Ohio State Fair said it will prohibit AI in its poster contest starting in 2027 after backlash over a 2026 grand champion entry that used the technology.
39 entries were submitted this year, and seven disclosed AI use under rules in place since the contest began in 2024; the winner said AI helped arrange elements and create a vintage feel.
Victoria Douglas, a local art educator, condemned the award on Instagram but said the artist followed the rules and that organizers—not the winner—were responsible for changing them.
The poster contest had looser standards than the fair’s separate fine arts competition, which already limits AI to a supporting role and allows disqualification for primarily AI-generated work.
State fairs in Colorado, Iowa and elsewhere have been tightening art-competition rules as generative AI becomes more common.