Visual Arts

Flowers | Juried Online Art Exhibition

UPWARD Gallery invites artists to submit their artwork for the juried online exhibition, “Flowers.”

Submissions are open to a wide range of media, including painting, drawing, digital art, sculpture, printmaking, photography, textiles, and mixed media.

We challenge creators to look beyond the decorative surface of flowers to explore their deeper symbolic meanings, emotional resonance, and diverse interpretations through contemporary visual language. Whether your work captures botanical precision, abstract forms, or conceptual metaphors of life and transformation, we welcome your unique perspective on this timeless motif.

Awards: Interviews and other publications are featured in the print edition of UPWARD’s magazine and on the website, digital certificate, and personal artist page on the gallery website. The exhibition will be promoted online via our website and social media channels.
Fee: $15 for entry, $12 (2-4 entries), $10 (5 or more entries).

Deadline: June 5, 2026

Visit https://upwardgallery.com/ad/competitions/133/flowers for a full information.

The UPWARD Gallery was founded in 2021. Our online platform is designed to share art with new audiences using modern technologies. We assist emerging artists in gaining recognition and established artists in expanding their influence.

Animal | Juried Online Art Exhibition

UPWARD Gallery invites artists to submit their artwork for the juried online exhibition, “Animal.”

We welcome creative interpretations of the animal kingdom — from domestic and wild to mythical creatures — across all styles.

Submissions are open to a wide range of media, including painting, drawing, digital art, sculpture, printmaking, photography, textiles, and mixed media.

Awards: Interviews and other publications are featured in the print edition of UPWARD’s magazine and on the website, digital certificate, and personal artist page on the gallery website. The exhibition will be promoted online via our website and social media channels.
Fee: $15 for entry, $12 (2-4 entries), $10 (5 or more entries).

Deadline: June 14, 2026

Visit https://upwardgallery.com/ad/competitions/134/animal for a full information.

The UPWARD Gallery was founded in 2021. Our online platform is designed to share art with new audiences using modern technologies. We assist emerging artists in gaining recognition and established artists in expanding their influence.

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts’ Wachtmeister Award

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) is now accepting applications for their 2027 Wachtmeister award. This year’s award will be awarded to an interdisciplinary visual artist whose contemporary practice engages cultural traditions of craft by pushing the boundaries of traditional and nontraditional materials and approaches. Their work may explore the relationship between materiality and space—merging tactile processes with a sensitivity to physical and cultural contexts. 

 

Applicants must have worked professionally for at least 15 years with substantial national or international achievement in their field, including publications, grants, awards, and/or other signs of achievement. This award is for someone who has never been in residence at VCCA. VCCA encourages artists of all backgrounds to apply. International artists are eligible

 

The award winner will receive a fully-funded VCCA residency of up to 30 days, to be scheduled between May 1, 2027, and August 31, 2028; a $1,000 honorarium; and a travel stipend of $750. The VCCA residency at Mt. San Angelo includes an individual studio, a private bedroom with private en-suite bath, and three prepared meals each day in a community of more than 20 writers, visual artists, and composers in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

 

Applications will be accepted February 1 – May 15, 2026.

 

There is no application fee.

 

Apply: https://www.vcca.com/apply/fully-funded-fellowships/wachtmeister-award/

Contact: vcca@vcca.com

Sustainability Virtual Art Residency

Sustainability Virtual Art Residency
The Sustainability Virtual Art Residency supports artists who imagine a more sustainable and equitable future. The program welcomes creators exploring the interconnected well-being of our lands, waters, oceans, and communities, along with the environmental, social, cultural, and economic systems that shape daily life.

In line with UNESCO’sSustainable Development mission to foster international cooperation and dialogue, the residency recognizes the essential role of culture in advancing sustainable development in a holistic way. It also values artistic perspectives that show how education can empower people with the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviors needed to care for the environment, economy, and society. Through this global virtual space, artists can exchange ideas, develop new work, and contribute to more resilient and inclusive communities.

The Midnight Garden — NYC Pop-Up Exhibition Curated by Jessica Libor

Deadline: May 31, 2026

The Midnight Garden centers on ideas of cultivation, transformation, and unseen processes of growth, both in nature and within ourselves. Framed as a space of quiet unfolding, the garden becomes a metaphor for creative practice and emotional life, where cycles of blooming, decay, and renewal coexist, and where beauty and tension sit side by side. The exhibition also explores the duality between control and wildness, a garden as both designed and unpredictable, shaped yet ever-changing. Through a range of approaches including abstraction, realism, and experimental forms, artists may reflect on structure, intuition, and the act of tending to what emerges. We’re seeking a selection of work that speaks to or challenges these ideas, interpreted through each artist’s lens.

