Family Day: Art in Bloom
Get inspired by the architecture and art of our historic John Paul Jones House as you learn to make tissue paper flowers.
Thank you to our Family Day sponsor for making this free, family-friendly event possible:
Young Artist Contest Reception
Celebrate our Young Artists Contest winners!
Join us on June 9 at 5:30 pm to applaud the winners of our third annual Young Artists Contest! Starting They took inspiration and created their own piece of writing or visual art based on our two exhibitions, “Betty and Barney,” which tells the fascinating life stories of a New Hampshire couple who believed they were abducted by aliens, and “Contemporary Currents,” which features many local artists across different mediums, and find a piece that inspires you.
Submissions are broken down into the following age divisions:
Ages 7 – 10
Ages 11 – 14
Ages 15 – 18
Ages 7 – 10
Ages 11 – 14
Ages 15 – 18
A winner and an honorable mention will be chosen for each age division in the categories of writing and visual art. Winners and honorable mentions will have the opportunity for their work to be displayed at the Portsmouth Historical Society.
The contest will be open from April 1st through May 31st. There will be a reception for all entrants and their families at the Historical Society at 5:30pm on June 9, 2026.
Thank you to our prize sponsors:
Children’s Day: Young Artist Contest Workshop
Get creative with this special Children’s Day craft
Join us this Children’s Day with free admission for children and young people ages 18 and under! While you’re visiting, come check out our crafting space and create an entry for our Young Artists Contest. Our contest is open for children ages 7-18 years old, and we have categories for both writing and visual arts. Entrants choose a piece from our exhibitions (“Betty and Barney,” “Contemporary Currents,” or “Past and Present”), and then use that piece as inspiration to create their own work of art. Winners and honorable mentions will receive prizes from Blick Art Materials and Nahcotta, and have the opportunity to have their pieces displayed at the Historical Society.
2026 Young Artists Contest
We invite our young visitors to explore their creativity with our 3rd annual Young Artists Contest!
We invite our young visitors to explore their creativity with our third annual Young Artists Contest! Starting April 1st, come visit our two exhibitions, “Betty and Barney,” which tells the fascinating life stories of a New Hampshire couple who believed they were abducted by aliens, and “Contemporary Currents,” which features many local artists across different mediums, and find a piece that inspires you. Take that inspiration, create your own piece of writing or visual art, and submit it to our contest to be eligible for a prize, which includes a gift certificate from Nahcotta!
Submissions are broken down into the following age divisions:
Ages 7 – 10
Ages 11 – 14
Ages 15 – 18
Ages 7 – 10
Ages 11 – 14
Ages 15 – 18
A winner and an honorable mention will be chosen for each age division in the categories of writing and visual art. Winners and honorable mentions will have the opportunity for their work to be displayed at the Portsmouth Historical Society.
The contest will be open from April 1st through May 31st. There will be a reception for all entrants and their families at the Historical Society at 5:30pm on June 9, 2026.
What kind of art can I submit?
Writing: Short stories, poems, plays/dialogue, newspaper articles, essays, imagined interviews, and more are all potential options! Writing submissions have a max word count of 2,000. Visual Art: Any medium can be submitted, including (but not limited to) paint, colored pencils, charcoal, pastels, photography, collage, etc. Visual art will need to be photographed to be submitted. Please make sure your artwork is well lit and against a plain background. Have another idea? Reach out to sarah@portsmouthhistory.org with any questions!
How do I submit my art?
You can fill out our submission form online, or print out a paper form and drop it off or mail it to the Historical Society. Entries should be mailed to: Portsmouth Historical Society Sarah Robbitts-Terry 10 Middle Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 We can’t wait to see your work!
Is there a limit to number of submissions?
Each artist may submit up to three pieces of art, but each piece must be submitted with a separate form.
Thank you to our prize sponsors:
New Favorites Cookie Swap
