New Year's Resolutions and Other Goals

There are all kinds of craft challenges and goals that people like to do. Some are individual, others are group events. Some are all year, others shorter. Some have speculative fiction themes, others are ordinary. They span a great many different arts and crafts including but not limited to crochet, drawing, knitting, painting, quilting, sewing, and woodworking. Here are some for your inspiration. On Dreamwidth, see communities for Art and Crafts. Note that get_knitted makes regular checkin posts for your craft projects.

You can pick whichever challenge(s) you want to set as a goal in 2026 and reply with a comment. Below the list of challenges is a short form for listing which you have chosen. Make a post in your blog like "I signed up for the Arts and Crafts challenge in goals_on_dw" -- or list the specific challenge if you're doing an official one somewhere else instead of a personal one here. Then make a tag for it like "Arts and Crafts Challenge" and put that on the post; it should stick that way. Check your Interests page to see if you have Art, Crafts, Crochet, Painting, etc. listed there, which helps people find you. You don't have to sign up to participate, it just helps spread the word and attract more readers.

There is a Bingo Card Generator if you want to make your own using premade lists or whatever prompts you want to paste in. Various sizes and styles are available.

See also the Fannish 50 challenge, which simply aims to post fifty entries on any topic in fandom. If you want to crochet the crew of the Enterprise, sew a complete capsule wardrobe inspired by hobbits, or carve a replica of Hogwarts, go for it. Either writing about or posting pictures of your progress will count. You can even double-count anything that applies to two or more goals, e.g. stashbusting, crochet, and Fannish 50.

Do you know of any other arts and crafts challenges in 2026? Share a link so they can be added to the list of options.


Challenges

* 2026 Community Calendar in allbingo
A new fest opens each month, although you can play any card at any time. All media and sizes, all fandoms and original work welcome, so you can always make your fills with arts and crafts if you wish. See the Resources list below for project ideas.

* 2026 Carolina Fiber Fest Craft Along
Now accepting applications from designers.

* 2026 Engage Art Contest
OPEN JANUARY 1–31, 2026
Get ready to submit your original Scripture-inspired artwork.

* 2026 Illustration Competition
Deadline: January 09, 2026
Introduce your work to the world. Enter the most prestigious competition for creativity in illustration, the Communication Arts Illustration Competition. Any illustration first published or produced from January 2025 through January 2026 is eligible.

* 2026 International BookCrossing Day BookPlate Design Contest
To enter, create a design (illustration, drawing, photograph, knitting, sculpture, or any other creative medium) and submit it by January 20, 2026. The winner will be chosen by the BookCrossing community and will have their BookPlate design featured in the Supply Store, receive a free pack of BookPlates, a full year of Wings! Runners up (2nd & 3rd place) will also receive prizes. Get creative and celebrate BookCrossing’s 25th anniversary!

* 2026 Quilt Contest Entry -- The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show
The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show hosts a 10-category juried and judged Quilt Contest. Quilters of all levels have the opportunity to enter a maximum of four quilts into this exciting contest. Prizes will be awarded in each category, as well as to the Best of Show and Viewers’ Choice quilts. Entries are due by June 30, 2026.

* 2026 Restore the Wild Artwork Competition
We welcome artists to create and submit an original piece of art (not photography) for the 2026 Restore the Wild Artwork Competition! Artwork for Restore the Wild should reflect Restore the Wild’s mission to restore and create natural habitats vital to the survival of Virginia’s wildlife.

The subject focus of 2026’s artwork is the Rafinesque’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii). A medium-sized (3 ½ to 4 ½ inches long) bat that lives in bottomland hardwoods and swamps in the Coastal Plain, the Rafinesque’s big-eared bat has enormous ears (about 1 ¼ inches) and large, protruding facial glands that give them an oddly charming face. Their fur is long, soft, and of gray-brown color on their back and white-tipped on their belly. They’re closely related to and very similar in appearance to the Virginia big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus), which is Virginia’s state bat and found in a few western counties in the state.

* 2026 Tell Your Story Quilt Challenge
The Quilt Alliance is dedicated to the stories behind the quilts, so we’re challenging you to tell your story… with a quilt! We are thrilled to relaunch this annual tradition as a fun and educational membership benefit. We are also challenging you to sharpen your documentation skills by including a label, short artist statement, and optional video and audio documentation. Don’t worry, we’ll help!
The 2026 Challenge is free to Quilt Alliance members, and $40 for non-members.
Design and make a quilt of any size or shape that tells your story. All entries will be submitted and judged online. No need to mail us your entry.

