As Sarasota Rising’s Living Arts Festival gears up for its 2024 launch, festival organizers have already issued a call to artists, searching for what will become the signature design of the debut festival. The call is open to all, regardless of age or artistic experience, and the winning artist will receive a $1000 stipend and see their artwork emblazoned on all festival materials and merchandise. The only real stipulation is that artists must come from the greater Sarasota-Manatee region.

“A festival is a community celebration,” says Sarasota Rising Executive Director Jeffery Kin. “And so we would love for that artist to be someone in our community, so we can celebrate their creativity.”

According to the call, proposals should “capture the spirit of Sarasota’s arts community,” with a focus on the many performing arts—such as theater, dance, opera and the circus arts—that enrich the local cultural scene, along with the fine and culinary arts. Artists should also be cognizant of the fact that designs will need to be scalable and perhaps even croppable, as the chosen artwork will be used not only for the festival’s official poster and magazine, but also printed on t-shirts and hats and bags and pins and all sorts of merchandise that, if all goes well, will turn local art into yearly collectibles connected to a growing city tradition. “Because we plan to do this every year,” says Kin.

And though the submission deadline is June 30, Kin encourages artists to submit their designs as early as possible, so festival organizers have the opportunity to collaborate with the artist on what will be a defining aspect for the inaugural festival. “If we find something that has merit and promise, we want to have time to work with the artist,” says Kin. “And the earlier you submit, the more time we can spend with you and the more energy we can spend on you.”

While Kin fully expects to get plenty of proposals from the established fine artists and graphic designers of the Cultural Coast, he’s particularly excited to see what comes from the students and hobbyists and first-time artists putting their work out into the community—and hopes the Living Arts Festival encourages them to further pursue their artistic talents. “I hope that this festival is something where everyone feels like they can participate, that they have a piece of this,” he says. “And I’ve found that, in the long run, my main job is to create a great environment that makes people want to participate.”

Because in the end, Kin says, everything about the Living Arts Festival comes back to collaboration as celebration. “It’s just how I view the world,” he says. “We are better together and we’re stronger when we collaborate.”

Proposed designs should be 18.5” by 24” and submitted either as a full color printout or a high-resolution digital file. The winning proposal will be selected by August 15, followed by a public announcement and event.

For more details on how and where to submit proposals, visit