TO APPLY TO 2026 CRAFT SHOW:
Applications must be submitted online at Juried Art Services.
Overview information is included on this page. See the Juried Art Services application site for additional information and complete detailed instructions for applications.
Each applicant must submit an application, the non-refundable fee, five (5) electronic images of your work, one booth image, and an artist statement limited to 1000 characters for consideration by the jurors. The images must be fully representative of the work you will bring to the Craft Show. Artists are encouraged to update their portfolios with new images and consider improving the quality of previously submitted images.
Craft artists who work together may apply as one if they collaborate on every piece of work.
DATES AND LOCATION OF SHOW:
Preview Night Benefit: April 22, 2026
Show days: April 23 - 26, 2026
National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
APPLICATION DEADLINES AND FEES:
Applications must be submitted online through Juried Art Services and are due by midnight PDT September 16, 2025. Late applications may be submitted until midnight PDT September 30, 2025.
The non-refundable application fee is $50. The fee for late applications is $75, which includes the basic application fee of $50 plus a late penalty of $25.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
The 2026 Smithsonian Craft Show, with the theme of American Artistry, will celebrate America’s 250-year tradition of excellence and innovation in craftsmanship and design. This juried exhibition and sale of contemporary craft and design is held annually in Washington DC. Three expert jurors, newly selected each year, choose 120 artists from a large pool of applicants. We are requesting your application to participate in our show.
Previous exhibitors must reapply each year. No one is grandfathered into the show. There is no quota for any category of Craft Art. Artists are selected based on the originality, artistic conception, beauty, and quality of their work.
The Smithsonian Craft Show is committed to presenting the most thoughtful, original, and skilled American craft and design objects. The Craft Show is looking for artists who produce one-of-a-kind and limited-edition items that have been conceived and perfected by the artist’s own hands and created in the artist’s studio. The Smithsonian Craft Show encourages artists to continue to grow and stretch the limits of their media. The exploration of new and innovative technology has historically been a part of craft practice.
The show is produced by the all-volunteer Smithsonian Women's Committee (SWC) as a fund-raising event for the Smithsonian Institution. Proceeds from the show fund grants that benefit the Smithsonian's education, outreach, conservation, and research programs. Since its inception, SWC has awarded more than $14 million in grants to Smithsonian organizations throughout the world.
The Craft Show does not charge sales commissions. Accepted artists are encouraged, however, to donate an item for the Show’s Online Auction, the entire proceeds of which benefit the Smithsonian.
ACCEPTABLE MEDIA CATEGORIES:
Basketry, ceramics, decorative fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, wearable art, and wood.
The artist should apply in the category that best describes the artist’s medium. For instance, a jewelry artist using metal should not apply in the metal category. Other media not listed above may be included in the mixed media category when combined with one of the Show's established media.
BOOTH FEES:
Craft Show booth fees for 2026 range from $1,605 to $2300 depending on the size and location of the booth.
ELIGIBILITY:
Only U.S residents who make their work in the U.S are eligible to apply. All work submitted to the Smithsonian Craft Show must be created and made in the United States.
Thank you for your interest in applying to the Smithsonian Craft Show.