Venue
The Boyer Gallery at The Hill School Center for the Arts
760 Beech Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
760 Beech Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
Awards
$ 1800 in Awards
Including $500 for Best in Show
Including $500 for Best in Show
Entry Fee
- Signature Members only: $25 for one artwork
- The entry fee entitles the Signature member to submit one painting which will be displayed at The Hill Schools’ Boyer Gallery.
- Membership dues must be paid in full by January 31, 2026.
- Due to the gallery size and number of signature members, framed paintings cannot exceed 42” in the longest direction.
Please pay your dues and update your contact information at philadelphiapastelsociety.org.
Judge of Awards
Joseph Sweeney
Joseph Sweeney is a Philadelphia-born artist who earned a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1976 and an MFA in Printmaking from Penn State University in 1980. Influenced by numerous notable artists, he has built a career primarily as a landscape painter. Sweeney has taught or is teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The University of the Arts, Wayne Art Center, Woodmere Art Museum, and Chester Springs Studio. He has received multiple major awards, such as Best of Show honors, a Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and participation in the U.S. Department of State’s ART in Embassies Program. His residencies include programs in Bermuda, Florida, and Maine. Currently based in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Sweeney is represented by Cerulean Gallery in Philadelphia, and his work is held in numerous public and private collections.
His artwork can be viewed at joesweeneyart.com.
Joseph Sweeney is a Philadelphia-born artist who earned a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1976 and an MFA in Printmaking from Penn State University in 1980. Influenced by numerous notable artists, he has built a career primarily as a landscape painter. Sweeney has taught or is teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The University of the Arts, Wayne Art Center, Woodmere Art Museum, and Chester Springs Studio. He has received multiple major awards, such as Best of Show honors, a Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and participation in the U.S. Department of State’s ART in Embassies Program. His residencies include programs in Bermuda, Florida, and Maine. Currently based in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Sweeney is represented by Cerulean Gallery in Philadelphia, and his work is held in numerous public and private collections.
His artwork can be viewed at joesweeneyart.com.
Exhibition Requirements
- Must be a current Signature member of the Philadelphia Pastel Society.
- All artwork must have been created in the past 3 years (2023-2026) and not previously exhibited in a past PPS exhibition. Note that any work exhibited cannot be shown at future PPS exhibitions.
- Accepted artwork must not be exhibited concurrently in another show.
- All work must be in dry soft pastel with at least 80% of the finished work in dry pastel.
- No oil pastels nor varnished dry pastels will be accepted.
- Maximum frame size on the longest side must not exceed 42”.
- Framing must be professional in appearance with clean mats and no visible damage to frame, glass or plexiglass. No sawtooth hangers.
- Your work must not have been done under teacher supervision, either in a classroom, workshop or from ZOOM or DVD instruction.
Withholding
Once accepted, works cannot be withheld from the exhibition under a penalty of a two year exclusion from future PPS exhibitions.
Sales
Work may include NFS. The Boyer Gallery will handle all sales and withhold a 30% commission. Once submissions close, the price of your painting cannot be changed.
Confirming Entries & Notification
Confirmation of your accepted artwork will be sent out by Monday, March 9, 2026. Note that email notification is made by ShowSubmit. Be sure that ShowSubmit is in your contact list. If you do not receive an email notification, check your ShowSubmit account for the status of your submission, or contact exhibition chair at [email protected].
Shipping and Handling Instructions
All shipped artworks must be received between Monday, March 23rd and Friday, March 27th, 2026. Philadelphia Pastel Society will not be responsible for any artwork received before or after these dates.
Ship To:
Blanche Levitt Torphy
823 Mount Pleasant Rd.
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Phone: 610-256-0432
Handling fees are non-refundable. Make your handling fee check out to The Philadelphia Pastel Society.
Handling Fees for entries are:
- $25 - When shipped in an Air Float Box (or equivalent).
- $50 - When shipped using other boxes/packaging.
Please place your handling fee and prepaid return shipping label in an envelope and secure it to the back of your painting so it can easily be found. Please Request Signature upon Delivery. Email Blanche at [email protected] with the tracking number and estimated date of delivery.
Payment must be completed and paperwork for return shipping must be included with your shipped artwork when it is received, or your shipment will be considered a “failure to deliver” and will be rejected.
Conditions for Accepted Work
Framing must be professional in appearance with clean mats and no visible damage to frame, glass, or plexiglass. For artworks sized over 36” in any direction and works that are shipped, artists are encouraged to use plexiglass. The back of the painting must be secured tightly and sealed when possible.
PPS reserves the right to review all entries, hand delivered and shipped, for conformance to the specifications outlined herein, and reserves the right to reject any work which does not conform to entry requirements and/or does not match the accepted digital entry.
Hand Delivery of Accepted Work
Artwork can be hand delivered to the Boyer Gallery on Saturday, March 28th, 2026 between 10am and 2 pm. Artists must have their membership dues paid in full for 2026.
Photo release
PPS reserves the right to reproduce accepted artwork for publicity purposes.
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.
- Image Size: You do not need to resize your image files before uploading. The system will automatically resize them. Smaller images cannot be enlarged to meet the requirements, so ensure your images are high resolution before uploading.
- File Names: You do not need to rename your files before uploading them. The system will handle any file naming requirements.
- File Size: There is a 30mb maximum file size limit. Larger image files will take longer to upload and process.
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 substitute your image up until the entry deadline (February 27, 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.
Support
Questions about this exhibition?
Contact Al Richards ([email protected]) for questions about the Prospectus, PPS, eligibility, artwork requirements, drop-off, pick-up, sales, etc.
Need help with ShowSubmit?
Visit our Help Center or Entry Guide for guidance on image uploads, payments, and managing your entry. If you still need help, email ShowSubmit Support ([email protected]). We respond Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm Eastern.