The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival is pleased to invite artists to compete in our 2nd annual poster competition – made possible with support from Duolingo. This competition serves as a stellar opportunity for student and professional artists to interpret the theme of the festival this year, Our America250 in visually artistic ways.

This competition is open to all student and professional artists:

• Student Artists – Any person who identifies and wishes to apply as a student with proof of enrollment.
• Professional Artist – Any person who pursues active income via their artistic capabilities.

The Submission Form can be found here.

Deadline for submission: August 15th, 2026

Jazz Festival Dates: September 17th –  20th, 2026

Fifteen finalists will be selected, including: (6) student artist finalists, (6) professional artist finalists, (1) student winner, (1) professional winner, and (1) grand prize winner. The grand prize winner (the overall top applicant) can come from either category.

• The Grand Prize Winner will receive $1500.00
• The Professional Winner will receive $500.00
• The Student Winner will receive $350.00

All visual mediums will be accepted for this competition, however, if not presenting digitally native art, the grand prize-winning artist must be able to render a high quality and print ready scan or image of the selected media. The final print resolution MUST be 300dpi and also MUST be reproduction ready to be eligible to win. If the grand prize winner candidate is unable to provide a print ready work in a timely manner, we will have to move on to another finalist who can provide the print quality required.

Additionally, all applicants are expected to comply with the following criteria (any deviation may result in your application being dismissed):

• Submission artwork must be in a 2:3 aspect ratio tailored for a 24×36 inch print
• Submissions must be original pieces of art created and conceived by the applicant(s) (Any works involving AI generated images are ineligible)
• Submissions must not contain use of brands, likeness, or personalities
• Submissions must not contain political or religious marks or logos
• Submission must not contain any phrases, symbols, or markings that can be considered hateful or derogatory

**** The AWAACC reserves the right to dismiss any application we feel does not comply with the above criteria.

****Applicants may apply as a group, however one group, as far as the application and judging process is concerned, will only represent a single submission. So, for example, if a student group is chosen as the grand prize winner, that group will receive $1500 to be split amongst the group members.

• All finalists will have their work featured on the PIJF website.
• Only the grand prize winner’s poster will be printed.
• Will we print 100 limited edition copies of the grand prize winner’s poster to be sold at the 2026 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival.
• The grand prize winner will keep the copyright for their poster, however all profit made from selling the limited-edition copies will go to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center and Pittsburgh International Jazz Fest.

**** Your designs do not have to match the ones below, they are just given as examples of previous iterations of PIJF posters.

2025 Grand Prize Winner:

2025 Professional Winner:

2025 Student Winner:

 The 16th edition of the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival considers the semiquincentennial, or the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Jazz is freedom of expression and unity in creativity. This year, our theme is Our America250, exploring how jazz, blues, rock, soul, gospel, hip hop and jazz adjacent musical styles have shaped American culture and global trends. Our mission is to preserve the legacy of jazz and amplify the creativity of artists sharing their stories through music! The PIJF attracts music lovers from all over the country, and Pittsburgh’s rich jazz legacy flows through our city, connecting neighborhoods and carrying our culture worldwide. We are proud to be the home and birthplace of jazz legends like Mary Lou Williams, Jeff “Tain” Watts, George Benson, Earl “Fatha” Hines, Roger Humphries, and a proving ground for so many great jazz musicians.

It’s going to be a music packed weekend! Thursday, our signature Jazz Train pulls out of the station in NYC and jams on the rails with Orrin Evans and company all the way to Pittsburgh. You’ll get a chance to hear some of our local greats at the Jazz Crawl on Friday at restaurants around town. Come together for the FREE jazz street party on Saturday and Sunday with live music on outdoor stages. Bring a chair, grab a delicious meal from the variety of food trucks, enjoy a cold craft beer at our bars and brew lounge, let the kids play at our KidZone, and jam to live music on outdoor stages.

The 2025 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival is co-presented by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, with generous support from the Mellon Foundation. Performances by PIJF’s 2026 BUILD artists-in-residence are made possible by the Joyce and George Wein Foundation. The second annual PIJF poster design competition is made possible by Duolingo. Additional support: UPMC, UPMC Health Plan, Visit Pittsburgh, BMW of PIttsburgh, Citizens. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Support for AWAACC’s operations is provided by the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD).

AWAACC’s programming is made possible by generous support from its donors. For a complete list, visit awaacc.org.

The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary arts center open to all. We are dedicated to the celebration of the African American journey and presenting its unique and extraordinary role in the creation of popular culture in America and beyond. The non-profit August Wilson African American Cultural Center is one of the largest cultural organizations in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience, and through its mission is dedicated to sharing the African American experience and presenting artistic expression that reflects the prestige, authority and vision illuminated in the work of August Wilson. We also represent the rich history of his birthplace, Pittsburgh PA, and share the unique perspective of its inhabitants. Through our festivals, exhibitions and programs, we aim to inspire all people to see Black creativity and innovation as an impetus for heartfelt human connection.

For more information please contact our team at programming@awaacc.org