accept art that has already been created - as long as it was inspired by the Musquash MPA.
Interested in participating? Please fill out this form to get started: https://forms.gle/7Y3w3j9qJtruUtVy6
** Please note: Art will be displayed at a gallery event in the fall, so all art must be completed by October 9th.
More information on prizes and exhibit dates/locations will be announced soon! If you have any questions, check out the FAQs below. If your question isn’t answered, reach out to us at info@ecw.ngo and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
FAQs:
Q: Is ECW able to help with framing costs?
A: Unfortunately, we aren’t able to help with framing costs due to the small budget that we have for this project. However, we should still be able to share works that haven’t been framed - the galleries have lots of practice! That being said, we will accept art either framed or unframed.
Q: How many pieces can I submit?
A: You’re welcome to submit as many pieces as you’d like! Some artists may opt for a single piece/item, while we’ve also heard of others planning to make an arrangement of pieces. As long as your pieces won’t take up an entire room, we should be able to accommodate (within reason).
Q: What forms of art are accepted?
A: We’re happy to accept all forms of art for this contest, including visual (paintings, drawings, photography, pottery, ceramics, textile arts, metalworks, etc.), and literary (poetry, stories, etc.). If you can think of something that I haven’t listed, it’s likely accepted, but feel free to reach out if you’d like to confirm.
Q: Does the painting need to be of the Musquash MPA/area?
A: While we would love to see the Musquash MPA/area, art pieces inspired by the local area are also accepted. The purpose of the art contest is to inspire love for the natural area, be it the estuary, salt marsh, the bay, or other areas close by. As long as you were inspired by nature in some way, we’d love to have your art.
Q: When does the art need to be completed?
A: All art should be completed by October 9th, 2026. We will be organizing drop off days from October 10-14th in various locations (more info below).
Q: Where will the art be shown?
A: As of right now, we have an exhibit confirmed at the Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre in St. Andrews. The art will be on display at Sunbury Shores from October 19th - 31st, with a gallery opening event in the evening on October 22nd. This will be advertised publicly very soon! We’re also working on securing dates for exhibitions in other areas. As soon as we have more information on those exhibitions, we will share it with you.
Q: When and where can I drop off my art?
A: Our office is based in Blacks Harbour, but we’ll be organizing drop off days in Saint John and St. Andrews in early October (Oct 10-14th). If you would like to drop off your art earlier, you’re welcome to drop by our office anytime! Otherwise, we’ll send more information regarding drop off times/locations soon. We’re hoping to have the art by October 14th so that we have time to set up at Sunbury Shores for the first exhibit, but if you’re unable to make those dates work, please reach out and we can make alternative arrangements.
Q: How will the art be promoted?
A: We will be promoting all of the exhibitions through our social media channels, as well as through various email networks, on the radio, posters in local areas, etc. If you’re happy to have your art included in our promotions, you can feel free to send us a photo to be included when your art is completed/when you drop it off. If you’d rather not have your art shown online, that’s also completely fine! Either way, we’ll likely make another poster similar to the one that we circulated to first advertise the contest.
Q: Are there any prizes?
A: Yes, there will be prizes! The main prize will be announced soon, but we’ll also be offering recognition awards in various categories. The main prize will be randomly drawn. Each participant will get one entry (not one entry per piece submitted).
