--- title: ROAR, The ART of Cats, International Call for Art description: International juried call for cat-themed 2D/3D art and photography, with cash awards, culminating in Wild Heart Gallery's virtual exhibition. url: https://www.artsume.com/programs/b249df38-5e24-4e51-bddb-7a7e0f34b439 type: program status: open createdAt: "2026-10-24" updatedAt: "2026-10-24" programType: Prize/award organization: Wild Heart Gallery organizationUrl: https://www.artsume.com/o/wild-heart-gallery deadline: "2026-11-20" entryFee: 18 USD location: Redlands, CA, United States isOnline: true compensationRange: Cash awards for Best in Show, Best Wild Cat, Best Domestic Cat, and the Artivism Award; no sales commission taken on this call. disciplines: - drawing and pastels - mixed media - other media - painting - photography - printmaking - sculpture --- # ROAR, The ART of Cats, International Call for Art **Hosted by:** Wild Heart Gallery **Type:** Prize/award | **Location:** Redlands, CA, United States | **Deadline:** November 20, 2026 | **Entry fee:** $18 ## About This Program > "Cats — wild, stray, feral, or pet cats of any species" ### Prospectus Submit your art, sculpture, and photography that features cats. ROAR is about everything feline. Enter artwork of wild cats, stray cats, and/or pet cats. For this exhibition, we want to show artwork that fully embodies what it is to be a cat. Cats of all shapes, sizes, and feline species are welcome. They can roar, purr, play, prowl, nap, or simply be the epitome of Cat. Wild, domesticated, pet, feral, rural cats are all welcome! 2D and 3D artwork and photography desired for this virtual exhibition. Wild Heart Gallery's focus is on animal and wildlife artists. This art call and resulting virtual exhibition is focused on all animal species. ### About the Theme - All cat species are welcome. - Cats do not need to be literally roaring. We want to see your interpretation of "Cat" - All entries must feature a cat and must be the original artwork of the submitting artist. ### About Entries - 2D and 3D artwork, printmaking, sculpture, pastels, mixed media, ceramics, original digital art (no AI), photography, and more - Any style as long there is an animal in it that fits the theme - All entries must feature an animal and must be the original artwork of the submitting artist Artwork can be paintings, drawings, pastels, mixed media, print-making, sculpture in any form, fiber arts, metal art, collage, mixed media, and more. We have a category called "Other Media" for artwork that is outside a listed medium. All entries must feature an animal and must be the original artwork of the submitting artist. No AI. ### Deadline for Entries: November 20, 2026 - All animal species that fit the theme are welcome - wild animals. - 2D and 3D artwork, printmaking, sculpture, original digital art (no AI), photography, and more - Any style as long there is an animal in it - All entries must be the original artwork of the submitting artist - This art call is for a virtual art exhibition on wildheartgallery.com and our social media channels - Wild Heart Gallery recently moved to Redlands, California, and currently focuses on virtual exhibitions ### Awards Best in Show ($350 cash award) Best Wild Cat ($150 cash award) Best Domestic Cat ($150 cash award) Artivism Award ($75) — Artivism is art-activism, in this case, specifically about animals and/or the environment Overall Honorable Mentions Finalists ### Categories - Drawing and Pastels - Mixed Media - Other Media - Painting - Photography - Printmaking - Sculpture ### Important Dates Deadline for Entries: November 20, 2026, 5:59pm Pacific Time Zone / GMT -8:00 Notification of Jury Results: December 2, 2026 Virtual Show Dates: December 2026 ### Artist Entry Requirements - Artwork must be the original art of the submitting artist - Artwork MUST NOT HAVE BEEN INCLUDED in Wild Heart Gallery's shows on wildheartgallery.com previously. If the gallery showed your art piece only on artcall.org, you may submit that art piece again - Artwork entered in this call for art is not required to be for sale - Please submit a quality image of the work for jurying - Competitions are open to all artists age 18 or older - Entries must follow each individual competition theme - Each piece must be an original and submitted by the artist who created it. No AI - This call for art is international - Files must be in JPG, GIF, or PNG format - Files may not exceed 5MB - Artwork images must be represented in a professional manner: cropped, no glare, no frames, no watermarks - Not mandatory, but it is preferred that artwork be completed within the last 2 years - Entry fee based on the competition - Entry fees are non-refundable. No exceptions Policy: No nudity (private parts must be covered), no profanity, no animal cruelty, no gore, and no political artwork will be accepted for jury. Topics of animal conservation and environmental protection are not considered political for the purposes of Wild Heart Gallery, and they are suitable topics for the Artivism Award. ### Please Note This is an art competition. Not all entries will be accepted. Only the award recipients will be in the online group exhibition on wildheartgallery.com. 1. In some instances, we may opt to include a section for "Selected Works" in the online group exhibition. This is at the discretion of our Lead Juror, Sarah Soward. There is no set number of entries that will be included in "Selected Works." 2. We now create a separate page on artcall.org for additional works of merit. This may be all of the pieces that made it to the Final Round of judging, or it may be the Top Juried Entries of a certain number, at the discretion of our lead juror Sarah Soward. ### Image Requirements You may submit up to 2 separate art pieces. For Sculpture entries only, you may submit up to 2 additional views/images per art piece. For Photography, please note the make and model of the camera used and whether is film or digital. - Accepted File Types: JPG, PNG, GIF - File Size should be: 500 KB minimum to 5 MB maximum - Minimum Image Width or Height: 1080 px ### Entry Fees (non-refundable) $18 for 1-2 images ### Jury Process Artwork for the exhibition will be selected by industry professionals, referred to as jurors. The jurors will vote based on the number of entries, criteria for this event (theme), originality, technique, skill, and quality of work. Jury Selection begins within 7 days after final entry date and ends within 15 days after final entry date. There are several criteria for selection for the award exhibition. These include relevance to the theme, originality, quality of work, technique, and technical skill. ### Copyright The artist retains all copyrights to their artwork without exception. ### Non-exclusive Permissions By entering this art competition, you are granting Wild Heart Gallery a non-exclusive perpetual license to reproduce images of your artwork on wildheartgallery.com and artcall.org, and to publish the winners and accepted entries on Facebook and Instagram as well as other media outlets. ## Eligibility & Requirements - **Geographic Eligibility:** International - **Disciplines:** drawing and pastels, mixed media, other media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture - **Age Requirements:** 18+ years old - **Note:** Competitions are open to all artists age 18 or older. This call for art is international. Each piece must be an original and submitted by the artist who created it, and must not have been included in Wild Heart Gallery's shows on wildheartgallery.com previously (if the gallery showed the piece only on artcall.org, it may be submitted again). No AI-generated artwork. Not mandatory, but preferred that artwork be completed within the last 2 years. ### Additional Requirements - Up to 2 separate art pieces (sculpture entries may include up to 2 additional views/images per piece) - Quality image for jurying: JPG, PNG, or GIF - File size 500 KB minimum to 5 MB maximum - Minimum image width or height of 1080 px - For photography, note the camera make and model and whether film or digital - Artwork must be original and created by the submitting artist - No AI-generated artwork ## Compensation & Benefits Cash awards for Best in Show, Best Wild Cat, Best Domestic Cat, and the Artivism Award; no sales commission taken on this call. **Includes:** Prize Best in Show: $350 cash award. Best Wild Cat: $150 cash award. Best Domestic Cat: $150 cash award. Artivism Award: $75. Overall Honorable Mentions and Finalists are also recognized without a stated cash amount. ## Timeline - **Opens:** October 23, 2026 - **Deadline:** November 20, 2026 - **Program Start:** December 1, 2026 ## How to Apply Apply at: https://cats2026.artcall.org/