Ridgewood Art Institute
Ridgewood Art Institute

46th Annual Open Juried Show

March 1 – 22, 2026 Ridgewood Art Institute, NJ
Deadline is December 12th. 7 weeks left to enter. Open to all artists.
Burnham's Boatyard, Essex, Massachusetts by Neal Hughes
Burnham's Boatyard, Essex, Massachusetts by Neal Hughes
Open Calls

or to submit.

Deadline for entry: December 12, 2025

Venue

Ridgewood Art Institute
12 East Glen Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Awards

Over $10,000 in merchandise and cash awards including a $2000 grand prize.

The action of the Juries of Selection and Awards is final

Entry Fees

One Entry, $50
Two Entries, $65

Entry fees are non-refundable.

Judges

Neal Hughes and Mario Robinson

Eligibility

  • Open to all artists 18 years and older.
  • Traditional realism only.
  • Two-dimensional work only. No sculpture, photography, digital art or crafts.
  • Maximum entries (2). However only one (1) painting may be accepted.
  • Maximum size not to exceed 44 inches at the longest dimension, including frame.
  • Artist's original work only. No class work, no work from workshops or done under supervision.
  • Copyright infringement of any kind is unacceptable. Submission must be originally conceived: artist's own reference, drawing, concept, and must have been self-painted. No copies of another's drawings, photographs, stock images, or Google maps.
  • No work generated using AI.
  • Artwork must have been completed in the last 3 years and never exhibited at previous RAI Juried Shows.
  • Artwork must be framed (no strip molding), properly wired and ready for hanging.
  • All watercolor, pastel, pencil and ink must be framed and under glass or Plexiglas. Works over 20" x 30" MUST be under Plexiglas.
  • Entries accepted into the exhibition must remain in the exhibition until the end of the show.
Notice
RAI reserves the right to reject any work that falls outside eligibility guidelines or does not match the image submitted for jurying. RAI and its members will not be held responsible for loss or damage. Entry into this show constitutes agreement with these terms & conditions.

Sales

Work may be for sale; NFS is allowed.

There is a 25% donation to RAI on all sales.

Delivery of Accepted Work

Delivery for Local Artists: Deliver uncrated artwork to the Ridgewood Art Institute, 12 East Glen Ave., Ridgewood, NJ on February 20, 9AM-3PM. Hand delivered work may be removed after the Awards Reception March 22, 4-5PM, or on March 23, 10AM-1PM.
Out of Town Artists: Ship artwork to the Ridgewood Art Institute, 12 East Glen Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450 to arrive February 3-19.
Handling Fee & Shipping Guidelines:
  • Shipped artwork requires a $25 handling fee before it can be hung.
  • The fee will be waived if the work is shipped in a commercially manufactured strong box (e.g., StrongBox by Airfloat Systems or Masterpak). Boxes from Home Depot, Uline, FedEx, or similar are not eligible for the waiver.
  • A pre-paid return shipping label must be included with the artwork.
  • No packing peanuts or loose packing material.
  • Strong boxes will be returned to the artist at the end of the show, at the artist’s expense.
  • RAI is not responsible for shipping sold work.

Judges

Neal Hughes
Neal Hughes is a Fellow of the American Society of Marine Artists and a signature member of Oil Painters of America, the American Impressionist Society, and the National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society. He is also affiliated with the Salmagundi Club, Plein Air Painters of America, and the Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association. His work is included in the permanent collection of the New Britain Museum of American Art. Hughes has received numerous national awards, including multiple Best of Show and Artists Choice honors at major plein air events and juried exhibitions.

Mario Robinson
Mario Andres Robinson was born in Altus, Oklahoma, and now lives in New Jersey. He studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and works within the tradition of American realism. Containing few references to modern life, his paintings possess a timeless quality and a turn-of-the-century aesthetic. His images, evoking solitude and reflection, provoke allusions to Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper. Robinson’s finished works bear a close affinity to the realist masters Andrew Wyeth and Thomas Eakins. He is a member of The National Arts Club, The Salmagundi Club, and The Pastel Society of America.

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on January 16, 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 (December 12, 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 RAI or this Prospectus, please contact Rebecca Leer ([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.