The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards is a visual art prize produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District that honors artists from Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. The annual juried competition awards $14,000 in prize monies to selected artists and features the work of the finalists in a group exhibition.

Carol Trawick established The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards in 2003. Ms. Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda. She is past Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, past Chair of the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. and Founder of The Trawick Prize. Additionally, the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation was established in 2007 after the Trawicks sold their successful information technology company.  

Awards Best in Show - $10,000 Second Place - $2,000 Third Place - $1,000 Young Artist* - $1,000 

*Young Artist whose birthday is after April 24, 1996 may be awarded this prize.  

The Jurors will select up to eight finalists who will be invited to display their work in a group exhibition at Gallery B in downtown Bethesda in September 2026. 

Judges 

The competition will be juried by Mollye Bendell, Asst. Professor of Art at University of Maryland; Alanna Fields, Professor of Photography at Howard University; and Michael Jones McKean, Professor of Sculpture and Extended Media Department at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Eligibility

• Artwork must have been completed within the last two years.
• Work must be available for the duration of the Awards exhibition in September 2026. Finalists must deliver and pick up artwork to and from Gallery B.
• Artists must be 18 years of age or older and permanent, full-time residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C.
• All original 2-D and 3-D fine art including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fiber art, digital, mixed media and video will be accepted.
• The maximum dimensions should not exceed 96 inches in any direction.
• No reproductions.  All works on paper must be framed to full conservation standards.
• The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District will take 50% commission on pieces sold during the exhibit. Artwork is not required to be for sale at the exhibition.

Application

• Artists will submit images of five pieces of original work. 
• An alternative view of each piece is allowed. 
• Artists selected as a semi-finalist will be asked to submit more examples of recent work.
• Application closes Friday, April 24, 2026

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and Bethesda Urban Partnership are seeking artists for the second phase of the Signal Box Public Art Project. Ten signal boxes located throughout downtown Bethesda have been selected for artistic vinyl wraps to adorn the boxes.

Artists must be 14 years of age or older and residents of Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia. Artists are asked to submit a resume along with previous examples of their artwork.

The Signal Box project will showcase the work of 10 selected artists, including high school artists. Interested artists are invited to submit previous images of their artwork along with the proposed artwork for the signal box for review. Each artist will be paid $650 for the license to use their image. If selected, artists will need to provide a high-resolution file for the image of their artwork to be printed on one of the selected boxes.

Artwork requirements:

· Artwork must be original, and created by the artist submitting to the project. 

· The art may be representational or abstract but may not contain advertising, religious art,

sexual content, negative imagery, or convey political partisanship.

· The artwork cannot include any form of advertisement or copyright-protected images.

· The artwork shall not include speech of any kind.

· If selected, final artwork will need to meet the printer’s digital requirements.

There are two sizes of traffic boxes. You can view the sizing information in Attachment A; you will only need to submit one size in your application. Final artists may be asked to make sizing adjustments.

Anticipated Timeline

● Application due by Monday, April 30, 2026.

● The selected artists will be announced on or before May 29, 2026.

● If selected, final artwork designs and digital files will be due by Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

● Artwork will be installed in Fall 2026.

Budget

Selected artists to create final designs will receive a $650 stipend per traffic control box design. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District will pay for the printing and installation of the vinyl wraps.

Selection Process

 The selection committee will select up to 10 artists to finalize their original designs for the vinyl printer. Each artist will be recognized on or near the Signal Box, as well as on our website and in social media.