The 2026 Bio-Sanctuary Contest

First prize: $1000
Runner-up: $500
Deadline: October 1, 2026
Entry fee: $10

AgArts announces our 2026 Bio-Sanctuary Contest featuring $1,000 (first prize) and $500 (runner-up prize). We are seeking writing—poetry or non-fiction, 500-word maximum. Along with your writing, submit 1-3 excellent photos that document the specific bio-sanctuary that you’ve enhanced or created. Winners will be published in The Blazing Star Journal and Emerging Voices Substack page.

What’s a bio-sanctuary? A refuge that allows flora or fauna to flourish. A bio-sanctuary can be as small as a balcony bird-feeder, or as large as a wetland. It can be a pocket prairie or a windbreak. It can be a mason bee house, or logs and branches stacked up to create a dead hedge, inviting insects, frogs and toads, and fungi to take up residence.

Why are bio-sanctuaries important? To build robust and resilient ecosystems, providing food and shelter to vanishing wildlife.

AgArts is a nonprofit designed to imagine and promote a healthy food system through the arts.  We are based in collectives throughout both rural and urban areas in the U.S. where we help fund and support artistic projects that envision better ways to grow and consume our food.

Deadline is October 1, 2026. Submit here.