The Abound Credit Union Celebration of the Arts is a competitive exhibition hosted annually by the Kentucky Museum.

The exhibit will officially open to the public at the reception on March 3 at 6 p.m., Tiffany Isselhardt, Kentucky Museum exhibit curator, said. The award recipients will be announced at this time.

The museum is currently accepting entries until Feb. 10 at 11:59 p.m.

All WKU students and Kentucky residents 18 years or older living within 65 miles of WKU are eligible to enter.

There is a $20 entry fee, Isselhardt said. The WKU Department of Art is offering a limited number of scholarships for students to have this fee covered.

Those interested in entering the exhibition should email Mary Lynn Claycomb at [email protected] for an entry form.

Entries need to be dropped off at the museum between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 17.

Unlike past exhibitions, this is the first year there will be no distinction between amateur and professional awards, Isselhardt said. The museum recognized that many amateur artists had professional qualities to their work, causing the categories to become blurred.

Categories of art eligible for entry are ceramics and glass, drawing/Illustration, fiber art, graphic design/digital art, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and watercolor, according to the WKU website.

Prizes for each category are $200 for first place, $150 for second place  and $100 for third place.

Other awards include the Kentucky Museum Purchase Award for $700, Best of Show for $400, ArtWorks Merit Award for $200 and the World’s Greatest Studio Tour Merit Award for $100.

IIsselhardt said the prizes are a way to recognize the great work artists do and support them in continuing their art journey.

“We have our purchase award, which is the highest honor in the show,” Isselhardt said. “That work actually gets placed in the museum’s permanent collection.”

The exhibit will be open to the public from March 3 to April 14.

“It’s a very friendly competition,” Isselhardt said. “The thing about Bowling Green is that we have a very supportive arts community.”