15th Annual PleinAir Salon Art Competition

The 15th Annual PleinAir Salon Art Competition consists of 12 monthly online competitions, where the winners are automatically entered into the annual competition. Over $50,000 is awarded every year. Entries do not need to be completed in plein air unless entering a plein air-specific category. The competition was created by PleinAir magazine and accepts both plein air paintings and studio paintings.

Monthly awards include: First Place - $600, Second Place - $400, Third Place - $200, and Category awards of $50 each, with a total of 19 awards and 19 Honorable Mention awards. All monthly winners are automatically included in the Annual Competition held in May 2026, which offers: Grand Prize - $15,000 plus cover feature in PleinAir Magazine, Second Place - $3,000, Third Place - $2,000, three Honorable Mention Awards of $700 each, six Best Medium Awards of $450 each, and an Artist's Choice Award of $200.

Eligibility: All entrants must be at least 18 years old and open to residents of any state or country where acceptable by law. Entry fees are Early Bird (1st-15th of month): $29 first entry, $12 additional entries; Regular (16th-month-end): $40 first entry, $16 additional entries. All entries must be original compositions not based on published work or another person's photograph. Paintings must be 100% created by the entering artist and cannot be photography, AI, digital, or printed/painted over photographs. Employees or associates of Streamline Publishing, Inc. and their immediate families may not enter. There is a limit of 25 entries per monthly competition. Judge: Sharon Sprung, master artist. Judging uses a blind system where judges see only the painting, title, and medium. Finalists are announced one week before awards, with winners announced on the last day of the month following the competition.