84th Annual National Exhibition

Juror of Selection

Juror of Awards

Workshop

Workshop Cost & Payment

• WSA Members workshop cost is $425; required deposit of $225; balance paid one week before workshop.
• Non-WSA Members workshop cost is $465; required deposit of $250; balance paid one week before workshop.
• One workshop scholarship is available through the Vestavia Hills Arts Council. For Information Email: Kelly Love at: [email protected]
• Workshop payments must be made on the WSA website through PayPal.
• Cancellation of workshop must be made one week before workshop and a refund of workshop fee will be made at the discretion of the WSA Board.

Awards

Entries

• All entries MUST be submitted online through ShowSubmit. NO email/postal mail entries accepted.
• WSA Members only: $40 for up to 3 entries per artist.
• Payment may be made by credit card. Cards that are accepted - Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JBC, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Link. ShowSubmit does NOT ACCEPT PayPal.
• Paying by check – You can set up your account in ShowSubmit and enter your images and information, then pay by check. IF YOU CHOOSE THIS OPTION-You will need to contact the WSA show Director. Your entry will not be marked complete until WSA has received your payment and notified ShowSubmit. This must happen BEFORE THE DEADLINE!

Artist Eligibility

• WSA Exhibition is open to artist who are at least 18 years of age, members of the Watercolor Society of Alabama whose dues are current, and who reside within the United States.
• All entrants must be current 2025 members of the Watercolor Society of Alabama.
• Non members may join WSA and enter the competition.
  
  To join WSA or renew membership use the following link to go to the WSA website for Membership: watercolorsocietyofal.org/membership/join-wsa
  
  If you choose to join WSA by mailing the application form and check the Membership Application and Check must be received before the deadline.

Artwork Eligibility

• Entries must be painted after January 1, 2022, and not previously juried into any WSA Exhibition, or modified after being exhibited in any WSA show.
• All paintings must be original in composition/design, and not copies of other artist’s work, including photographs, drawings, digital images, prints, or derived from any published source by other persons other than the artist, and work done in an in person or online workshop. class, or under private lessons with an instructor. See FAQ: on how WSA defines the original art requirement for entries at: www.watercolorsocietyofal.org
• NO digital or Artificial Intelligence (AI) produced artwork.
• Paintings limited to water-soluble media applied in an aqueous, watercolor manner. For more information on the term “aqueous, watercolor manner” see FAQ at watercolorsocietyofal.org
• Watercolor Allowed: acrylic, casein, gouache, egg tempera, metallic, watercolor ink (water-soluble). Watercolor pencil and watercolor crayons accepted if part of it is dissolved in water.
• Watercolor papers Allowed: watercolor or illustration board, watercolor canvas (without added medium) and clay board (example, Aqua board), Yupo or other synthetic paper.
• Collage items accepted only if all elements were made using water media and were created by the artist.
• NO Paintings Smaller than 140 square inches [Determine size by multiplying height x width, e.g., 10” x 14” = 140 square inches], as viewed within the mat
• Media NOT ALLOWED: oil paint, water soluble oil, pastels, charcoal, alcohol ink, textured medium, textured applications (e.g., with pallet knife, applied textured papers), raised paint, including when applying any of the allowed media, e.g., acrylic, indicates the application is not aqueous enough.
• NO Diptychs or triptychs
• NO Varnished or waxed paintings “Varnish” is interpreted to mean any covering that obstructs the viewer from telling that the painting is water media.
• NO Canvas Supports, except Watercolor Canvas.

Digital Image Requirements

• Prepare your digital images before filling out the entry form. Save these files on your computer where you can locate the image(s) to upload when completing the entry form online.
• File Format: Submit original, high JPEG image files. Other formats (e.g., PNG, TIFF) are not accepted.
• Note: Some iPhone's default to an image size too small to meet the requirements. Check the default iPhone settings before taking images of your artwork.
• Changes/Substitutions: You can make changes to entries at your account on ShowSubmit up until the deadline. No changes after the deadline.

For more information, please see the Image and Filename Specifications section below.

Sale of Artwork

Presentation of Art

• All paintings MUST be framed with a mat or float framed with a white background.
• All paintings are to be framed in wood or metal; accepted colors include white, gold, silver, black, brown, or natural wood tones. Wood liners/filets, if used, must be wood tone, white, gold, or silver.
• Frames are to be plain, unadorned with No beading or carved ornamentation, with a smooth finish and NO distressed painting or finish, and NO painted colored frames. See FAQ at WSA website for examples.
• Frame size cannot exceed 48” x 48”.
• Frame width cannot exceed 3 inches.
• Frames must be Light enough to be handled by one person.
• Plexiglas/acrylic at least 3/16 of an inch thick that is non-flexible must be used, – No glass.
• Wire MUST have taped ends including coated wire, ready to hang and support the strength of the painting.
• Mats (double or single) must be white in untextured paper, with NO accent colors.
• NO Non-glare glazing
• NO Saw tooth hangers
• NO Smudged, dirty mats

Packaging & Shipping

• Shipping Fee of $15 MUST be included in shipping box for paintings shipped using TOP LOADING boxes in the style of Airfloat Strongbox, or Masterpack TitanStrong Box, or Uline Deluxe Artwork Shipper. Use of these shipping boxes is strongly encouraged.
• Shipping Fee of $30 MUST be included in shipping box for paintings shipped using side loading boxes, double boxes, and any other style boxes.
• Print Name on Outside of Box.
• Bubble wrap, no more than two layers is preferred, in non Top Loading boxes.
• NO wooden boxes, NO double boxes, i.e., box inside another box, NO custom made boxes made by taping cardboard together to make a box, NO peanuts, NO fiberboard, NO cardboard or stiff liners used inside box in addition to bubble wrap.
• Return shipping labels with bar codes MUST be included in boxes. NO Will Call Return Labels.

• WSA reserves the right to refuse any painting that does not match the submitted entry, the prospectus, or framing criteria.
• Artwork will be reviewed at the venue by the WSA Screening Committee to assure adherence to the Prospectus. The committee has authority to remove a painting from its frame if necessary to verify compliance with competition requirements.
• WSA reserves the right to refuse entries that are deemed to be obscene, controversial, or in bad taste. The Screening Committee authorized to make the decision whether any entry falls into these categories.
• Works that do not pass on-site painting screening will be returned at artist’s expense. The Screening Committee’s decisions are final.
• Entrants failing to deliver selected works may be denied entry to future exhibitions for up to two years.
• No painting may be substituted, and none may be removed before the end of the show.

Liability

Agreement

1. I hereby release and discharge the officers of the Watercolor Society of Alabama (WSA) its representatives, and the Exhibition Venue from all claims occasioned by damage or loss of said image or painting while in the possession of WSA/Exhibition Venue.
2. Copyright: The artist retains all copyrights to their artwork without exception
3. No work accepted may be withdrawn prior to the close of the exhibition.
4. Permission to reproduce the painting for educational or publicity purposes is granted.
5. I realize if my work is selected and I withdraw, it does not meet eligibility requirements set forth in the prospectus including that it has not been exhibited in another WSA show, I will be disqualified immediately. Awards, certificates, and 2025 signature points will be rescinded, and not be allowed to enter WSA exhibitions for up to two years.

Questions