National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society
National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society

35th Best of America

International Juried Exhibition October 2 – 25, 2025 The James R. Ross Fine Art Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
Deadline is August 6th. Members Only.
Best of Show, The Awakening Light (cropped) by Ann Moeller
Best of Show, The Awakening Light (cropped) by Ann Moeller
Open Calls

Opens May 19, 2025.

Open for entry on May 19, 2025.
Deadline for entry: August 6, 2025

About the Event

Celebrating its 35th “Best of America” International Juried Exhibition, the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society (NOAPS) invites oil and acrylic painters from all across North America and International Artists to apply to our exhibit honoring the Best in oil and acrylic painting. NOAPS has been showcasing the talents of oil and acrylic painters since 1991.

Venue

The James R. Ross Fine Art Gallery
5627 N. Illinois St.
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Artist Eligibility

  • All NOAPS members: 18 years of age or older residing in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Other International NOAPS Member artists may apply but please take into consideration shipping and custom fees since this is a gallery show.
  • The Best of America is a juried competition open to current members of NOAPS.
The annual membership is $62 and can be paid through the Membership Link at www.NOAPS.org.

Entry Process

All entries will be submitted via ShowSubmit. ShowSubmit provides a comprehensive support menu. NOAPS is also available to help with procedural problems. Email: [email protected] for assistance.
  • Digital files should be saved in universal .jpeg format. For further information on artwork specifications see the Image and Filename Specifications section below.
  • Jurors will not consider entries that are not displayed correctly. Please crop your image to include ONLY the painting; no frame or other background should appear in your image. Be sure the image is right side up.

Terms and Conditions

NOAPS is dedicated to exhibiting excellent works of fine art which promote the artist’s artistic ability, vision and creativity within the traditional art forms of oil and acrylic painting. In this respect:
  • Artwork must be original two dimensional with mediums limited to oil and acrylic paints.
  • Completed in the last three (3) years (2023 and newer)
  • Not previously accepted in any other NOAPS Exhibit (including the Best of America Small Works Exhibition, the Best of America National Exhibition, both Fall and Spring International Online and the Associate Online Exhibition).
  • Maximum size of the art excluding frame shall not exceed 1200 square inches (Example: 30 x 40 in = 1200 square inches). No Exceptions.
  • All artwork should be original and created from conception to completion by the artist’s own hand in Oil and/or Acrylic only.
  • Artists are permitted to use their own photos as reference materials in the creation of their artwork.
  • No mixed media, painted giclee prints, or any other type of digital or photographic reproductions in conjunction with the Oil & Acrylic qualify.
  • No artwork copied from other artists work or published photos, or created in an instructional setting are eligible.
  • No use of Artificial Intelligence, either in the conception or development of the painting is permitted.

Entry Fees

  • Members Only: $35 for the first image, $10 for each additional image up to a maximum of 5 images.

    Example: maximum of five (5) images = $75 (US Currency)

    Not a member? Go to www.noaps.org/members to join.
  • A maximum of one (1) painting per accepted artist will be chosen for the show.
  • Annual dues fee, paid through noaps.org/members is $62.
Entry fees are non-refundable.

Membership

The annual 2025 NOAPS membership of $62 is required. If you are not currently a member, pay the membership fee through your NOAPS membership account by logging in at noaps.org/members.

The annual membership is valid from January 1st to December 31st of each year.

To verify if you are a current 2025 NOAPS Member, please log into your account at noaps.org/member-sign-in-manage-account

Awards Judge

NOAPS will use a panel of highly skilled artists to judge for awards.

Awards

Awards include: Best of show $5,000, $35,000 cash and sponsor awards

Selection Process

Each entry is reviewed and scored by an independent jury panel. The Jurying panel will consist of a minimum of 5 NOAPS Master Artists or Signature Members. The panel selects paintings for the exhibit based on the quality and individual mastery of the medium.

IMPORTANT: Jurors in the panel make selections based on the image entered (make sure the image depicts a true representation of the painting). Jurors score the image only and do not see any information about the artist.

Signature and Master Artist Guild Qualifying Update

Both Best of America National shows count for Signature Status:
  • 6 points total over 5 years are needed to qualify for Signature Status
  • Acceptance into the "Best of America National Juried Exhibition" will count for 1 point per year
  • Acceptance into the "Best of America Small Works National Juried Exhibition" will count for 1 point
  • First, Second and Third Place awards in the Associate Member Online Exhibition will count for 1 point.
  • A maximum of 3 points attainable per year
  • Once Signature Status is achieved, the awarded artist may use the initials NOAPS on original works of art and in their correspondence. This honor is awarded for life, unless forfeited by nonpayment of annual dues or resignation.
Master Artist Membership: Master Qualification begins AFTER the show in which Signature status is attained. Master Artist Membership is awarded to active members, whose dues are current.
  • Once a Signature Artist receives three (3) TOP Master Qualifier Awards within a five (5) year period in the “Best of America International Juried Exhibition” or the “Best of America Small Works International Juried Exhibition, they are qualified to make a submission to the Masters Jury Committee headed up by NOAPS Master Artist, Cheng Lian
  • Email [email protected] – title the email “Masters Submission”
  • Please submit: 10 original artwork images, biography and any published articles or related achievements
  • The TOP Qualifier Awards include Best of show, 1st, 2nd, and all “Best of” category awards.
  • With 2 Gallery Exhibitions per year, there will be 10 opportunities in a 5 year period to qualify for Master. Please note that the Online International Awards and the Associate Online Awards do not count toward Master Status.
  • Upon approval of the Masters Jury Submission Committee and Masters designation is granted, the awarded artist may use the initials NOAPSM on original works of art and in their correspondence. This honor is awarded for life, unless forfeited by nonpayment of annual dues or resignation.

