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Philadelphia Water Color Society
Philadelphia Water Color Society

122nd International Exhibition of Works on Paper

November 1 – 30, 2022 Chester County Arts Association, West Chester, PA
Deadline was September 7th. Open to Members and Non-Members.

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Deadline for entry was September 7, 2022

Awards

Over $10,000 in Awards including:

  • $2,000 PWCS Award for Best in Show
  • $1,500 Elizabeth Shober Hooper Award for Excellence in Presentation & Technique
  • $1,000 PWCS Founders Award

Juror of Selection

Kenneth Call

Judge of Awards

Laurie Goldstein-Warren

Entry Fee

  • Members: $40
  • Non-Members: $50
Member dues must be paid in full prior to entering the PWCS 2022 International Works on Paper Exhibit. “Paid in Full” means that your dues are paid until December 31, 2022. If you are not already a member, consider joining as there are several new membership benefits which include discounted rates for workshops, demonstrations, and talks. Membership dues can be paid, and contact information updated at pwcsociety.org/membership.

The entry fee entitles entrants to submit two paintings for consideration by the Juror of Selection for inclusion in the exhibition. No more than one painting per entrant may be selected for this exhibition.

There will be no refunds once your entry is submitted, regardless of the status of your entry. Entries may be disqualified for not following entry guidelines.

Exhibition Requirements

Submissions and artwork that do not comply with the following conditions and rules will not be accepted and will be returned at the artist’s expense. The artist may be excluded from future exhibitions sponsored by the PWCS for a period of two years.

  • Artists must be 18 or older.
  • Work previously exhibited in any PWCS juried exhibition or at any Chester County Art Association exhibition will not be accepted.
  • Artwork cannot be exhibited concurrently in other shows; particularly virtual shows.
  • All entries must be for sale. Prices cannot be changed once submitted.
  • Artists may not substitute another work for an accepted work.
  • Artists notified of acceptance may not withhold their work for any reason.
  • Entries must have been created within the last 3 years. Artwork produced prior to June 2019 will not be accepted.
  • Chester County Art Association will receive 40% of the sale price, with the remaining 60% going to the artist.
  • All paintings must hang for the duration of the exhibition.
For additional criteria, please download the prospectus.

Eligible Work

  • Media: In addition to watercolor; soft pastels, charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, pen & ink, gouache, acrylic and hand-pulled prints are also accepted. All work must be original and on or of paper. Clay prints on Reemay using water soluble mediums are acceptable. Collage elements must be of paper and cannot be mounted on canvas. Any image or color on collage papers must be of water media and the work of the artist – no cutouts used from digital work will be accepted.
  • Oils, oil pastels, photographic, digital, electronic processes or computer art will not be accepted.
  • Artwork must be original and not completed under teacher supervision, either in a class or workshop or from a DVD or book. Photo reference must have been taken by the entrant.
  • Framed size cannot exceed 48” in height or width.
  • No side of the image visible within the mat can be less than 10” unless the length multiplied by the width exceeds 100 square inches (i.e., 9” x 12” = 108 sq. in.). Note that the measurement is of the painting within the border of the mat and not the size of paper used before matting.

Sales

Work must be for sale; NFS is not allowed.

Chester County Art Association will receive 40% of the sale price, with the remaining 60% going to the artist.

Notifications 

Notifications will be made by email on or about September 28th, 2022. If your work is accepted, you will receive one email with the accepted painting(s) listed. If your work is not accepted, you will receive one email with no paintings listed. 

Conditions for Accepted Work 

Only framing with white mats and glass or plexiglass are acceptable. A thin colored liner mat may be used when double matting. An exception to this is work mounted to a hard substrate and then waxed or varnished. This will preclude the need to display under glass; however, framing is still required. The framed work must be wired and ready to hang – sawtooth hangers will not be accepted.
 
Framing must be professional in appearance with clean mats and no visible damage to frame, glass, or plexiglass. Frames over 36” in any direction must use plexiglass. Shipped work must use plexiglass. The back of the painting must be secured tightly and sealed when possible.

PWCS 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 Chester County Art Association on October 27th, 2022, between 10am and 5pm. 

Shipping and Handling Instructions 

Accepted artwork should be shipped to: 

Chester County Art Association 
100 N. Bradford Avenue
West Chester, PA 19382 
Attention: PWCS Show 

  • All shipped artworks must be received between October 17th and October 21st, 2022. Chester County Art Association will not be responsible for any artwork received before or after these dates. 
  • Handling fees are non-refundable. 
  • Handling Fees for North American entries (U.S., Canada, and Mexico) should be made by attaching your check to the back of the painting: 
    • When shipped in an Air Float Box (or equivalent) - $25. PWCS122nd International Works on Paper Page 4 of 5
    • When shipped using other boxes/packaging - $50.
  • Handling Fees for International Entries (not from U.S., Canada, or Mexico) must be paid with PayPal when shipped from outside the US, Canada, Mexico - $75. 
  • 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. 
  • A prepaid Barcode return label must be secured to the outside of the box in a clear packing slip pouch with the barcoded label visible or your package will be returned without being opened. PWCS will not be responsible for returning any painting without a prepaid barcoded return label. 

Withholding 

One accepted, works cannot be withheld from the exhibition. “Failure To Deliver” will result in a two-year exclusion from all juried PWCS exhibitions. 

Exhibition Catalog 

The 2022 International Exhibition will once again feature a printed catalog of accepted artwork and award winners. The catalog is a wonderful addition to our 122nd exhibition and will be sent to all participants following the close of the exhibition (note: International exhibitors will receive a pdf version). 

In the past we had a grant to help us pay for the catalog; however, that came to an end in 2019. If you can, a small donation towards catalog production will be appreciated. To make your donation please follow this link pwcs.wildapricot.org/exhibitions/122nd-International-Exhibition

Signature Membership 

An Associate Member in good standing will become a Signature Member after exhibiting in two Anniversary International Exhibitions. An Associate Member cannot have an interruption in membership between the first and second acceptance to validate Signature Membership. Signature Members in good standing may use the initials “PWCS” after their name. 

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on September 28, 2022.

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 (September 7, 2022.)
  • 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

Need Assistance? For questions about the entry process or using this website, please check our Help Center or Entry Guide first for detailed guides and troubleshooting tips. Most answers can be found there quickly.

If you still need help, feel free to email ShowSubmit Support at [email protected], and we’ll respond between 9am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday to Friday.