From August 2024 through September 2025, the United States welcomed the return of Lafayette, the young French hero of the American Revolution! In 1824 and 1825 Lafayette visited all 24 states as “The Nation’s Guest.”
To celebrate, the Lafayette Society of Fayetteville, North Carolina, established a creativity contest in which local poets, visual artists, and videographers can create works exemplifying the spirit of Lafayette’s values.
Submissions for the 2026 contest are now being accepted! See below for details.
2026 Lafayette Society Creativity Contest Guidelines
The Lafayette Society Creativity contests serve to encourage and promote excellence in creative expressions that express an appreciation for Lafayette’s timeless principles of liberty, equality, and tolerance.
All contest entries, in all categories, should emphasize one or more of Lafayette’s timeless principles:
Liberty – Equality – Tolerance
Contest entries may, but are not required to, also highlight the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Copyright and Use of Entries by the Lafayette Society
• The artist or author retains copyright of the submitted work. However, the artist or author grants the Lafayette Society the right to publish their entry, in any form, in perpetuity, by virtue of entering the Lafayette Society Creativity Contest. These uses may include, but are not limited to, fundraising opportunities which support the Lafayette Society’s mission.
Eligibility
• The competition is open to current or former residents of Cumberland County and Fort Bragg/ Fort Liberty, as well as students currently attending a school, college, or university based in Cumberland County or on Fort Bragg/ Fort Liberty.
Guidelines
• One submission per individual, group, or team.
• All work must be the work of the listed artist(s) and or author(s).
• Proper credit should be given to all artist(s) and or author(s).
• The Lafayette Society assumes no responsibility or liability for the content of any submitted materials.
• Artists and authors are free, but not required, to provide a brief written explanation of their work in the text
of the submission email.
• All entries must be submitted with a signed release form.
Awards will be given to the three top winners in each category:
• 1st Place: $500
• 2nd Place: $300
• 3rd Place: $100
The deadline for all entries in all categories is February 1, 2026.
Video Competition Guidelines
• The contest is open to all forms of videos.
• The video must be under four minutes in length.
• Rating should be PG13 or lower.
• Submission must be hosted on YouTube with a direct link sent to the email creativity@lafayettesociety.org.
Poetry Competition Guidelines
• The contest is open to all forms of poetry.
• Submission must be submitted through the email creativity@lafayettesociety.org.
Visual Art Competition Guidelines
• The contest is open to visual art in all two-dimensional art categories including but not limited to digital art, graphic design, photography, painting, and drawing.
• Entries must be submitted electronically through the email creativity@lafayettesociety.org.
• If the work was not created digitally, the artist(s) should submit a high-quality image of submitted work (no distracting background or uneven lighting) to creativity@lafayettesociety.org.
• Artist(s) should also submit an image identification (name of artist, title of work, media, scale, date completed) to creativity@lafayettesociety.org.
