PleinAir Salon Monthly Art Competition - May 2025

The PleinAir Salon is an online monthly art competition open to artists 18 years and older from any state or country where acceptable by law. Entries are accepted in 19 categories, with one winner and one honorable mention selected per category, plus three overall awards.

Eligibility requirements: All entries must be original compositions painted 100% by the entering artist. Paintings based on another person's photograph (even copyright-free images) are not eligible; reference photos must belong to the artist. Paintings created as part of group workshops or partially by an instructor are not eligible. Only paintings and drawings are accepted; photography, AI, digital work, and printed or painted-over photographs are prohibited. Plein air category entries must be completed 100% in plein air (though over multiple sessions) and cannot be finished in the studio. Employees or associates of Streamline Publishing, Inc., or their immediate families may not enter. Grand Prize winners can continue to enter but are no longer eligible to win the Grand Prize.

Awards include: Grand Prize - $15,000 plus painting featured on PleinAir Magazine cover; Second Place - $3,000; Third Place - $2,000; Three Honorable Mention Awards - $700 each; Six Best Medium Awards - $450 each; Artist's Choice Award - $200; Category awards - $50 each (19 total); and Category Honorable Mention awards (19 total). Entry fees: Early Bird (1st-15th of month) - $29 first entry, $12 additional entries; Regular (16th-month-end) - $40 first entry, $16 additional entries. Maximum 25 entries per monthly competition. A painting can win only once; if entered in multiple categories, it can only win in one. Paintings that have not previously won a category award can be re-entered in subsequent competitions. All monthly winners are included in the annual competition judging.

Submissions must be high-quality JPEG files at least 1500 pixels on the longest edge with a maximum file size of 30 MB. Images should show only the artwork without matting, frames, or background. Judging uses a blind system where judges see only the painting, title, and medium. Finalists are announced one week before the awards announcement. Winners are announced on the last day of the month following the competition (or the last Thursday if the last day falls on a weekend). Entry deadline: May 31, 2025.