The Annual Paul Voertman Juried Student Art Competition & Exhibition starts with a call for entries!

A time-honored tradition at the UNT College of Visual Arts and Design, the annual juried student art competition provides yet another celebration of CVAD students' artistic achievement and promise. Started in 1960 by Paul Voertman, arts aficionado, founder of Voertman’s store, and philanthropist, the exhibition is juried annually by an accomplished arts professional and provides students with real-world experience. Since the competition's inception,  thousands of emerging artists have exhibited their works, and hundreds have received awards. 

This year's juror: Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez

Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez, @marka_27, is a renowned international visual artist who is known for his diverse works that intersect contemporary art, graffiti, vinyl toys, fashion design and art activism. Marka27’s artistry encompasses paintings, murals, drawings, mixed-media pieces, and private commissions for major brands. His robust palette combines elements of street and pop culture with Mexican and indigenous aesthetics, which he has coined as his signature look, “Neo Indigenous.” His work is inspired by the empowerment of marginalized communities and the fight for representation.

Internationally recognized for his dynamic visual language, Marka27 has exhibited globally and collaborated with major brands while creating landmark public art in cities across the U.S. He is a Frieze Los Angeles Impact Prize winner (2025) and a Right of Return and Art for Justice Fellow (2023, 2024), using his platform to amplify narratives around immigration, incarceration, and identity. Through his art, Marka27 invites viewers into a vibrant space where heritage and urban expression powerfully coexist.

Online Entry: The entry form opens on Nov. 10, 2025
Deadline: Dec. 12, 2025 — only on-time entries will be accepted!

Important Dates for Artists, Designers

• Jan. 12–18: Artists & designers will be notified of acceptance before the start of the Spring 2025 semester.
• Jan. 20–22, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.: Accepted artwork drop-off times in the Cora Stafford Gallery, Art Building, Room 100.
• Feb. 3–28: The exhibition will take place in the Cora Stafford Gallery, Art Building, Room 100.
• Feb. 5, 5–7 p.m.: Exhibition Reception in the lobby of the Cora Stafford Gallery, Art Building, Room 100.
• Feb. 5, 5:15 p.m.: Awards Ceremony, lobby of the Cora Stafford Gallery, Art Building, Room 100.
• March 2–4, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.: Artwork must be picked up in the Cora Stafford Gallery, Art Building, Room 100.

Questions?

Email the CVAD Galleries at cvad.Galleries@unt.edu.

Good luck with the competition!

Previous Jurors

Celia Álvarez Muñoz, CVAD Alumna, 1982, M.F.A., Studio Art: Photography, a mixed-media conceptual Chicana artist and photographer based in Arlington, Texas
Glenn Adamson, curator, author and historian, artistic director for Design Doha, Brooklyn, New York
Emmy Bright, artist in residence and head of the Print Media Department, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Christopher Blay, chief curator, Houston Museum of African Art, Houston, Texas
Andrea Karnes, chief curator at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas
Alison Saar, sculptor, mixed-media, and installation artist, Los Angeles
John Spriggins, arts administrator, City of Dallas
Cindi Strauss, the Sara and Bill Morgan Curator of Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
Rachael Cozad, former director and CEO of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri
Sara-Jane Parsons, mouth painter, watercolorist, Austin, Texas
Tempestt Hazel, curator, writer, and co-founder of Sixty Inches From Center, an online publishing platform
Lisa Hatchadoorian, executive director, Museum of Art, Fort Collins, Colorado
Clint Willour (1941-2021), former curator, Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, Texas
Peter Doroshenko, director at The Ukrainian Museum, New York, New York