* 2026 Virginia Quilt Museum Fundraiser Quilt Along
January 28, 2026 to mid-April, 2026
Pattern is both Digital and Print. Proceeds to to the Museum. It is doable for all levels and you can have a lot of fun using a fabric collection, scraps, or a controlled colorway.

* 30 Day Drawing Challenge 2026: get UNSTUCK -- CV/Arts
CV/Arts’ 30 Day Drawing Challenge is once again happening starting January 2, 2026. This year’s theme is UNSTUCK, designed to jump start your creativity and push past creative blocks. The full drawing calendar goes live on January 2nd. But you can get ready now by getting your art supplies and sketchbooks ready.
The 30 Day Drawing Challenge is an interactive, barrier-free activity accessible to anyone in the world for the month of January. We design and produce a thematic calendar full of exciting challenges for you to work through, together or on your own. We invite you to share progress throughout the month on social media. Our online community is a welcoming space for you to comment on, encourage and celebrate artwork made by everyone at all levels.

* American Patchwork & Quilting Quilt Along page
Multiple options with new ones appearing periodically.

* AQS Quilt Contests
Details on website.

* Art Challenge 2026 -- Folsom Arts
Art Challenges provide our members with a relaxed, fun way to explore new subject matter and expand their creativity, as they showcase their diverse talents. They are conducted quarterly.

* ART 64 bracket-style painting tournament 2026
Returning June 5 & 6, 2026
Application coming January 2026
The nation’s largest live bracket-style painting tournament is coming back to The Village of Wauwatosa for the 5th year!
June 5th 5–8pm
June 6th 10am-4:30pm

For the last four years, ART 64® has taken over The Village of Wauwatosa streets and has become a must attend event for artists and spectators alike. In a head-to-head, bracket-style painting tournament, 64 artists paint live over the course of two days. Each round will be the theme/subject of each artist’s choice. Each artist is given a set period of time to paint a work of art – 60 minutes in round 1, 75 minutes in round 2, and 90 minutes in round 3 (the final round.)


* Artist Goals for 2026 -- Art Toolkit
Today we’re sharing goals and intentions for the new year from some amazing artists in the US, UK and Australia.

* Black & White 2026 Art Competition -- Fusion Art
Fusion Art invites submissions for the 9th Annual Black & White Art Competition for an online exhibition during the month of February 2026.

For this competition, both 2D and 3D artists, worldwide, are invited to submit their best art and photography using black & white & the nuanced shades in between. Any subject matter and any media are acceptable for this competition. The artwork can range from realism to surrealism to abstraction and artists, regardless of location or experience, are encouraged to submit their best representational and/or nonrepresentational art and photography.

Dates and Deadlines
Call for Artists Announced: November 5, 2025
Deadline for Entries: February 1, 2026
Opening of Online Exhibition: February 5, 2026
Online Exhibition Closed & Archived: March 4, 2026 (remains on website under "Archived Exhibitions” for 5 years)


* Blog Every Day Challenge
What it says on the tin: make a blog post each day, any size, any media, whatever you want to share with arts or crafts.

* Crochet Goal Ideas for 2026 -- Joy of Motion Crochet
A fresh new year always feels like a soft crochet reset — a chance to slow down, dream up new makes, and fill your days with stitches that bring you joy. Whether you love planning every project or prefer to follow your inspiration, setting a few gentle crochet goals can help you feel more creative, more organized, and more excited about the year ahead.

* Date a medium. You don't have to make a big commitment to enjoy arts and crafts. You can pick up something new and just play with it. Grab a kit (watch for post-holiday sales) or 3-5 colors and experiment. A one-day or weekend workshop is another good approach. If you like it, you can always expand later.

* D&December: Make (draw, paint, embroider, bake, carve, etc.) something related to fantasy roleplaying every day in December. That prompt list has two subsections for you to roll random encounters with art!

* Drawabox
Free art lessons for people who want to level-grind foundational skills. Options include 250 Box Challenge, 250 Cylinder Challenge, 25 Texture Challenge, 25 Wheel Challenge, and 100 Treasure Chest Challenge.

