Los Gatos Art Association
Exhibition artwork

Los Gatos Art Association

Artist of the Year Competition and Online Exhibition

October 1, 2026 – February 1, 2027

Deadline is September 25th. 6 weeks left to enter.
Find Open Calls

About LGAA

The Los Gatos Art Association (LGAA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the enrichment and support of the arts community. Not a current member and want to join or renew? You can do so easily online at lgaa.org

Location

Online Exhibition
Show will be held online and will be posted on the ShowSubmit website for viewing. A link will also be posted on the LGAA website.

In-person Awards Reception
Awards given out at December Holiday Party, Saturday, December 12, 2026, 12:30–2:30pm - Awards Presentation at 1pm. Prospect Center, Grace Room

New Rules & Process

The Los Gatos Art Association has a long-held tradition in which members vote for their peers for Artist of the Year and the rules have been updated in 2026. Note: Participation points will no longer be considered in this exhibit, and separate awards will be given at our January meeting.

Step 1: All competing artists can enter up to 5 of their favorite pieces for online submission. President and Vice President will be jurors for all online initial entries and will accept up to a total of 3 entries per artist.

Step 2: All current members will be asked to vote electronically for their favorite painting in each category. The paintings in each category that receives the top two (2) votes (only one for each artist), will be invited to bring their framed paintings to the December Holiday Party on December 12th. All artwork must adhere to the LGAA exhibit rules for acceptance & presentation.

Step 3: The final awards winners will be chosen by vote from the members who are in attendance at the December Holiday Party. The Awards and ribbons will be presented at that time.

Jurors of Selection

Susan Jochheim, President
Janet Esseiva, Vice-President

A panel of two judges will make initial selections of up to 3 entries per artist per category to be included in the online show. LGAA members will initially vote for their favorite artwork and the top 2 vote totals per category will be asked to bring their artwork to the December 12th, Holiday Party. Members who attend the holiday party will vote for the final 1st Place & Honorable Mention award for each category.

Awards

First Place: $50 and Honorable Mention $25 in each of the following categories: Watercolor, Acrylic, Oil, Photography, Pastel, Sculpture, Mixed Media 2d only & $50 Award for Emerging Artist (has never shown in an LGAA exhibit)

Entry Fees

  • LGAA Members Only: $25 first entry, $5 per additional entry.
  • Maximum of five (5) entries total.
  • Up to 3 entries per artist may be accepted.
Entry and membership fees are non-refundable.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Open to all registered LGAA Members, 18 years or older, whose dues are current. Become a Member
  • All types of mediums in 2D and 3D are accepted.
  • All art must be original in concept, done in the last five (5) years, and not shown in a previous LGAA show.
Acceptable Mediums:
  • Painting: oil, acrylic, water media, pastel, egg tempera, encaustic, mixed mediums.
  • Digital: photography, video, digital prints.
  • Drawing: Conte Crayon, colored pencil, graphite, pen & ink, and scratchboard.
  • Sculpture: string, cast metal, fabricated metal, stone, glass, wood, and any fired permanent medium such as terra cotta, stoneware, porcelain, earthenware.
Unacceptable Mediums:
  • Wearable art or jewelry, functional ceramics, crafts, installations, video/films, or art based on copyright-protected sources used without permission.
  • No nudes or adult themes such as war, violence, etc.

Responsibilities of Participants

  • Artists should make sure that they get confirmation of registration. This may take one or two days, and the artist should check their spam/junk mail folder prior to contacting LGAA or ShowSubmit regarding lack of confirmation.
  • Each artist will help to publicize the event. (email, Facebook, Instagram, post flyers, postcards, etc.).
  • All insurance, if deemed necessary, is the responsibility of the artist.
  • Artists agree to follow all the LGAA Exhibit Rules that are not otherwise stated herein.
  • Each artist will take a photo of their painting, titled properly and saved as a jpg file (see All Images above).
  • Each accepted artist MUST sign up for a volunteer job for the Holiday Party.

Sales

Your art does NOT have to be for sale. Sales transactions for this show will be between the artist and the buyer. LGAA does not take any commission.

Terms and Conditions

LGAA reserves the right to use Artist images for promotional purposes of the exhibition and by entering this show, the artist consents to the use of any and or all their images in future. Any copyright issues will be the liability of the artist.

Notifications Are Posted in Your Account

Results will be posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on September 29, 2026. You will also receive an email.

Log in and check your account. We are unable to answer individual inquiries about results.

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 add or substitute images up until the entry deadline (September 25, 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 Susan Jochheim ([email protected]) for questions about the prospectus, LGAA, eligibility, artwork requirements, 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.