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NATCHEZ — Natchez Balloon Festival organizers are now accepting submissions for the 40th Annual Natchez Balloon Festival Artwork Competition.

The 40th Annual Natchez Balloon Festival takes place Oct. 17 through 18.

This competition determines the design on festival promotional materials, posters, T-shirts and other memorabilia that will be available to purchase during the event.

The winner of the competition receives a $1,000 cash prize.

Submissions are due by June 15.

This competition is among the most coveted of local and regional artists, with limited numbers of past posters available at the Historic Natchez Foundation and festival site for collectors to purchase for years to come.

Some of the past winners include Sabreya DeLancey, Ben Hillyer, Debora Novarini, Alex Felter, KateLee Laird, Jennie Guido, Kourtney Zimmerman, Tim Givens, Kay Browning, Wyatt Waters, Will Smith, Sim Hicks and Vidalia High School senior Jillian Birely who won in 2024.

Last year’s contest received over 80 entries, said Carter Burns, who is the executive director of the Historic Natchez Foundation and Natchez Balloon Festival committee member.

“The Natchez Balloon Festival Committee looks forward to the artwork contest every year,” Burns said. “We are always very impressed by the creativity of the submissions.”

Submissions should be emailed to balloonfestival@natchez.org in a JPG, PDF or PNG file format.

Only original artwork is allowed. AI generated or AI augmented pieces are not acceptable.

For more information, contact balloonfestival@natchez.org