* Fairyary
Draw a fairy every day in February.

* fandomocweekly -- Fandom Original Characters Weekly
A weekly prompt community for original characters from existing canons. 2 new prompts are posted every Sunday. All mediums allowed, no length restrictions. Come have fun!

* February Drawing Challenge for Kids and Adults (with printable list)
This February Drawing Challenge is perfect for kids and adults. Full of February themes and topics like strawberries, football, Valentines, birds, love, and more. Get ready to relax, find joy in every little thing, and get your creativity flowing. Let’s do this!

* Finish the Other Sock
For all of you who knit or crochet the first sock in a pair but never get around to the second.

* Goal Setting Trends for 2026: Artists Can Stay Inspired and Achieve More -- Milan Art Institute
As 2026 approaches, the world of creativity and personal development is shifting. You may be looking everywhere for fresh ways to align your goals with both your artistic vision and your daily life. Goal setting has always been essential for growth, but the trends emerging for 2026 take it beyond the checklist and into a more holistic, flexible, and deeply intentional process. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been creating for decades, these approaches can help you sharpen your focus and unlock greater fulfillment in your art and life.


* Hand Stamped Sentiments Paper Crafting Challenges
This blog posts weekly challenges on Tuesdays for paper crafts such as scrapbooking or card making.

12.09.2025 Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge #478
Rules and Deets:
You may use ANY BRAND of products to create your project.
Use keyword HSSCC478 when uploading to public galleries.
We would appreciate a link back to our HSS site.
Incorrect links are not eligible and will be deleted.
INLINKZ will close at noon (CST) Monday, December 22
Artist Picks will be announced on Tuesday, December 23
Join us for a new challenge every Tuesday.
PLEASE be kind and TURN OFF your word verification, THANK YOU!

This is the last challenge of 2025. We will resume with a new challenge on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Happy Holidays! We look forward to you joining us in 2026.


* Inktober 2026
Jake Parker created Inktober in 2009 as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year.
Inktober Classic: 31 days, 31 drawings (October)
Inktober 52: one drawing a week, all year long

* January 2026 STRADA 31-Day Challenge Information
This January, artists from all over the world will be participating in the STRADA painting and drawing daily challenge. Be entered to win one of 5 STRADA Easels by drawing upon finishing the challenge!

We are allowing participants to use Instagram or Facebook. All painting, drawing and digital media are acceptable as long as you are working from life.


* The January Challenge 2026
The January Challenge is 31 days of quick creative prompts designed to spark confidence, conversation and connection. Each creative prompt is designed by brilliant 2026 ambassadors to set your mind on an adventure and brighten up the coldest, darkest month of the year.
Throughout January, we will deliver an imaginative prompt to your inbox each morning. This prompt will invite a moment of creativity into your day. Who knows, perhaps it’ll take you somewhere new.

* The Joy of Painting by Bob Ross on Twoinchbrush
We don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents! All the episodes are available free and you can upload your paintings to share with other artists. Set yourself a goal and paint some happy little trees.

* Junicorn: Make (draw, paint, embroider, bake, carve, etc.) a unicorn every day in June. Here is a Junicorn prompt list.

* Knit Along 2026 -- The Knitting Guild Association
TKGA is hosting another Knit Along.
Enjoy the friendly, supportive, social aspect of knitting with others as we knit an open cardigan with options so you can create your own version.
Register for the KAL Launch Party: January 17, 2026. See tips for participation.

* Magical March: Draw magical girls. This magical prompt list has 31.

* Make a temperature afghan or other project. This is usually done with crochet or knitting but you could do patchwork, embroidery, painting -- pretty much any other colorful craft to record daily temperatures. Read the poem "Tempestry" for an example. This is a popular group project, either online or in local craft clubs, so if you're interested then look for other people doing it. There is a 2026 Temperature Quilt with Quilters Select quilt-along project. This one on Etsy is a cross-stitch cabinet of oddities where each book is a day's temperature. Get a 2026 Temperature Blanket Pattern (knitting, Canadian) or a Temperature Blanket Crochet 2026: Free Pattern & Year-Long Project Guide. Browse 15 Beautiful Temperature Blanket Crochet Pattern Ideas for 2026. Here is a 2026 Temperature Blanket Color Chart.

