Celebrate Quabbin Days with a community photography contest highlighting the beauty of the Quabbin Region!

The Contest runs from October 1-31, 2026. All submissions must be received by midnight, October 31, 2026.
Entrants may enter up to three photographs, submitted through https://www.quabbindays.org/photocontest.  Full rules available here.

Photos will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, how they feature unique and native plants, animals, and ecosystems to the Quabbin Region, and on showcasing conservation impact.

Photography contest is held in conjunction with Quabbin Days, a celebration of the natural beauty, history, culture and communities of the Quabbin Region.

What is CMLCon?
CMLCon is an all-things-nerdy convention being held at the Clapp Memorial Library on April 24, 2027. Think comics, anime, tabletop RPGs, video games, and more! This is the first year of CMLCon–pronounced “Camel Con”–and there will be cosplay, artists, gaming, and all sorts of fun events.

What’s the mascot?
Since CMLCon is pronounced “Camel Con,” the mascot will be a camel. The camel’s name is Cal, but we don’t know what Cal looks like yet–that’s where you come in!

Rules
The Clapp Memorial Library is hosting a competition for students up to grade 12 living in Belchertown, or school of choice students, to design our CMLCon mascot, Cal. The artwork should:

• Only feature the camel
• Have a white background or transparent background for digital art
• If drawn or painted, paper or canvas should be no less than 8.5” x 5.5” and no bigger than by 11” x 17”
• Digital artwork can be a jpg or png. Digital canvas must be at least 1080px x 1080px.
• Avoid any writing on the artwork (signature is fine)
• The use of generative AI is not allowed in this art competition to generate images or ideas.

Digital entries can be emailed to macona@cwmars.org. Please include your name, grade, what school you go to, address, email address, and phone number. Physical entries can be dropped off at the Clapp Memorial Library during open hours–a form must be filled out when the artwork is dropped off. All entries must be emailed or dropped off at the library by Saturday, October 31, 2026 by 2pm.

The winning entry will be featured on CMLCon promotional materials and receive our everlasting appreciation for your contribution to our convention! The artwork may be altered to fit the needs of promotional materials. The winning artist will also receive a CML totebag with graphic novels and manga.

The Library hosts monthly exhibits of local artists on the main floor of the library and regular arts programming. We accept applications from artists and groups who want to share their work with the Belchertown community.

The art exhibit hanging system for the Clapp Memorial Library was funded in part by a donation from members of the Quabbin Art Association and in part by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Celebrating National Poetry Month 2026
The Quabbin Art Association presents: ART meets Poetry
April 1st through April 30th

Six pieces of fine art, donated by QAA members Darlene Bergeron-Burns, Carrie Boudreau, Angelina Fleury, Lisa Goldberg, Bev Phaneuf, and Deborah Sacon, will be on display throughout the month of April at the Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA. Poets and writers are invited to view the artwork and compose a poem in response to a selected piece of art. All poetry entries must be original and unpublished, and all entries must be submitted to the library by 5 pm on April 30th. Each entry must include the person’s name, e-mail, phone number, mailing address, and title of the poem being submitted.

National Poetry Month, inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, is the largest literary celebration in the world.

Quabbin Art Association, founded in 2016, provides education, support, and opportunity for local artists, and promotes community interest and appreciation in the visual arts. For more information, visit www.quabbinartassociation.com.

ViewFinder: Belchertown Nature Photography program is an all-ages, community-wide nature and arts program to foster an appreciation for the beauty of Belchertown, explore the rich natural sites that make it unique, and grow skills in capturing what you see along the way.

Workshops for all ages throughout April and May are a place to learn on an adventure led by Belchertown-based photography educators and develop a portfolio of pics to submit to the ViewFinder photo contest, due May 30.

Awardees across age groups and categories will have their work exhibited at the Clapp Memorial Library throughout July, with a celebration of awardees at the exhibition opening on July 1. Start collecting your photos and read more here!