October 2026

Overview Submissions Open: October 1, 2026 Early Bird Deadline is October 15th Deadline: Saturday, October 31, 2026 Online open Early Bird Pricing (until October 15, 2026)$29 for 1 work. $12 each additional.Regular Pricing$40 for 1 work. $16 each additional.Up to 50 artworks per artist. [email protected] PSAC Website Important Dates Submissions Open Thursday, October 1, 2026 Early Bird Deadline Thursday, October 15, 2026 Entry Deadline Saturday, October 31, 2026 Finalists Announcement Monday, November 23, 2026 Awards Announcement Monday, November 30, 2026 Open for entry on October 1, 2026. Deadline for entry: October 31, 2026 The 16th Annual Salon Art Prize consists of 11 monthly online competitions, and awards over $65,000 in cash prizes annually. Over $2,000 is awarded in each monthly competition, and the monthly winners go on to the Annual Competition where we award over $40,000, including two $15,000 Grand Prizes. JudgeScott JonesAwardsOver $2,000 in all cash prizes each month. First Place - $600Second Place - $400Third Place - $300Category awards - $50 eachTotal of 19 awardsCategory Honorable Mention awardsTotal of 19 awardsAnnual AwardsAll of the monthly winners are automatically included in the judging for the Annual Competition held in May 2027 where over $40,000 is awarded. PleinAir Grand Prize - $15,000 + your painting featured on the cover of PleinAir MagazineFine Art Connoisseur Grand Prize - $15,000 + your painting featured on the cover of Fine Art Connoisseur MagazineSecond Place - $3,000Third Place - $2,000Three Honorable Mention Awards - $750 eachSix Best Medium Awards - $500 eachMore details about awards can be found at TheSalonArtPrize.com.Eligibility RequirementsAll individuals entering must be at least 18 years of age.Competition is open to residents of any state or country where acceptable by law.FeesEarly Bird Entry Fee: From the 1st-15th each month. First entry is $29, all additional entries are $12.*Regular Entry Fee: From the 16th-month-end. First entry is $40, all additional entries are $16.**Paintings entered in multiple categories are considered separate entries, and will require a fee for each category entered.Non-refundable: All entry fees are non-refundable and must be paid via credit or debit card by the entry deadline. RulesOriginal Artwork: All entries must be original compositions and cannot be based on anything that has been published elsewhere. Copies of other artists’ work are NOT considered original and are not eligible. Reference Photos: Paintings based on another person’s photograph (even if copyright-free) are NOT eligible. Reference photos must belong to the artist entering. One Artist Only: All entries must be 100% painted by the artist entering and cannot have been painted partially by an instructor. Nor can someone enter the artwork of an artist who is now deceased. Paintings that were created as part of a group workshop where multiple artists painted the same image are NOT eligible.Paintings/Drawings ONLY: Photography, AI, digital, printed or painted over photographs are Prohibited. The Salon Art Prize reserves the right to refuse any artwork if the method with which it was created is questionable. And any artist who enters digitally altered images will be banned for future competitions.Employees or associates of Streamline Publishing, Inc., or their immediate families may not enter.Grand Prize: An artist can only win the Grand Prize once. Grand Prize winners can continue to enter The Salon Art Prize, but with the understanding they are no longer eligible to win the Grand Prize. Entry DetailsShowSubmit Account: When first entering the PleinAir Salon Art Competition, you’ll be asked to create a profile. Categories: There are 19 categories to enter. Please read the criteria for each category clearly, as some have restrictions. If a painting does not meet the criteria for the category it was entered into, it will be disqualified.Click here to view all the Categories.Plein Air Categories: Paintings entered into any of the plein air categories must have been completed 100% in plein air. This can take place over multiple sessions, but it CANNOT have been finished in the studio. Image Sizes: Before uploading your images, make sure they are at least 1920 pixels on the longest side. Images should be in JPEG format, sRGB color space. Please review our extensive Faq for additional questions. Online Only: Paintings do not need to be new or fresh, or even in your possession. Since this is an online competition, older, and sold, paintings are accepted.Entry Limits: There is a limit of 25 entries you can enter in each monthly competition. Because there are multiple categories you might increase your odds by entering multiple categories.Winning Paintings: A painting can win only once. If the painting has been entered in multiple categories, it can only win in ONE category. Additionally any painting that has not previously won a category award, can be re-entered in subsequent competitions. For example, a painting that receives an honorable mention award can be re-entered the next month. Note: All monthly winners are included in the judging of the Annual Competition, so there is no need to enter a winning painting multiple times.Inappropriate images: PleinAir magazine reserves the right to reject or not display any image that it feels is inappropriate or distasteful, if the image’s resolution quality is poor, if we believe the image is a copy of another painting, or it does not meet the above criteria.JudgingJudges: Guest judges include prominent artists, gallery owners, and museum curators and directors.In the event a judge, who has been promoted, is unable to judge, an alternate judge will be appointed. If one cannot be found, judging will be done by an editor or publisher of either Fine Art Connoisseur or PleinAir magazine.Click here to view our judges.Judging Timeframe: After the close of each monthly competition, the judge scores ALL the paintings based