2026 National Watercolor Exhibition
- Deadline
- 25 days left
- Entry fee
- $25
- Award
- $3,000
- Location
- Wichita, Kansas
- Exhibition window
- Oct 2, 2026 → Dec 12, 2026
- Applicants notified
- Aug 14, 2026
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About
Submit up to 4 original watercolor paintings on paper created in the past two years for juried selection and potential cash awards.
Overview
The 2026 National Watercolor Exhibition is open to all artists living and working in the United States, both amateur and professional. Watercolorist Richard Sneary of Missouri will serve as this year's exhibition juror. The exhibition will be on view from October 2–December 12, 2026, in the Gladys and Karl T. Wiedemann Gallery at Mark Arts in Wichita, Kansas. Artwork must be for sale, created in the last two years, and not previously exhibited in Wichita, Kansas.
Awards
- $3,000 in cash awards, including $1,500 for first place
Media & Size Requirements
- Original paintings in water media on paper only
- Each entry must be wholly designed and executed by the artist
- Source material must be your own design or your own photograph
- No AI-generated reference material or artwork portions
- Prints, copies, photolithographic, or computer-generated artwork are not eligible
- Collage elements must be less than 10% and comprised of water media on paper
- Minimum image size is 8 × 10 inches
- All artworks must be display-ready with display hardware attached
Submission Requirements
- Up to 4 images per artist
- Submit digital images through CaFE Entry or digital photography with paper form
- All entries judged from digital images submitted
Key Dates
- Friday, August 7: Online submission deadline at 11:59 pm Mountain Standard Time; paper submissions must be received by 5:00 pm
- Friday, August 14: Result notification e-mail sent to artists
- Friday, September 11: Deadline for receipt of shipped artwork to Mark Arts
- Friday, October 2: Opening reception, 5:00–7:00 pm (remarks at 5:45 pm)
- Saturday, December 12: Exhibition closes
- Tuesday, December 15: Hand-delivered artwork picked up
- Friday, January 8: Shipped artwork returned
Catalog
Mark Arts publishes an illustrated catalog with all accepted entries. A complimentary copy will be mailed to each accepted artist at the conclusion of the exhibition.
Contact
- Email: laura@markartsks.com
- Phone: 316-634-2787
- Award
- $3,000 in cash awards, including $1,500 for first place
- Entries per artist
- Up to 4
- Eligibility
- Open to all artists living and working in the United States, both amateur and professional; work must be created in the past two years and not previously exhibited in Wichita, Kansas.
- Audience
- Open to all artists living and working in the United States, both amateur and professional
- Size & format
- Minimum image size is 8 x 10 inches
- Also worth noting
- Minimum image size is 8 x 10 inches
- Contact
- laura@markartsks.com
Aggregated automatically — verify details at the organizer's site.