48th Open Division

The International Association of Pastel Societies invites entries for the 48th Open Division, a juried pastel exhibition taking place June 17–20, 2026 at Hotel Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM. The deadline for entry is April 1, 2026.

Eligibility: Open to artists with current membership in an IAPS member society who have not achieved Master Circle status. Work must be original, created within the last two years, and done entirely in dry pastel (no oil pastels; mixed media must be predominantly dry pastel). Work must not have been accepted in any previous IAPS exhibitions, must not be copied from other artists or published materials, and must not have been created in a classroom or workshop scenario or on top of any photographic image. All work must be for sale. Entry fee: $35 for the first image and $10 for each additional image. Up to 5 images may be submitted, but no more than one per artist will be accepted.

Awards: Best in Show ($2,000), First Place in Honor of Urania Christy Tarbet ($1,000), Second Place in Honor of Maggie Price ($600), Third Place ($400), and four Awards of Merit ($200 each). Accepted artwork must be framed to museum standards with a maximum framed size of 40" in either direction. Artists outside the US should ship unframed pieces; Weems Gallery will frame them for the show. A $100 handling fee applies to shipped work. All accepted work earns 1 point toward IAPS Master Circle status; awards earn an additional point. A 30% commission will be charged on sales. Notifications will be emailed by April 30, 2026. For questions, contact Susan Weber at [email protected].