The BYU Sorensen Center is proud to present its first annual Express Love Art Showcase, held during the Sorensen Center Awards Gala on March 27th at 7 PM in the Hinckley Center. We invite artists from the BYU community to share their creative energy through a variety of mediums—including visual arts like sculpture, mixed media, and digital art, as well as performative arts such as spoken word/original poetry, instrumental performances (solo or small ensembles up to 4 people), and vocal performances (original or cover pieces with up to 4 performers).
This year’s theme, “Express Love,” encourages you to reflect on what it means to express love through Christ-centered leadership. How do disciples of Jesus Christ show love as they serve, uplift, and build their community? In what ways is love demonstrated—through quiet stewardship, bold advocacy, inclusive belonging, or Christlike compassion? How do we show love to ourselves, to others as children of God, to our responsibilities, and to Heavenly Father?
All submissions will have the opportunity to win scholarships—including a $1,000 grand prize—and be featured in the Sorensen Center Awards Gala. Prizes will be awarded in each category, with first-place winners receiving $500 per person and second-place winners receiving $250 per person, plus a $1,000 Best Overall Award granted to one exceptional submission. Notified winners will be invited to attend this black-tie event, enjoy dinner, and receive special recognition for their work.
To learn more about the Express Love Art Showcase and the Sorensen Center’s Christ-Centered Leader model, you are invited to attend one of our informational dinner sessions (J Dawgs will be provided) on December 4th at 6:00 PM or January 28th at 6:00 PM.
Guidelines for Art Pieces
Visual Art Pieces
- Eligibility: Open to currently enrolled BYU students.
- Originality: Artwork must be original and signed by the submitter.
- Format: Art must be display-ready (e.g., framed or mounted) and no larger than 2’ x 3’.
- Submission: Deliver display-ready artwork along with a completed online submission form to Aliyah Formen’s Office (MCB 257) between February 16 and February 27, 2026, by 5 PM.
- Review Process: Submissions will be reviewed February 27th – March 6th, 2026, and artists will be notified by March 9, 2026.
- Artwork Pickup:
- Artists whose work is not selected may pick up their pieces by March 20, 2026.
- Selected artworks will be held for the Sorensen Center Awards Gala on March 27, 2026, after which they may be picked up from the Sorensen Center until April 3, 2026.
- Unclaimed artwork after this date will be donated.
Performative Art Pieces
Categories include spoken word/original poetry, instrumental performances (solo or small ensembles of up to 4 performers), and vocal performances (original or cover pieces, with up to 4 performers).- Eligibility: Open to currently enrolled BYU students.
- Format: Submit a 3–5 minute video recording of your performance
- Submission: Complete online submission form and send your performance video to SorensenPrograms@byu.edu between February 16 and February 27, 2026.
- Review Process: Submissions will be reviewed from February 27th – March 6th, 2026, and artists will be notified by March 9, 2026.
- Gala Performance: Selected performers must be available to perform live at the Sorensen Center Awards Gala on March 27, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
- Collaborations: Collaborative performances are welcome; all participants must be currently enrolled BYU students.
Judging Criteria
Entries will be evaluated by a panel from the Sorensen Center and the College of Fine Arts faculty based on:
- Relevance to the ‘Express Love’ principle, a component of the Christ Centered Leader Model
- Artistic merit and performance quality
- Emotional impact
- Message clarity
- Presentation and delivery
- Written description of the work