The Phillips Collection Announces Open Call for 2026 Juried Invitational Exhibition

WASHINGTON, DC— The Phillips Collection announces an open call for submissions to its Juried Invitational, open July 14 through September 30, 2025, or until 1,000 entries are received. The invitational is open to artists ages 18 and older who currently reside in the Washington, DC–Baltimore metropolitan areas, including select counties in Maryland and Virginia. Selected artworks will then be featured in an exhibition from August 1 through September 20, 2026. The exhibition furthers the museum’s mission as a welcoming home for all, where the vision and spirit of artists thrive.

This invitational builds on museum founder Duncan Phillips’s enduring commitment to showcasing regional artists. The 2026 invitational continues this tradition by highlighting the diversity and creativity of artists from across the region and their responses to the present social and political moment. The Phillips Collection encourages submissions that reflect the museum’s values of experimentation, equity, accessibility, and social purpose. Submissions will be reviewed by a jury of art professionals, and accepted artists will be announced by December 15, 2025.

“The Phillips Collection has a proud legacy of championing artists from the Washington, DC region—a tradition that dates back to our founding,” said Jonathan Binstock, Vradenburg Director and CEO of The Phillips Collection. “The 2026 Juried Invitational celebrates the artists who energize the vibrant cultural life of the DMV and the many ways local artists reflect, challenge, and inspire our communities.”

The culminating exhibition will be curated by Tie Jojima, Curator of Global Contemporary Art at The Phillips Collection, and Tsedaye Makonnen, interdisciplinary artist, cultural producer, and curator. They will also serve as jurors alongside Leila Grothe, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, The Baltimore Museum of Art; and Jordan Martin, Curatorial Production Manager, Washington Project for the Arts.

“The Phillips Collection has a strong history of connecting with local artists through our invitationals, which highlight the vitality and diversity of the region’s artistic community,” said Tie Jojima. “Our last invitational in 2021—the exhibition Inside Outside, Upside Down—brought us into dialogue with artists like Marta Pérez García and Aaron Maier-Carretero, and we are proud that this series continues to elevate leading voices while enriching our exhibition program with works that speak to the issues of our time.”

The invitational welcomes all visual and time-based media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, textiles, video, performance, sound, and digital art. All works must be original in concept, design, and execution. Artists may submit up to two works created after November 2024.

All entries by eligible artists must be submitted electronically through the online submission site. Submissions will close at 11:59 PM ET on September 30, 2025, or when the 1,000-entry cap is reached. A notification will be posted on the website if the cap is met before the deadline. For full eligibility guidelines, submission details, and key dates, please visit: phillipscollection.org/open-call.