Southwest Florida Pastel Society
Southwest Florida Pastel Society

National Juried Online Show

September 5 – October 31, 2025 | Online
Deadline is August 22nd. 8 weeks left to enter. Open to North American artists.
Momentary Reprieve (cropped) by Laurie Ann Basham
Momentary Reprieve (cropped) by Laurie Ann Basham
Open Calls

or to submit.

Deadline for entry: August 22, 2025

Awards

  • First Place: $1,000
  • Second Place: $500
  • Third Place: $250
  • 6 Honorable Mention Awards in Cash & Prizes

Judge of Show

Nancie King Mertz, Master & Eminent Pastelist

Nancie has spent her lifetime painting in oil & pastel. She was awarded the Master Circle by Int’l Assoc. of Pastel Societies, Eminent Pastelist in 2018, and is a Master Signature member of Pastel Society of America, Degas Pastel Society & Chicago Pastel Painters. She has been a member of The Palette & Chisel of Fine Arts since 1988 and Plein air Painters since 2003—both based in Chicago.

Nancie juries, demos & teaches numerous workshops across the US, Italy, France & Croatia. She is on the faculty for the Plein Air Convention, Plein Air South, and the IAPS Convention. IAPS awarded her the Prix de Pastel in 2018. She was the lead juror for the 2019 IAPS Masters’ Show, and juried the 2022 PSA Enduring Brilliance Exhibition.

Her work has been featured in Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, American Artist, French & Chinese magazines, as well as the cover and several articles in Pastel Journal. She has traveled to over 20 countries to paint.

Nancie was a 3 year Instructor of Art at Eastern IL University where she received her MA in Painting two years after completing her BFA in Painting at the University of IL. She currently serves on their Graduate Advisory Board and received their Distinguished Alum Award as well as their Distinguished Graduate Alum Award.

She and her husband owned a gallery for 19 years in Chicago’s Lincoln Park/Lakeview. Nancie has owned a framing company since college, and they recently opened a Learning Center & Gallery, Art DeTriumph, in their home in Rockford, IL for pastel immersion, where artists can stay. She travels across the US and to Europe to conduct workshops for various Pastel organizations.

Eligibility

  • Open to North American artists 18 years and older – SWFPS members and non-members.
  • Any styles or subject matter from traditional to contemporary welcome.
  • Paintings must be at least 80% soft pastel (no oil pastels).
  • Original artwork only – paintings done in classrooms or workshops with any instructional supervision are not allowed.
  • Work must be based exclusively on the artist’s own photo reference, life set-up, or plein air experience, concept and composition.
  • All artwork must be originally drawn and not created on top of any type of photographic image or traced image.
  • Any paintings entered in a concurrent show are not allowed.
  • Any paintings previously receiving major awards (Best of show, first, second, or third place), in prior exhibits and online shows are not permitted.
  • Accepted images must be identical to the artists’ paintings, not digitally altered.
  • Paintings entered must have been completed in the last three years.
  • SWFPS reserves the right to exclude any paintings deemed inappropriate.

Entry Fee

  • A maximum of five(5) images may be submitted.
  • Members: First image $35 each additional image $5
  • Non-Members: First image $45 each additional image $5
  • Entry fees must be paid online at time of entry.
  • Members of SWFPS must be current on dues prior to show entry. To become a member, go to the Membership page.
  • At the end of your entry process, payment can be made using a valid credit or debit card.
  • All entries must be paid for by the entry deadline or your entry process is not complete. Once the deadline passes, you cannot make any further changes to your entries.

Sales

Work may be for sale; NFS is allowed.

Photo Release Statement

Artists agree to allow the Southwest Florida Pastel Society to use your entry image(s) without compensation by Southwest Florida Pastel Society and its representatives. Images or likenesses may be used in publications, websites or social media for any lawful purpose or advertising.
This is an online only show! No framing, handling charges or shipping!

The juror's decision on entries is final. Only juried art will be exhibited. Juried in art not to exceed 100.

All artists will receive notification by email after jurying is complete. (Please add [email protected] to your safe senders list to ensure notifications are received.)

Questions

Please direct questions about the show or Southwest Florida Pastel Society to [email protected]

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on September 1, 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 (August 22, 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 SWFPS or this Prospectus, please contact Kris Gardner ([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.