Showcase your talents in State Fair of Virginia’s many contests
June 2026
Caroline County Public Schools student Jay Kelleher poses with artwork at the Virginia State Fair.
Fellow art student Travis Hoyt poses next to art entries on display at the Virginia State Fair.
by Christina Amano Dolan, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation
Caroline County Public Schools art teacher Katie Boltz has encouraged her high school students to enter State Fair of Virginia contests for more than 16 years. Her students’ creations often take center stage during the school’s annual field trip to the fair, and they span “just about any media” — from papier-mâché, ceramics and fine arts categories to bookmaking, stained glass and embroidery.
“I love the opportunity to get my students’ artwork out in the public,” Boltz says. “It helps them build all kinds of confidence in their abilities, and it sparks them to work a little bit harder and make it to the next level.”
A STEP AHEAD
Through the years, Boltz has proudly watched her students claim countless blue ribbons, pursue careers in the arts and put awarded scholarship money toward college degrees.
Since 2013, the State Fair of Virginia Scholarship Program has awarded more than $1.1 million through 2,903 individual scholarships. Some awards come through an application process, and some are won in fair competitions. Yet others come from the fair’s Sale of Champions, an annual auction of livestock displayed by young 4-H and FFA members.
And it’s not just high school students who can get involved in the state fair competitions. Any Virginian with a special skill or hobby can enter to earn a coveted blue ribbon.
Each year, hundreds of bakers, gardeners, cooks and crafters from across the commonwealth enter the arts, horticulture and culinary competitions at the State Fair of Virginia. Competition guides, deadlines and category descriptions are available at statefairva.org.
“You don’t have to be an experienced hobbyist to be extraordinary,” says Sarah Jane Thomsen, the fair’s manager of agriculture education and strategic programming partnerships. “We all have something to show off and be proud of, and the fair is the perfect opportunity to do that — whether it’s baked goods, preserved foods, homegrown produce or creative arts.”
The contests are open to youth and adults of all skill levels, and winning at a county fair isn’t a prerequisite for entering.
While some categories award small cash prizes and scholarships, the real rewards are bragging rights, seeing your work celebrated and appreciating “the simple things that bring us joy,” Thomsen adds.
COUNTLESS CATEGORIES
Gardeners and growers can vie for top honors in horticulture and field crops competitions spanning flowers and succulents, row crops, fruits and vegetables, including the fair’s annual Giant Veggie Weigh-Off for the heftiest homegrown entries.
Home cooks and culinary creatives can show off their breads, cookies, jams, sauces, syrups, pies and more in the culinary arts competitions.
From paintbrush to pottery wheel creations, there are endless opportunities for showcasing artwork in the fair’s creative arts competitions. Artisans can exhibit their skills in photography, quilting, jewelry making, glassblowing, woodcrafts and more.
Have a Virginia Farm Bureau antique or interesting object? You can display that, too, in celebration of the organization’s 100th anniversary this year.
Boltz, who demonstrates wheel-throwing at the fair each year, is often surrounded by heartwarming scenes of fair contestants showing off their exhibited creations to friends and family.
“Art is not meant to be made and then put in a drawer somewhere. It’s meant to be shared,” Boltz remarks. “You don’t have to be the best artist to participate in the fair. If you want to be in it, put your work out there — everybody’s a winner that way.”
