ADRIAN — The River Raisin Ragtime Revue and Adrian Center for the Arts are organizing an art contest to design a cover for the sheet music for “Maple City Rag,” a new piece commissioned by the city of Adrian to mark its bicentennial.

Designs should be 8½ inches wide by 11 inches tall. Two-dimensional media such as painting, drawing, print, and digital, inspired by the style of the ragtime era (1890-1920), is eligible (see the sheet music covers above for examples of the style). The artwork must include the title (“Maple City Rag”) and the composer (William R. Hayes). 

The submission deadline is May 15 at noon.

The winner will be chosen by a panel of artists and educators representing the ACA and the Ragtime Revue. The winner will receive a $500 cash award in addition to recognition in local media, publication in various sources, and inclusion in the Adrian Bicentennial Time Capsule.

River Raisin Ragtime Revue will retain all rights to the image.

The winner will be announced by May 30.

To submit, send a high resolution scan of the original artwork to [email protected]. The contest is open to artists of all ages. Artists need not reside in Lenawee County to enter.

The premiere performance of the rag will be presented by R4 on July 5 during the group’s annual Ragtime Extravaganza on the campus of PlaneWave Instruments.