- Deadline
- 63 days left
- Entry fee
- $35
- Applicants notified
- Oct 5, 2026
- Location
- Online, viewable at midamericapastel.com
- Exhibition window
- Oct 20, 2026 → Nov 20, 2026
About
Submit up to 5 original soft pastel artworks for online juried exhibition and consideration for awards.
Overview
Members-only online exhibition with the theme Local Colors. Submissions accepted July 13–September 14, 2026. Work will be juried by Mark Ivan Cole and presented online at midamericapastel.com.
Key dates
- Submissions open: Monday, July 13, 2026
- Entry deadline: Monday, September 14, 2026
- Acceptance notification: Monday, October 5, 2026
- Zoom opening reception: Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 7pm CT (awards presented by Mark Ivan Cole)
- Exhibition online: October 20–November 20, 2026
Eligibility
- Open to MidAmerica Pastel Society members 18 years old or older
- Membership dues must have been paid by May 31, 2026—no exceptions
- Artwork must be at least 80% soft pastel; no oil pastels
- Original artwork only; no work done under supervision in a class or workshop
- Not created from photographs other than the artist's own
- No portion may use Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Work completed within the last 3 years
- Not previously exhibited in any MAPS show or exhibit
- All subjects and styles eligible, including tasteful nudes, subject to juror's discretion
Entry limits & submission
- Up to 5 artworks per artist
- No size restrictions on actual artwork
- Submit high-resolution JPEG images at www.showsubmit.com by midnight, Monday, September 14, 2026
- Photograph artwork only (no mat, frame, or background visible)
- Do not resize or rename files; ShowSubmit will handle this automatically
- Maximum 30mb file size per image
Fees
- $35 for the first image
- $5 each for images 2–5
- Entry fee is nonrefundable and must be paid at time of online entry
- Payment by credit or debit card via secure checkout
Awards
- First Place: $750
- Second Place: $500
- Third Place: $300
- Awards of Merit (3): $200 each
- Honorable Mention (2): $100 each
- Emerging Artist Award: $100
Exhibition & sales
Accepted work will be displayed online at www.midamericapastel.com starting October 20, 2026. MAPS takes no commission on sales and assumes no responsibility for completion of sale or damage in shipment. Work may be marked NFS (not for sale).
Contact
Mary Ann Pals, [email protected]; juror Mark Ivan Cole, markivancole.com; MAPS website: midamericapastel.com
Media accepted
pastelsoft pastel
- Award
- First Place $750, Second Place $500, Third Place $300, Awards of Merit (3) $200 each, Honorable Mention (2) $100 each, Emerging Artist Award $100
- Entry fee
- $35 for first image, $5 each for images 2–5 (up to 5 images per artist)
- Entries per artist
- Up to 5
- Sales commission
- No commission — you keep 100% of sales
- Theme
- Local Colors
- Eligibility
- Open to MidAmerica Pastel Society members 18 years old or older whose membership dues were paid by May 31, 2026.
- Audience
- MidAmerica Pastel Society members, 18 years old or older
Aggregated automatically — verify details at the organizer's site.