The Midnight Garden will be presented as a pop-up exhibition in Brooklyn on August 20, 2026 and will be on view through August 23, 2026 at a ground-level gallery space located at 61 Atlantic Ave. Programming will take place throughout the exhibition. A selection of artists will also be featured in New Visionary Magazine, and all works will be available on Artsy through our gallery, Warnes Contemporary. A virtual exhibition component will also be presented on our website and remain on view for 4–6 weeks.

This exhibition will be curated by Jessica Libor, a Philadelphia-based visual artist, curator, and founder and director of Era Contemporary. Libor’s work explores feminine identity, storytelling, and personal mythology through richly imagined figurative paintings. Through Era Contemporary, Libor has curated a wide range of exhibitions, supporting artists working in imaginative and contemporary realism while fostering meaningful opportunities for visibility and connection. She holds an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and has exhibited internationally, with her work included in museum exhibitions and private collections worldwide.

Eligibility: This opportunity is open to visual artists based in the United States. Artists of all career levels are welcome to apply.

We accept all 2D & 3D mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, digital, prints, fiber art, collage, mixed media, sculpture, ceramics, and installation art. Film and video are not accepted at this time. We don’t have specific size requirements for this exhibition.

Additional info:

You may submit 1-2 images of your work for $25, 3-4 images for $30, or 5-6 images for $35.

You do not need to include the dates of artwork that you submit.

Work does not have to be for sale to be included in this exhibition. We include work that is for sale, along with work that is not available.

Requirements:

Please be sure to include high-quality images of your work, 72 DPI, minimum 800 pixels wide
All images must be cropped to show only the artwork (with the exception of 3D work)
Bio, 300 words max
Artist Statement, 300 words max
Files no larger than 10 MB
This virtual exhibition will be presented in Spring 2026. 

All exhibitions are presented to our website visionaryartcollective.com and promoted on our social media platform: @visionaryartcollective

Visionary Art Collective’s mission is to support contemporary artists through thoughtful curation, professional opportunities, and educational programs. Submission fees directly support the work behind each exhibition and publication, including curator honorariums, fair compensation for our team, and the production of exhibitions and catalogs. These fees help ensure that each opportunity is approached with care, integrity, and a commitment to supporting artists at a high professional standard. Please note that submission feeds are non-refundable.

Lucid Dreams – Free Monthly Art Challenges

Ten Moir Gallery invites artists and photographers to submit work for the Lucid Dreams Art Challenge, an online art opportunity exploring dreams, fantasy, imagination, surrealism, symbolism, and the subconscious mind.

This theme is open to a wide range of interpretations. Artists may submit work inspired by dreamlike landscapes, imagined worlds, altered realities, quiet mysteries, surreal portraits, symbolic imagery, nighttime visions, memory, illusion, or the strange beauty of the unconscious. Both representational and abstract approaches are welcome.

Selected artists will be featured in Ten Moir Gallery’s online showcase, with award recognition given to standout submissions. This is an opportunity for artists to share work that feels imaginative, atmospheric, mysterious, or emotionally charged.

The free entry period has been extended, giving artists additional time to submit their first artwork at no cost.

Awards and Recognition

Selected artists may receive:

Best in Show award recognition
Online feature in the Lucid Dreams showcase
Artist highlights and promotional visibility
Digital award certificates
Permanent placement on the Ten Moir Gallery website

Eligibility

Open to artists and photographers worldwide. All visual art mediums are welcome, including painting, drawing, photography, digital art, mixed media, collage, fiber, printmaking, and sculpture.

Theme

Lucid Dreams invites artists to explore the visual language of dreams, fantasy, memory, imagination, surreal moments, and the subconscious. Work may be soft and poetic, strange and cinematic, symbolic and psychological, or bold and otherworldly.

Entry Fee

First entry is free during the extended free entry period. Additional entries and regular entry fees may apply after the free entry period ends.

Apply

Submit your work here:
https://www.tenmoirgallery.com/lucid-dreams-online-art-competition/

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