2026 Bobcat Art Show Details and Submission Guidelines
Submission Form Opens: Feb 2nd - March 13th 2026
Artwork Drop-offs: March 17th - 21st
Exhibit Dates: April 2nd — May 17th, 2026
Open To: UC Merced Undergraduate, Graduate students, Staff, and Faculty
Submission Guidelines:
Acceptable mediums: painting, drawing, photography, video, multimedia, textile art, sculpture*
Submissions must be:
- Created in the last 4 years
- Must not have been displayed in a previous Bobcat Art Show from the past four years
- Must be physical, ready-to-hang media (i.e.: Digital art or photograph printed out on paper. EXCEPTION is a video submission, which may be entered as an mp4 or other playable video file. Sculpture submissions must be structurally sound and able to stand on their own.)
Originality/copyright:
Submitted artwork must be an original, independent creation and cannot be a marketing product, advertisement, or promotional material. Logos and trademarks are allowed if used creatively (e.g., in the background or as a small element), but the artwork cannot consist solely of a logo and must be a unique artistic expression, not a direct use of copyrighted branding.
Submissions must be ready-to-hang / display when dropped off at La Galería.
La Galería staff has hanging hardware available for those who need assistance. However, please note that our materials will only work for frames/canvases/panels made of wood. Please check out the guide below to get your artwork ready-to-hang!
La Galería a limited supply of frames that may be borrowed for displaying photographs and work on paper. For more information, please email ggarnica2@ucmerced.edu after submitting this form.
*La Galería will do our best to accept all artworks, but we may have limitations in our capacity and ability to display three-dimensional / nontraditional artworks. We will do our best to accept all entries that follow the guidelines, but filling this form is not a guarantee of acceptance. Please keep this in mind when submitting your work.
You will be notified via e-mail if your work is accepted on March 14th with further instructions for drop-off.
For additional questions or information, contact Gallery Manager via e-mail: ggarnica2@ucmerced.edu or UC Merced Arts: arts@ucmerced.edu.
