Pastel Artists of Oregon
Pastel Artists of Oregon

Spirit of Pastel

Fourth Biennial Open Juried Exhibition March 28 – April 28, 2026 ShowSubmit Gallery online
Deadline is March 16th. Open to Members and Non-Members.
Six Yards of Elegance by Harsha Rodage
Six Yards of Elegance by Harsha Rodage
Open Calls

Opens December 15, 2025.

Open for entry on December 15, 2025.
Deadline for entry: March 16, 2026

Juror of Acceptance and Judge of Awards

Mark Ivan Cole, IAPS/MC, PSA
Mark is an internationally recognized pastel artist who now calls the Pacific Northwest home. In 2011 he and his wife left successful IT careers to focus on creativity and discovery, and moved to Taiwan for the next 8 years. During that time they explored Asia, India, Europe and South Africa. Mark has enjoyed painting plein air literally all over the world. His intention is to convey the "feel" of a place, the emotions that are brought up as one breathes the air and takes in those surroundings.

Mark will also be presenting a three day workshop at the Woodburn Art Center in Woodburn Oregon March 27, 28, 29, 2026.

Awards: Cash and Gift Certificates

There are two categories for entry and awards. Failure to enter the correct category will result in disqualification and entry fees will not be refunded. If you have any questions, contact Cheryl Lockhart, 2nd VP PAO at [email protected]

  • Emerging Artists: Artists who have not yet attained signature membership in any pastel society, have not won an award in any other pastel societies' competitions, or not had work accepted into any art magazine competition or any art supply distributor competition.
  • Established Artists: Artists who have achieved Signature, Master or Eminent pastel membership status in any pastel society including PAO or has had work accepted into any magazine competition or art supply distributor competition.
Cash Awards in Each Category:
  • Best of Show: $900.00
  • First Place: $700.00
  • Second Place: $500.00
  • Third Place: $300.00
  • Honorable Mention: 4x $100.00 Gift Certificates

Eligible Work

  • Open to all North American and Pastel Artists of Oregon Member Artists over the age of 18.
  • Open to all Pastel Artists of Oregon International Members. All PAO Member International entrants must have a working PayPal Account to be eligible for an award.
  • All paintings must be original, developed from the artist’s original reference and
    composition.
  • Paintings of nudes will be considered.
  • All works submitted must be 80% dry pastel.
  • Work previously accepted into any open juried pastel competition, any PAO members only competition, SOP Exhibition or any art magazine or art material supplier competition is not eligible.
  • Failure to meet any of the requirements for eligibility may result in the artwork not being juried. Entry fee forfeited.

Entry Fees

  • PAO members: $30 for 1 entries; $10 each additional entry, up to 4 images total
  • Non-members: $40 for 1 entries; $10 each additional entry, up to 4 images total
Entry fees are non-refundable and must be paid by the entry deadline. Acceptance is not guaranteed.

Sales

Work may be for sale; NFS is allowed.

Purchasers will be given the Artist’s contact information. Artists will handle the sales and shipping. No commission to be paid to PAO. (Shipping unframed is an option at the artist’s and purchaser’s discretion.)

Entering Images

  • Entry form must be filled out in its entirety, including mailing address, state zip code, country, phone and email.
  • List size of image itself to the nearest inch. Crop photo to include the image only: no mats or frames, and be certain your image is right side up.
  • For more information see Image and Filename Specifications below

Legal Disclaimer

Accepted images may be used by Pastel Artists of Oregon in advertising, on our website, social media accounts and newsletters with credit to the artist, All artworks juried into the show will be displayed on our website Exhibition Gallery as well as the ShowSubmit Gallery.
Entry into this exhibition constitutes agreement with this understanding.

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on March 25, 2026.

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 (March 16, 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

For questions about PAO or this Prospectus, please contact Cheryl Lockhart ([email protected]) or Peggy Braeutigam ([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.