Winner of 51st National Shrimp Festival Poster Announced

Clayton Wallace | Ryan Moberly • August 1, 2024

Buffett themed poster selected for 2024 event in October

shrimp festival news in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Each year over 250,000 people attend the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores. For over 50 years the festival has been the preeminent event of the for the region. Also for over 50 years, the Shrimp Festival posters have become a framed tradition for business offices, homes and art locations. Hundreds of artists submit their works in the chance to have their masterpiece chosen as the official poster of the annual event.


Red Owen, a 72-year-old artist and U.S. Army veteran from Ragley, La., has been named the winner of the 51st Annual National Shrimp Festival poster contest. The announcement was made following a recent vote by the festival committee.


The committee, which consists of nearly 100 volunteers who work year-round to put on the festival, asked for submissions from artists in the spring. After the submission deadline, the committee met and voted on the poster they believed best represented the hallmarks of the festival, including the beach, shrimp, art, and music. This year, Owen’s work was chosen.


“I’ve been doing this for 40 years; I’ve entered many poster contests, and I’ve lost a lot more of them than I have won,” the longtime graphic and t-shirt artist said. Owen also added that this was the first time he had entered the poster contest for the Shrimp Festival.


Owen said his inspiration for the poster design was Jimmy Buffett. “It’s an idea I’ve had for a while. I’m proud of it and think it’s the best work I’ve done.”


Born and raised in the New Orleans area, Owen joked that he “wasted his youth” in the French Quarter, where he would often listen to Buffett who was a mere busker at the time. “I’ll never forget he would come down on the weekends in an old Ford,” Owen said.


Along with his art being the face of the festival on marketing and merchandising, Owen will also receive a cash prize of $1,000 and will get to make his first trip to the festival, where he will be available for a poster signing (location and time to be determined).


The poster will first be available for purchase at 10 a.m. Oct. 10, the festival's opening day. Pre-signed copies will be particularly sought after by collectors, as they will be individually numbered to 100 and bear Owen’s signature. Furthermore, the poster's design will be featured on the official Shrimp Festival t-shirt, and elements of the artwork will be incorporated into other official merchandise.


More information on the festival’s activities, vendors, and music lineup will be released on myshrimpfest.com as summer wraps up.

  • gulf shores news

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • news in gulf shores

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • port at zekes

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • saunders marine gulf shores

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • yabbas snack shack

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • freedom boat club orange beach

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • buzzcatz coffee

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

Recent Posts

gulf shores sand in my boots news
By News Staff July 29, 2025
A music festival which once drew mixed reactions from local residents turned into "Sand In My Boots", which local businesses and residents cheered. At the July 28, 2025, regular meeting, the Gulf Shores City Council approved a closely watched one-year extension of the franchise agreement for the Hangout Music Festival—
gulf shores airline news
By News Staff July 29, 2025
With all the live music and concert the Alabama coast is often called "Nashville on the Beach". Now that connection just became stronger, easier and cheaper. In a press release Allegiant Air announced seven new nonstop routes connecting 12 cities across the country, including a match made in music heaven:
business news in Gulf Shores, Alabama
By News Staff July 28, 2025
A bar that has faced scrutiny in the past and denied a conditional use permit to continue operating is going back to the Gulf Shores City Council for another try. SingPlayDance is seeking the CUP in the old Cohiba Dunes space in the Pelican Place shopping complex.
Show More