Painting on the sidewalk for the inaugural Downtown Elizabethton Stormwater Art Contest in 2025 was the first time Annabelle Smith had ventured from typical materials.

A full-time nurse, Smith doodled and did art in her spare time but said she’d been disconnected from it since high school. She tried to start a small art business on the side and applied for opportunities but didn’t have a portfolio that showed her ability to create art on unique surfaces.

“Opportunities like these are especially exciting for the city to share with this community,” said Ashley Yates, public information officer for the city of Elizabethton. “For any artist, experience and confidence are key. This contest is a way to gain both, get your paintbrush wet, and open a whole new world of possibilities.”

Applications for the 2026 competition are open now through Sunday, July 19. The city of Elizabethton and Main Street Elizabethton will select four artists based on their submitted designs and notify them by July 24 . Selected artists will have from July 31 – Aug. 6 to complete their murals, then a round of public voting will begin.

Starting on August. 7 during Main Street’s First Friday: Artsy Vibe event, the public is encouraged to come view the murals from this year’s four selected artists and vote for their favorite. Voting will end on Aug. 16 with the winner announced on Aug. 17.

Smith won first place in the 2025 contest and has since been able to start commissioning paid projects. She was selected for several in the area, including murals for businesses and window art for the holidays.

Her biggest piece of advice for this year’s selected artists: bring sunscreen and a shade tent.

Not only did her experience with the competition help her kickstart business as a local artist, she said it also reminded her to make time for herself.

“As a nurse, I don’t really have a lot of time to have fun,” Smith said. “That was something I could take the time to do, and it was very fun.”

Starting with a white underlying outline and base, then colorful details on top, she said it took about 10 hours to create her sidewalk mural, “Only Rain in the Drain.” She blended her traditional big, bold, and bright colors, rainbows, and stars with a fish to create her final design.

Her artwork and that of the three others, which are all still visible downtown, bring awareness to water quality and conservation while engaging the community and promoting public art.

All 20 storm drains located throughout the downtown district flow directly into the Doe River, said Courtney Bean, Main Street director.

“This contest is a great reminder of the role that we all play in protecting our waterways,” Bean added. “At the same time, it’s a way to elevate our downtown through public art and make yet another connection point between downtown and the beautiful mountains, rivers, and natural spaces that make our community special.”

This year’s locations will be drains along E. Elk Avenue near Cottage Boutique, Dynasty Formals, Post Office Street, and Covered Bridge Park.

Each artist will get free paint donated from Sherwin-Williams in Elizabethton and supplies donated from the city of Elizabethton Stormwater Quality Program. What they don’t use during the competition they can keep. Paint colors include classic tones of red, yellow, and blue, as well as black, white, and brown, and supplies include a roller brush, five paint brushes, a drop cloth, rags, tape, gloves, mixing cups, and trays.