* Make:able is a 3D printing and assistive technology design challenge, brought to you by PrintLab, Autodesk & partners. Design and make a 3D printed product or prototype that improves the day-to-day life of someone with a disability or the elderly. Then share your story in a video submission for the chance to win amazing prizes.
Start Date: 16th May 2025
Deadline: 15th May 2026

* Mermay
Draw a mermaid every day in May. Here is a Facebook page where you can share your mermaid art in May. See the call for prompts in 2026.

* Monthly Themed Art Challenges 2026 -- Chicago Artists Coalition
Ten Moir Gallery’s Monthly Themed Art Challenges celebrate artists who push boundaries and express meaning through visual storytelling. Each month introduces a new theme, inviting you to explore different moods, ideas, and techniques.
From vibrant colors to Free Flow, these challenges are designed to keep your creative practice active, visible, and inspired all year long.

* moodthemeinayear
For digital artists, this community supports making custom mood themes for use on Dreamwidth. Choose from small, medium, or large project -- not all of them take a full year.
Read about the community and see the schedule.
You can now get free Dreamwidth points for making mood themes.

* nacramamo
October is National Craft-Making Month! Hey friends, NaCraMaMo is in full swing. It's now just on Dreamwidth. Follow along with us!

* NaNoDrawMo: National Novel Drawing Month
A few days ago I learned about Nanodrawmo, a small spin-off event where the goal is to complete 50 drawings in November. A quick search on Flickr took me to the Nanodrawmo artwork of Mike Creighton, an artist and programmer living in Portland Oregon, who created a lovely series of drawings that make me want to grab a pencil and a pad of paper and draw.

* nanomango -- NaNoMangO
Community for comic artists.
Are you an artist instead of a writer? Or do you do both, but you're stuck in art mode right now? Is all the talk about NaNoWriMo making you want to be part of the November insanity but 50,000 words looks really daunting?

Welcome to NaNoMangO, the art alternative to NaNoWriMo. Sharpen your pencils! It's all about thirty pages of penciled sequential art, in whatever style you choose, a page a day through the entire month of November. Come join the insanity, spread the word, and hang around with everyone else who's going to be wailing about page layout and bad drawing and not being able to find their favorite eraser in addition to stuck plots and stubborn main characters.


* Plein Airpril: The Plein Airpril Challenge is a social media campaign that challenges artists and painting enthusiasts to paint and share one plein-air painting a day during the month of April.

* Pride Month Art Challenge: Make (draw, paint, embroider, bake, carve, etc.) QUILTBAG arts and crafts every day. Here is a generic pride art prompt list and a QUILTBAG one. This one has general and fannish prompts. Fannish lists may focus on things like original characters or characters/ships.

* QuiltCon 2026 Challenges
The quilt show at QuiltCon annually features at least three unique challenges members can take part in. These challenges vary from year to year, but always have specific guidelines and requirements for eligibility. Enter a quilt in one challenge, or all of the challenges, whatever suits you!
American Patchwork & Quilting Diamonds Quilting Challenge
Windham Artisan Cotton 2026 Fabric Challenge
2026 Community Outreach Challenge
Quilt entries will open from September 1 through October 31.

* The Sewing Room Declutter Challenge 2026
Register now for the free daily prompts.
Together we are cleaning out the excess,
the unwanted and the no longer needed
to make room to create in 2026.
Challenge starts January 1, 2026
Facebook Group opens Dec 26, 2025

* Sketchtember -- Sketch every day in September. Here are some random Sketchtember prompts.

* Smaugust -- Make (draw, paint, embroider, bake, carve, etc.) a dragon every day in August. This dragon prompt list gives 31.

* Study a technique. For fibercrafts, you could learn a new stitch. For drawing or painting, you could pick something like landscape, still life, portrait, etc. that you haven't done before and try it out. Read or watch videos about how to do it, give it a whirl yourself, then think whether there are any rough spots you'd like to improve.

* Swordtember
Draw or make a sword every day in September.

* Spooktober: Make (draw, paint, embroider, bake, carve, etc.) something scary every day in October. Here is a Spooktober prompt list.

