2026 Writer's Eye Key Dates and Information

We’re excited to welcome visitors back into the galleries for the 40th year of Writer’s Eye. This year, we invite you to engage with the museum’s annual Writer’s Eye competition through virtual and in-person docent-led tours, self-guided tours, and by viewing our Spotlight Talks on YouTube.

Monday, August 3rd | Tour Scheduling Begins
To schedule a virtual or in-person Writer’s Eye tour, please complete the Writer’s Eye Tour Booking Form on our website.

Thursday, September 3rd 4:30-6:30 | Writer’s Eye Preview Party
Join us for our annual Writer’s Eye launch party! Discover this year’s selections with tours and activities! This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments provided.

Tuesday, September 8th | Virtual and in-person tours begin
Complete the Writer’s Eye Tour Booking Form on our website to request a tour!

Saturdays in September and October | Writer’s Eye Drop-in Tours

• September 12th 2-3pm, September 26th 11am-12pm
• October 3rd 2pm-3pm, October 10th 11am-12pm, October 24th 2-3pm

September and October | Creative Writing Workshops

• Saturday, September 19th 1-2:30pm and Wednesday, September 23rd 6-7:30pm
• Saturday, October 17th 1-2:30pm and Wednesday, October 28th 6-7:30

Thursday, November 5th | Last day of virtual and in-person Writer’s Eye tours

Thursday, November 12th | Entries Due
We will only accept submissions electronically again this year. Entries are due by 11:59 pm. Please submit using the form on our website.

January 2026 | Winners announced

March 2026 | Writer’s Eye Celebration

What is Writer’s Eye?
We invite you to participate in Writer’s Eye 2026, the 40th annual literary competition organized by The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia. This ekphrastic writing competition—challenging writers grades 3-12 and adults of all ages to create original poetry and prose inspired by works of art—was introduced by docents Carole Armstrong and Valerie Morris in 1986 and has become the museum’s flagship educational program. Visit our website for more information and resources.

What is ekphrasis?
Both visual art and creative writing are forms of expression that give voice to the human experience, and poets have used visual art as inspiration for centuries. The word ekphrasis is a direct transcription from the Greek "ek", meaning "out of",
and "phrasis", meaning “speech” or “expression,” and originally applied to verbal description of the visual aspects of a real or imagined object or work of art. Over time, the concept of ekphrasis evolved from simple description of an artwork to any poetic expression or narrative inspired by a work of art.

Competition Information
Interested participants can engage by visiting the museum during opening hours, booking a virtual or in-person tour, or browsing the artworks independently using our online resources. Artworks for this year’s competition include two
objects from the museum’s permanent collection and six works on loan. Compositions for Writer’s Eye 2026 can be submitted in the categories of Prose or Poetry for grades 3–5, 6–8, 9–12, and University/Adult. Entries for grades 3-8 are
judged anonymously by panels of local artists and educators. This year, the high school and adult entries will be judged by Ekphrastic Fellows Boatemaa Agyeman-Mensah and Lyd Havens. Winners are honored in the spring, and five
winning entries from each category will be published in the annual Writer’s Eye anthology. Five winning entries will be selected in each category to be printed in the anthology, and winners will each be awarded a prize of $100. To learn more, visit our website at: https://uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu/program/writers-eye

Teacher Fellows
This fellowship program, open to teachers in Charlottesville City and Albemarle County Public Schools, aims to provide teachers with the resources and support they need to practice and advocate for arts integration in their schools. This year’s Teacher Fellows are: LaNika Barnes (ACE Academy), Taylor Blackburn (Charlottesville Middle School), Ruth Haske (Hollymead Elementary), and Whitley Sadacca (ACE Academy).

2026 Writer's Eye Competition Guidelines

What to submit | Write an original, previously unpublished, story or poem inspired by one of the Writer’s Eye selections posted on The Fralin’s website. Prose entries must be 1,000 words or less. Poetry entries must not exceed two standard typewritten pages.

Formatting your entry | Entry must be formatted as a Microsoft Word doc with 12-point Times New Roman font. Update: Prose and Poetry should both be single-spaced. Do not type your name on any page of your submission; your name should only appear on the entry form. Save the word doc as: title of your work_inspiration artist, for example: Nine to Five_Abbott or Together_Gbaguidi. Failure to format entries as instructed may disqualify your entry.

Submitting your entry | We will only accept electronic entries this year. You may only submit one entry. Entries must be submitted no later than: 11:59 pm on Thursday, November 12, 2026. Entry form: https://thefralin.formstack.com/forms/we26entryform  

Complete the entry form | The entry form is designed for only one person’s information to be entered and submitted at a time. An entry form is required for every person that enters. Do not submit one entry form for your entire class.

Upload the word file | Confirm your Word doc is formatted correctly and is less than 24MB. Click Choose File and select your file. Upload only one person’s entry at a time. Teachers, do not upload a word doc file that contains all of your students’ entries.  

Submit the form | Failure to submit an individual form and file for each student may result in the disqualification of students’ entries.

Please note 

• The submission should contain only one entrant's information and prose/poetry document. Submitting more than one entry at once may result in the disqualification of the entries. 
• The entry must be formatted correctly, according to the guidelines above. Failure to comply with these rules may result in disqualification. 
• By submitting the form, you acknowledge that winning selections will be published by The Fralin Museum of Art in the annual Writer's Eye anthology. 
• All work must be original and previously unpublished. 
• The use of AI is not permitted in this competition. 
• The Fralin Museum of Art reserves the right to eliminate a category if entries are not sufficient in number or quality. 

Questions? 
Education department: [email protected]

Get Involved with Writer's Eye

Teacher Fellowship

This is a paid opportunity for 3rd – 12th grade classroom teachers to develop skills in arts integration and writing with visual prompts. Open to classroom teachers in Albemarle County and Charlottesville City Public Schools, this fellowship will support participation in the museum’s annual Writer’s Eye Program, providing coaching and resources to participating teachers. Applications for this year's fellowships have closed. Applications for next year will go live in March 2027!

Ekphrastic Fellowship

This is a paid opportunity open to current or recently graduated MFA students interested in working with the wider Charlottesville community to support creative writing inspired by art on view at The Fralin. Ekphrastic Fellows facilitate public workshops throughout the Writer’s Eye season and judge the University/Adult categories. Applications for this year's fellowships have closed. Applications for next year will go live in March 2027!

Judge Interest Form

The Fralin Museum of Art is always looking for community members interested in judging the elementary and middle school entries in our annual ekphrastic writing competition, Writer’s Eye. Preference is given to those with a background in K-12 education, creative writing, or art. Click here to access the judge interest form. Judge positions for the 2026 season are full. The interest form will remain open and judges for the 2027 season will be selected in August 2027.