By STEPHANIE BRUMFIELD / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – Calling all artists! The Shelby County Arts Council is seeking artists to enter its Fifth Annual Juried Art Exhibit, which is open to all artists ages 18 and up.

For an entry fee of $75, artists can submit up to four pieces in any combination of 12 categories, including painting, drawing, mixed media, printmaking and sculpture. The deadline to submit is Aug. 11.

Terri Sullivan, the executive director of the arts council, said she expects about 80-100 artists to enter this year’s show, though she expects only about 60 pieces will be selected for the exhibition, which will open Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. with a reception and awards presentation.

“To have their work chosen to be in the juried show is an honor already,” Sullivan said. “But they don’t know if they win a prize or not (until the awards ceremony).”

The grand prize winner of the exhibition will win $500 in cash as well as a solo exhibit at the SCAC Gallery in spring 2014. Cash prizes of $150 will also be given to first place winners in each category, with ribbons going to second place winners, Sullivan said.

Judging the entries this year is Birmingham-based artist Donny Finley, who Sullivan says is very well respected and known for his painting and other work.

“Artists like to be judged by someone who is respected and loved and has been very successful in their career, and that is Donny. Donny is all of those things,” Sullivan said.

When judging the pieces, Finley said he is looking for talent and creativity.

“One of the main things I look at is creativity,” Finley said. “I love all sorts of art, so I’m not tied to whether it’s realism or abstract. (I love seeing) an artist who has really put a part of himself into the work.”

Sullivan said the show has had many different winners in the past, including a student from the University of Alabama as well as artists with long careers of success.

“It’s wide open,” she said. “It just depends on the talent and what the juror sees.”

For application information and a full list of eligible categories, visit Shelbycountyartscouncil.com.