Society of Animal Artists
Society of Animal Artists

Artist Membership Application

January 15, 2026 | Online
Deadline is January 15th. 47 weeks left to enter. Open to all artists.
Back From The Brink by George B. Pendlebury
Back From The Brink by George B. Pendlebury
Open Calls

or to submit.

Deadline for entry: January 15, 2026
Thank you for your wanting to join the Society of Animal Artists (SAA). The Society is a world-renowned organization that has become the standard bearer of excellence in animal art and within the greater fine art community. The Society of Animal Artists was founded in 1960 by the late Patricia Allen Bott and Guido Borghi, two visionaries who sought to reposition animal art as an important contemporary art form by creating a community of like-minded artists. Since its inception, the Society has grown by leaps and bounds, generating tremendous response through its museum and gallery exhibitions. The annual Art and the Animal exhibition is an eagerly awaited event in the art world and provides our artists with the opportunity for greater recognition. To apply for artist membership, please read and follow the instructions below.

Submission Deadline

Thursday, January 15, 2026
It is advisable NOT to wait until the last minute in case your application has any issues! The SAA jury meets once annually the week after the deadline.

Please Note:
  • The SAA is not actively seeking to grow in membership numbers, so our jury is tough! We are looking for excellence above all else. Applicants will not be given feedback or critiques.
  • The SAA does NOT exist to promote sales for members! Our mission is education via high standards of artistic excellence in exhibitions and programming.
  • A jury of our Signature Members determines artist membership.
  • Artists juried into SAA exhibitions are responsible for the cost of shipping both to and from the venue. Consider this additional cost of participation before submitting.
  • The Society currently does not consider photography, digitally generated art, or purely illustrative work, for membership applications. SAA Jurors are not required to respond with critiques to artists whose work has been declined. They will try when requested to do so but make no guarantees.
  • Former members should contact the office for how to rejoin the Society.
  • If you have any questions, contact us by email.
    [email protected]
Applicants may be elected to either Signature or Associate membership. Membership benefits include the ability to submit to the SAA’s Annual Exhibition and SAA regional shows; SAA newsletters and communications; listing on the SAA website and catalog; promotion via our social media platforms; participation in lectures, presentations, workshops, and meetings; access to SAA Team Partner discounts and special offers; attendance at SAA receptions and award banquets; SAA outings, field trips, and more!

Signature Member

Signature members are considered full members of the Society and are granted all privileges of Society membership. They are recognized as having attained the highest level of ability in the field of animal art and consistently uphold the Society’s standards of excellence. They are entitled to vote in Society matters and use the initials “SAA” when signing artwork.

Associate Member

Associate members are granted many of the privileges of Society membership and are eligible to submit work to all exhibitions. Associates may not vote in Society matters or use the initials “SAA” when signing artwork. Associates may become Signature Members by jury vote or by earning points in Society shows and exhibitions. Associates are automatically promoted to Signature members if they receive the Award of Excellence in an Annual Exhibition.

Jury Fee

$40 per artist.
Fees are non-refundable and may be paid by Credit Card.

Dues and Fees Payable Upon Acceptance

Associate Members & Signature Members Initiation Fee: $100.00
Annual Dues: $175.00
Total: $275.00

These fees are not due until you receive the formal jury notification of acceptance.

Note: To secure your membership, all dues and fees must be received within 30 days of notification. Membership materials will be emailed to you upon receipt of payment.

Artists READ BEFORE You Submit!

The following is a list of criteria that our jury considers when viewing an applicant’s work:
  • Is this an example of ‘fine art’?
  • Is the piece well-drawn? Or skillfully carved, sculpted, or assembled?
  • Does the work have a creative and effective composition or abstract design?
  • Does the artist display a mastery of the medium?
  • If 2-D, is there a demonstrated mastery in the depiction of light? Use of color and Value?
  • If 3-D, is there a clear mastery of form? Control of surface texture? Patina? And is the piece effective from all angles?
The SAA likes to see the artistic ability to place your subjects in a proper environment, rather than simply creating portraits. Most competent artists can create a good portrait from a photograph, but that doesn’t provide us with the information as to whether that artist KNOWS that animal and understands both anatomy and behavioral characteristics, and the proper environment. These are important to our SAA mission of education regarding the species our members depict in their artwork. Is there something about the artwork that is special or unique and not just an average depiction of an animal?

Please note – our jurors see an overabundance of “portraits” so expect these to be judged more critically.

A Word About What Makes Good Wildlife Art
(PDF from an SAA Juror for guidance)

Application Form Requirements

Please read and follow these steps...and double-check your accuracy!
  1. Login to your ShowSubmit account. If you do not have an account, Create your account.
  2. Each artist is required to submit 5 works for jurying of your best, recent work. For 3D works, two views are required for each artwork.

    We recommend that you send us a cohesive group (Example: If you do birds in watercolor best don't include an oil of an Aardvark!). We see A LOT of simple portraits, consider dynamic compositions including habitat unless you specialize in well executed and interesting portraits.

    Jury is by digital JPEG images ONLY. See the Image and Filename Specifications section below for more information.
  3. Complete your application by Proceeding to Checkout to pay the $40 jury fee.

    Jury fee is non-refundable. Entries may be edited up until the deadline.
For more information on how to create your entry, see the Entry Guide.

NOTE! Upon your successful payment, you will receive two emails. The first is a receipt from Stripe for your payment. The second is your Entry Confirmation email from ShowSubmit. Our jury meets the week after the deadline noted above and notifications are sent out before the end of the month. Please contact the SAA if you haven’t heard anything since emails can go into spam folders! You may also login to your ShowSubmit account to view your notifications. See the Additional Notification Information section below for more information.

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on January 30, 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 (January 15, 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

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.