Spirit of Pastel Fourth Biennial Open Juried Exhibition

The Spirit of Pastel Fourth Biennial Open Juried Exhibition is open to all North American pastel artists and Pastel Artists of Oregon members over the age of 18, as well as all PAO International Members. The exhibition runs March 28 – April 28, 2026.

Eligibility is divided into two categories: Emerging Artists (those who have not yet attained signature membership in any pastel society, have not won an award in any other pastel societies' competitions, or had work accepted into any art magazine or art supply distributor competition) and Established Artists (those who have achieved Signature, Master, or Eminent pastel membership status in any pastel society or have had work accepted into any magazine or art supply distributor competition). All paintings must be original, developed from the artist's original reference and composition, and must be 80% dry pastel. Paintings of nudes will be considered. Work previously accepted into any open juried pastel competition, any PAO members-only competition, SOP Exhibition, or any art magazine or art material supplier competition is not eligible.

Entry fees are $30 for one entry ($10 each additional entry, up to 4 images total) for PAO members and $40 for one entry ($10 each additional entry, up to 4 images total) for non-members. The entry deadline is March 16, 2026. Entry fees are not refundable. Awards include Best of Show ($900), First Place ($700), Second Place ($500), Third Place ($300), and four Honorable Mention awards ($100 gift certificates each). All PAO International Members must have a working PayPal account to be eligible for an award. Submitted images must be high-quality JPEG files at least 1500 pixels on the longest edge with a maximum file size of 30 MB, cropped to show only the artwork with no mats, frames, or background. For questions, contact Cheryl Lockhart or Peggy Braeutigam.