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.
Judge
Diane Waterhouse, Waterhouse Gallery
Awards
Over $2,000 in all cash prizes each month.
- First Place - $600
- Second Place - $400
- Third Place - $300
- Category awards - $50 each (Total of 19 awards)
- Category Honorable Mention awards (Total of 19 awards)
Annual Awards
All 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 Magazine
- Fine Art Connoisseur Grand Prize - $15,000 + your painting featured on the cover of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine
- Second Place - $3,000
- Third Place - $2,000
- Three Honorable Mention Awards - $750 each
- Six Best Medium Awards - $500 each
More details about awards can be found at TheSalonArtPrize.com.
Eligibility Requirements
- All individuals entering must be at least 18 years of age.
- Competition is open to residents of any state or country where acceptable by law.
Fees
- Early 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. All entry fees are non-refundable and must be paid via credit or debit card by the entry deadline.
Rules
- Original 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 Details
- ShowSubmit 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Judging
- Judges: Guest judges include prominent artists, gallery owners, and museum curators and directors.
- Judging Timeframe: After the close of each monthly competition, the judge scores ALL the paintings based on a blind judging system. This means that the judge only sees the painting, title and medium.
- Finalists: The paintings with the highest scores will become the Finalists for that month, and will be announced 1 week before the awards.
- Awards: The winners will be announced on the last day of the month following the competition.
- There will be one Winner and one Honorable Mention selected in each category of each monthly competition, and three overall awards.
- Winners of each monthly competition, including each category winner, will be entered into the judging for the Annual Salon Art Prize.
Annual Competition Entry Deadline
The Annual Competition runs from April 1st to March 15th. The 22 winners from each monthly cycle during this time automatically become the Semi-Finalists in the Annual Competition.
Top 25 Finalists
A panel of jurors will review and score all 242 entries. The 25 paintings with the highest scores will become the Top 25 Finalists for the year.
Plein Air Convention & Expo
The Top 25 Finalists are all invited to attend the Plein Air Convention where the Salon Art Prize awards will be announced live on stage.
Terms
By entering the Salon Art Prize, you agree that you are submitting images of your own original artwork and not that of other artists or material in which you do not hold the copyright. You are also agreeing, in advance, to have your submitted artwork and your image published to any print or digital/electronic property of Streamline Publishing, Inc.
Image and Filename Specifications
- File Format: Submit original, high-quality JPEG image files. Other formats (e.g., PNG, TIFF) are not accepted.
- Crop Your Image: Ensure only the artwork itself is visible in the image. Do not show any visible matting, frames, or background distractions.
- Orientation: Make sure your image is oriented correctly (right side up) so that the artwork appears in its intended viewing direction.
- File Size: There is a 30MB maximum file size limit.
Additional Entry Information
- You will pay for your entry by credit or debit card using our secure checkout system.
- After your entry is submitted and paid for, you may log back in to review your entry, edit artist and image information, and add or substitute images up until the entry deadline (September 30, 2026.)
- Entry fees are not refundable and must be submitted and paid by the entry deadline.
- Entries cannot be accepted or changed after the deadline. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.