Selection Notification

Artists selected for the Exhibition will be notified by email from ShowSubmit on Friday, August 22, 2025. An up to date email address in your ShowSubmit account is essential for notification. You may also login and view your notifications from your ShowSubmit account.

Art Accepted for the Exhibit

Upon receipt of the accepted paintings at the exhibit location, NOAPS and the Gallery retain the right to refuse to display and/or allow award judging due to: technical inaccuracy, misrepresentation, inadequate framing, or damage from improper packaging.
  • FRAMING: Gallery quality wood frames only.
  • NOAPS strongly recommends Strong Boxes from Airfloat Systems, Uline or Masterpak. (Airfloat is a NOAPS Sponsor and they provide a 20% discount to NOAPS members, use code ‘NOAPS’). All art received and displayed will not be returned until after the exhibit has closed. The gallery has 30 days after the close of the show to return unsold artwork.
IMPORTANT: Once accepted, failure to send the accepted artwork to the exhibit will result on a two (2) year disqualification period for the artist.
  • Once accepted into the exhibition, the artwork is consigned to the gallery. If the artwork is sold after acceptance but before shipping it to the exhibit, commission should be paid to the art gallery. Please email [email protected] if you pre-sell your painting.
  • Selected paintings will be showcased on www.NOAPS.org, in the NOAPS Blog, and in NOAPS Social Media.
  • By entering, entrants are consenting to have a reproduction of their work used for promotion of the NOAPS Exhibits. You are confirming the work entered is your own and copyrighted images incorporated in your work have not been used.

Sales

All entries must be for sale. Paintings of all price ranges are accepted. Entrants price their work and should closely represent the established market value of the artist’s work. The price entered on the ShowSubmit application form will be the price for the duration of the exhibit.

Liability

Every reasonable care will be exercised with all artwork. NOAPS, The Gallery, and any other organization or individual connected with the exhibition will not be responsible for loss or damage of artwork while in transit. By entering this exhibit, the applicant agrees to the terms and conditions of the prospectus.

Commission

The artist will receive 55% of the selling price, with the remainder split at 45% to the hosting gallery.

Shipping

Once your art is accepted into the Exhibition, please follow the shipping instructions carefully. Full shipping instructions will be provided with acceptance letters. All shipping charges to and from the Gallery are the responsibility of the artist. We recommend insuring your work before shipping.

Include in the shipping container:
  1. Return shipping label - FedEx or ups
  2. HOW TO Create a return shipping label - example - If using UPS - Must open an account with them, then use their online program to "Create a return" - Enter all the information and print the label but do not schedule a pickup. Enclose return label in envelope for the gallery. There are no charges until the shipping company driver picks up the parcel and scans the shipping label. If your shipper will not provide a return shipping label, you should create a return shipping label online and email it to the gallery. Please email the gallery if you will be emailing the return shipping label.

    ***Artwork will not be displayed if Return Label is not provided.
  3. $25 check made payable to the James R. Ross Fine Art Gallery for unpacking/repacking fees.
  4. No fee for Hand Delivered Artwork. Please advise gallery if hand-delivering.
  5. NOAPS Artwork label attached to back of painting (included in the acceptance letter from Juried Art Services).
  6. IMPORTANT: Shipping from OUTSIDE the USA must be shipped FREE DOMICILE or they will not be accepted. International artists please check all shipping restrictions and custom regulations before entering this exhibit. All Duties and Taxes must be paid by the artist
  7. Ship to address:

    The James R. Ross Fine Art Gallery
    5627 N. Illinois St.
    Indianapolis, IN 46208

Questions

For questions about NOAPS or this Prospectus, please contact [email protected]. For technical support, please see the Support section below.

Your participation and support of the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society is greatly appreciated. We wish you success in this event and may all your art career goals be met!

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on August 22, 2025.

You may view the notification in your ShowSubmit account by logging in and tapping the Notifications at the top right of the screen, or in your Entry History.

If you do not receive your email, login and view the notification in your account. We cannot respond to inquiries regarding the status of notifications.

Note: Entries made prior to 2023 may not display the View Notification link.

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 (August 6, 2025.)
  • 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

For questions about NOAPS or this Prospectus, please contact NOAPS ([email protected]).

For technical support or entry questions, first check our Help Center or Entry Guide. If you still need help, email ShowSubmit Support ([email protected]). We’ll respond between 9am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.