Artist Divisions & Artwork Categories for Show Entries

Divisions

Each Artist entering will make their own division choice based on their level of experience with creating art. The following are guidelines to aid you in selecting your division.

  • Professional – We will consider you a professional artist if you meet any one or more of the following criteria: (1) you have an art degree (BA, BFA, MFA, MA), (2) you have experience as an art instructor, art teacher, professor of art, or any fine art workshops instructor, or (3) you have artwork available for sale in galleries, on your personal website, on online platforms, or in your art studio.  If you do not meet any of these criteria, you will be considered as a non-professional artist. 

  • Non-Professional – We will consider you a non-professional artist if you are not a professional artist.  Therefore, all of the following statements must be true. (1) You do not have an art degree (BA, BFA, MFA, MA), (2) you have no experience as an art instructor, art teacher, professor of art, or any fine art workshops instructor, AND (3) you have little or no  artwork available for sale in galleries, on your personal website, on online platforms, or in your art studio. 
  • High School Student – This division is for students in grades 9 – 12.

Categories

There are 10 categories of awards in each of the Artist Divisions. Artists may enter pieces in one category, or several categories.  The categories are divided by “types of art”. The judge may award honorable mention awards at their discretion. The judge is not obligated to award place ribbons and may withhold ribbons if entries in a particular category do not merit them. Each artist will decide into which category to place their work.  Note that the Show Chair may decide to combine similar categories if there are not enough entries in a category to warrant a separate category.

  • Abstract/Experimental/Non-Objective – Any art form that does not objectively nor accurately represent visual reality
  • Digital Art – All forms of digital art including photography that has been greatly manipulated or altered using technology
  • Drawing – Drawing with soft pastel, oil pastel, etching, pencil, colored pencil, pen and ink, charcoal and scratchboard
  • Mixed Media – Artwork displaying two or more types of media, including but not limited to collage, encaustic painting and other mixed media
  • Painting – Acrylic (representational)
  • Painting – Oil (representational)
  • Painting – Watercolor (representational)
  • Photography – Includes traditional film photography, hand colored images, emulsion transfers, and digital photography that has not been manipulated to achieve results beyond what could be done in a traditional darkroom. HDR, photo stacking and multiple exposure are accepted in this category.
  • Sculpture – 3-dimensional art done in any medium.
  • Studio Fine Crafts – Original fine crafts created in a studio environment including glass blowing, stained glass, printmaking, pottery, porcelain, woodwork, jewelry, mosaic, weaving, fiber art, metal work, or other finely crafted items.