Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition opens entry period

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Visitors to North Charleston Arts Fest browse entries displayed on tables at Palmetto Hands in an indoor exhibition hall

Browsing the Palmetto Hands exhibition at North Charleston Arts Fest. Submitted photo.


Fine craft artists from across the state are invited to participate in the 21st annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition.

As the state’s longest-running fine craft competition and exhibition, objects selected for the show may compete for cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Fest, to be held May 3-7, 2023. A $16 entry fee applies, which covers the artist’s first entry if accepted into the exhibition. Each additional piece the artist chooses to enter will be $15. Artists may submit up to four entries.

The application is strictly available online and may be accessed via the link at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com/apply. Deadline for entries is Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Artists in need of assistance with the application process may contact the Cultural Arts Department to schedule a one-on-one meeting, which can be conducted over the phone or in person.

Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique exhibition offers fine craft artists from across South Carolina the opportunity to exhibit their inspiring objects in the media of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood, and three-dimensional mixed media. Thousands have enjoyed the refined talents of South Carolina fine craft artists during past annual exhibitions.


We are pleased to announce the juror for the 2023 competition is Karen A. Stock, professor of fine art at Winthrop University in Rock Hill. Stock earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She began teaching at Winthrop in 2004. Her specialty is modern and contemporary European art. She guest-curated an exhibition at Winthrop titled “Performing Gender” and investigates gender issues in her scholarship. Stock also received a Fulbright teaching scholarship and spent six months teaching art history in Beijing.


The 21st Annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition will be on display May 3-7, 2023, at the Charleston Area Convention Center (5001 Coliseum Dr., North Charleston). A free public reception and announcement of awards will be held at the Convention Center on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, from 6-8 p.m. For more information about the North Charleston Arts Fest, Palmetto Hands, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843.740.5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.