* Stashbusting. You can use up supplies for any art or craft where you've got an overload of fabric, paint, yarn, etc. See the Stashbusters quilting page. The Crochet Bucket List challenge has a stashbusting option too.
The 6 Best Stash Busting Quilt Blocks
10 Fun & Free Scrap Quilt Patterns
50 Stash Busting Crochet Projects (Quick Patterns)
57 Stash Buster Knitting Patterns (Quick Ideas)
BUST YOUR STASH! 40 FREE SEWING PATTERNS TO MAKE WITH FAT QUARTERS
How to Crazy Quilt: Guide and Tutorial for Beginners

* The Ultimate 365 Drawing Ideas for 2026 (+Free Calendar!)
Welcome to your daily drawing challenge! Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned artist looking to practice, this list of 365 drawing ideas will inspire you every single day of the year.
Each prompt comes with a friendly description to spark your imagination. Feel free to interpret each idea in your own style; realistic, cartoonish, abstract, or anything in between. The goal is to draw something every day and watch your skills grow!

* Unfinished Objects / Work in Progress: Set a goal to finish something that isn't done yet. See the 2026 Unfinished Objects Challenge and Quilters’ UnFinished Object (UFO) Challenge 2026. The Crochet Bucket List challenge includes a UFO / WIP option.

* Whumpuary 2026 on Tumblr
whumpuary / whumpuary.tumblr.com
a whump-themed multi-media creation event for january (writing, art, edits, anything and everything else is welcome)

* Winter 2026 Knit Along: Cartography by Tin Can Knits
The Cartography Knit Along kicks off on January 4, 2026 and runs through the end of February. As always, we’ll be hosting both optional Zoom meet-ups and in-person knitting times to keep everyone connected and motivated throughout the dark winter weeks.
Choose Your Project: Hat or Sweater
Size Inclusive and Beginner Friendly

* Winter Solstice Knitting Challenge: Kickstart Your Knitting Practice in 2026
Hi there! If you are new here, my name is Amy Small and I am the owner and founder of Knit Collage. Welcome! On January 1, we kick off our annual Winter Solstice Knitting challenge, where as a community we will knit the Fiorella Bandana pattern by Knit Collage team member Cheryl Kubat.
Cheryl and Pia, our resident knitting coaches, as well as myself, will be here to support you and answer any questions that you may have along the way so that you happily finish with something you adore. Together, we’ll kickstart your knitting practice, so that you get to experience the amazing benefits that come from knitting things – increased creativity and a healthy tool you can lean anytime into to bring about calm and peace, just to name a few! We officially kick off the knitting adventure on Jan 1, 2026 but kits go on sale earlier.

* WIP Wednesday
Each Wednesday, devote some time to any "work in progress" that you have going. Post about it or share a progress picture. Make this the year you whittle down that WIP stack!

* World Watercolor Month July 2026
Head to your local art supply store, get some watercolors and a good canvas, and get your creative juices flowing. Draw a landscape, or express yourself abstractly. Once you’ve created your masterpiece, post it online with the hashtag #WorldWatercolorMonth.


Resources

12 Free Harry Potter Knitting Patterns (Magical Knits)

30 Star Wars Knitting and Crochet Patterns

57 Stash Busting Knitting Patterns

100 FREE THINGS TO SEW USING FABRIC SCRAPS: FUN AND FRUGAL

100+ Stash Busting Crochet Patterns -- Quick Easy Patterns

All Crafts (patterns)

All Free Crochet (patterns and tutorials)

All Free Knitting (patterns and tutorials)

All Free Sewing (patterns and tutorials)

Craft Trends to Watch in 2026: What's Hot in DIY Crafts

Dr. Who Scarf Knitting Pattern

Nerdy Pattern Round Up! (crochet) -- World of Wipcraft

Most Popular Free Disney Crochet Patterns

Star Trek Inspired Knitting Patterns

Top Handmade Craft Ideas 2026: Innovative Art & Craft Trends

Top 20 Free Scrap Quilt Patterns (+8 Bonus Patterns For Sale)


If you want to commit to an arts and crafts goal for next year, then you can sign up with a comment under this post using the form below:

Name:
My arts and crafts challenge entries will be posted at: (place your tag URL here)
My method / medium: (crochet, knit, paint, sketch, wood, etc.)
My theme: (mixed / single / none, and what it is if any)
My journal status: (friends only / friends only except public challenge posts / filters / open)
Other details: (main fandoms, standard content warnings, seeking friends, etc.)
Anything else you want to share:




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