Philadelphia Water Color Society
Philadelphia Water Color Society

125th International Exhibition of Works on Paper

October 18 – November 26, 2025 Wallingford Community Arts Center, PA
Deadline is July 21st. 7 weeks left to enter. Open to Members and Non-Members.
Treasure Hunting by Matthew Bird
Treasure Hunting by Matthew Bird
Open Calls

or to submit.

Deadline for entry: July 21, 2025

Venue

Wallingford Community Arts Center
414 Plush Mill Rd
Wallingford, PA,19086

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

Dorrie Rifkin
An Englewood, NJ, resident, Dorrie paints from her passions. Thirty years’ experience as an award-winning art director ignited and cemented a lifelong love affair with typography. Her other passions –music, New York City, and family–are palpable in her work. Every painting has a personal story. Her paintings have been accepted in over 100 international and national juried shows, and are exhibited in private collections worldwide. She also has won awards in many of these shows. She is part of the Paintings on Loan Program and has paintings in Kathmandu and Muscat Omen. Dorrie was featured in the article “Ones to Watch,” Watercolor Artist (December 2010), and her work was selected for Splash 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, and 20. Her painting, “Leaving the Highline,” was chosen for the cover of Watercolor Artist magazine (February 2015). She is a signature member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, the Northeast, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Garden State Watercolor Societies, New Jersey. In 2023, she became a Master Signature member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society. Dorrie teaches local classes in New Jersey, workshops throughout the US, and online classes.

Her website is: dorrierifkin.com

Judge of Awards

Z.L. Feng
Originally from Shanghai, Z.L. Feng is an acclaimed watercolorist known for his tranquil landscapes and expressive portraits of Tibetans, Native Americans, and Southern farmers. After earning a BFA from Shanghai Teachers’ University and teaching there for four years, he moved to the U.S. in 1986 and completed his MFA at Radford University, where he has taught for over 30 years. Feng has received over 600 awards, including numerous Best in Show and Gold Medals in major U.S. watercolor competitions. He is a Dolphin Fellow of the American Watercolor Society (AWS-DF) and a signature member of the National Watercolor Society (NWS-M) and the Pastel Society of America (PSA-M). His work has been featured in The Artist’s Magazine, Watercolor Magic, China-Watercolor, and five internationally published art books. Feng’s paintings are held in collections at Walt Disney, Gulfstream Aerospace, Orlando International Airport, and museums in Missouri and Virginia, as well as private collections in the U.S., China, and Singapore. His biography appears in Who’s Who in American Art and the American Art Directory, and his work has been showcased on PBS.

His website is facebook.com/zlfengart

Entry Fee

  • PWCS Members: $45
  • Non-Members: $55
Member dues must be paid in full before entering the PWCS 2025 International Works on Paper Exhibit. “Paid in Full” means your dues are paid until December 31, 2025. If you are not already a member, consider joining, as there are several new membership benefits, including discounted rates for workshops, demonstrations, and talks. pwcsociety.org/membership

Log in to your profile at pwcs.wildapricot.org/sys/profile to view your membership status, pay any dues, and update your contact info.

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 will be selected for this exhibition.

No refunds will be given once your entry is submitted, regardless of its status. Entries may be disqualified for not following entry guidelines, including digital image preparation.

Conditions and Rules for Acceptance

  • Artists must be 18 or older.
  • Work previously exhibited in any PWCS juried exhibition. Artwork cannot be displayed concurrently in other shows, live or online.
  • 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 before June 2022 will not be accepted.
  • For any art purchases, PWCS will provide information on contacting the artist. The Wallingford Community Art Center will take 40% commission. Please price your artwork accordingly.
  • AI-generated works are not eligible for participation.
For additional criteria, please download the prospectus.

Eligible Work

  • Media: Besides 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 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 from digital work will be accepted.
  • Oils, oil pastels, photographic, digital, electronic processes, or computer art will not be accepted.
  • The artwork must be original and not completed under teacher supervision, either in a class/workshop (online or in person), from a DVD, or from a book. The entrant must have taken the photo reference.
  • Because of limited gallery space, framed size cannot exceed 42” 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 painting is measured within the mat's border, not the paper size used before matting.
  • All works must be prepared for hanging.

Shipping Instructions

  • Airfloat Systems: We recommend using Airfloat Systems' StrongBox products for shipping individual works for optimal protection. These boxes are designed specifically for art and provide a layer of reusable StrongBox cushioning, ensuring added safety during transit. Custom crating solutions should be considered for larger shipments or particularly valuable items. For more information, please go to the website: airfloatsystems.com/strongbox
  • Labeling: Clearly label all crates with the exhibition name, contact details of the receiving institution, and a list of contents. Fragile items should be marked accordingly.
  • All shipped artworks must include pre-paid return shipping labels!
  • Selection: Shipments must be entrusted to professional carriers with proven experience in art transportation. Preferred carriers include specialized art transport companies; however, FedEx and USPS may be considered as having the appropriate service level for less valuable or robust works.
  • No handling fees for the 125th International Works on Paper Exhibition
  • Shipping Contact Information:
    • Community Arts Center
      Attn: Italina Shea, Office Manager
      Address: 414 Plush Mill Road, Wallingford, PA 19086
      Phone: 610-566-1713 Ext.10
      Email: [email protected]

Insurance

Complete Coverage: Comprehensive insurance covering the full appraised value of the artworks from departure to return is mandatory. This insurance must protect against all risks of physical loss or damage.

Notifications

Notifications will be made by email on or about August 7, 2025. If your work is accepted, you will receive one email listing the accepted painting(s). If your work is not accepted, you will receive an email with no paintings listed.

Conditions for Accepted Work

All artwork must have a clean image without a mat showing. PWCS reserves the right to review all entries for conformance to the specifications outlined herein and to reject any work that does not conform to entry requirements and/or does not match the accepted digital entry.

Withholding

Once 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 2025 International Exhibition will feature a printed catalog of accepted artwork and award winners again. The catalog is an excellent addition to our 125th exhibition and will be sent to all participants following the exhibition's close (note: International exhibitors will receive a PDF version).

In the past, we had a grant to help us pay for the catalog; however, that ended in 2019. We would appreciate a small donation towards catalog production. Please go to the 125th International Exhibition of Works on Paper webpage to donate. The donation button will be in the bottom right corner.

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.

Questions?

Use the webform on the 125th International Exhibition of Works on Paper webpage. You can also visit the PWCS website to learn about Digital Entry Preparations and check your membership status.

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on August 7, 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 (July 21, 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 PWCS or this Prospectus, please contact Bei Jian ([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.