Aug. 21 – Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2025
294 Days 18 Hours 7 Mins
Work exceeding 6 feet in any direction (including the frame) are not accepted. Very heavy objects requiring special handling may be entered subject to approval of the fine arts department.
No. Your piece only needs to be framed if accepted into the final exhibition.
Images are listed in order of the naming convention of the images (either numerical or alphabetical). For example, if you re-name your images “fine arts 1,” “fine arts 2” and “fine arts 3” with the primary image named “fine arts 1,” that image would show up first.
Please note that the first image you submit is also used as the catalog image if accepted into the exhibition.
Yes. Your image will still be viewed by the jurors in an acceptable quality, but we recommend the shortest dimension of the submitted image be at least 1,000 pixels.
Work of students is eligible only if executed without the help of the instructor and the piece is an original work of art.
Yes. These pieces are allowed, but they must be framed (with the hardware removed).
Names of jurors are not made public until the First Glance Event held the Tuesday evening before the State Fair begins.
Unfortunately, the judges do not send critiques or explanations. The volume of work they have to review in a short amount of time does not allow for it. Jurors change each year and their bios along with a criteria statement will be available to see in the online catalog. Although it doesn’t give specific answers, that might be an insight into their process.
Frames don’t have to be expensive, but make sure it is good quality. Factor in the framing cost when pricing your piece of art. Do not use picture frames or plastic frames that easily come apart. Frame must extend 1/4″ beyond the frontal surface of the work.
There are no exceptions. Your piece is required to be framed (with the hardware removed) to comply with the State Fair’s display system and for the safety of the piece. Each piece is has two screws drilled into the frame and those screws rest on a bar to be hung. Unframed pieces will not be accepted.
No. All hardware and wires must be removed from the back of frame for classes 1, 3, 4, 5 and 8. The State Fair uses the French cleat hanging system which requires all hardware to be removed from the back of the frame. No exceptions.
During designated delivery days and times, please bring your piece to the Fine Arts Center. See this map for more information.
You can have someone deliver your piece for you as long as the person you ask has your confirmation email. Or, for a $50 fee due upon delivery, we can accept early drop-offs at our office (Admin Too on the fairgrounds, 1312 Cosgrove Street) beginning Monday, July 29 through Thursday, Aug. 1, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you choose to drop off your work early, your work will not be insured and will be at risk of damage during storage and transportation.
We acknowledge that the photographic process includes more than just image capture, and developing, editing and printing are as important to the art of photography as the initial snap. If the work was first printed within the last two years and not previously printed or displayed, it is eligible. The spirit of the rule is to keep the exhibition a fresh reflection of the current thought and action of Minnesota artists, including content, medium, subject and form. A question to ask yourself when considering what to submit: Is this piece the best representation of my current practice?
This issue is particularly complicated, and the Minnesota State Fair cannot give legal, copyright advice. When in doubt, do not submit a piece if you are questioning its originality or copyright.
The State Fair cannot research every work of art for its originality. A juror will sometimes recognize a piece as being overly derivative of another work or a copy and will typically not accept the piece. However, it is possible to have an unoriginal artwork slip through simply because jurors aren’t aware of its reference. In this situation, visitors to the State Fair gallery generally point it out as more than 250,000 people visit the Fine Arts exhibition each year. If a fair guest files a complaint and the work in question is found to be in violation of our rules (any rule, including originality), then the work is removed from display.
Below are a few examples of pieces that have copyright issues. If after researching the examples below you are still in doubt, it would be best to avoid using a reference that is not wholly your own.
