Get your artwork featured on a bottle of Messina Hof wine

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Want to see your artwork featured on a bottle of wine?

The Messina Hof Texas Artist Wine Label Competition is the centerpiece for the 39th Annual Wine & Roses Festival on Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7.

This competition is a fundraiser for The Arts Council of Brazos Valley, funding several of their ongoing programs like A.R.T. for Life, an artist-mentored youth program that provides those in juvenile detention with a foundation for making better life choices, and Artist Connect, a program that focuses on providing artistic opportunities for students in under-served rural areas.

“Art has always been part of our life blood here in Messina Hof. Wine is very much art and we wanted to be able to express that,” Karen Bonarrigo, Messina Hof Chief Administrative Officer, said. “The Arts Council has been a wonderful addition to being able to showcase artists here in the Brazos Valley and all over Texas. They’ve allowed us to connect with a whole network of artists that are extremely talented and have phenomenal stories to tell.”

Located on the second floor of The Vintage House Restaurant is Messina Hof’s art gallery. This is where the artwork of every Wine Label Competition winner since 1984 is proudly displayed.

The theme of this year’s competition is revitalization.

“Take that to be whatever you want it to be,” Bonarrigo said.

Because the winner’s artwork will be displayed on Messina Hof wine bottles, artists have to be 21+ to submit their work.

The fee is $25 for the first digital submission and $20 for each additional digital submission. These nonrefundable fees are due Friday, March 24, 2023 alongside the application and submission.

Entries will be judged by a panel, which includes the owners of Messina Hof and several members of the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley. The judging is based on appropriateness of materials, reducibility and appropriateness for intended use on label, appropriateness of theme, workmanship, and overall impression.

The top finalists will all receive a prize.

The 1st place winner will receive $1,000. They will also have their artwork displayed on Messina Hof wine labels along with name of the artist and title of the piece, a permanent display in the Messina Hof Gallery among previous winners, an invitation to Messina Hof’s Harvest Grand Finale Dinner in August, social media recognition and online exposure, and a certificate for a Private Tour & Tasting for 10 at Messina Hof Estate Winery in Bryan.

You can learn more about the competition here.

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