Paint Annapolis Juried Artist Application 2026

Description

Paint Annapolis 2026

Juried Artist Applications are Open Now 
Deadline to enter January 21, 2026

Introducing Paint Annapolis

Paint Annapolis is a seven-day juried plein air painting competition held June 1 – 7, 2026, that brings artists from across North America and Europe to Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. For 25 years, Paint Annapolis has been a premier outdoor painting event, bringing together artists and patrons to be part of a community where colonial architecture meets maritime heritage. Apply to be a juried artist to paint our beautiful historic town, exhibit your work in Circle Gallery, and compete for cash awards totaling $15,000.
Paint Annapolis 2026 is presented by Maryland Federation of Art (MFA), a 62-year-old non-profit organization committed to exhibiting new and innovative art created by living artists. MFA is based at Circle Gallery, 18 State Circle, across from the Maryland State House in historic downtown Annapolis.

Prospectus
Selection Juror: Gavin Glakas
Gavin Glakas grew up in Bethesda, MD and studied at Washington University in St. Louis and the Slade School of Fine Art in London.​After graduation, Glakas worked on Capitol Hill as a Senate staffer and planned to go to law school, but after an eight-month illness culminating in the removal of a tumor from his lung at the age of 24, he decided to pursue his lifelong ambition of a career as an artist.​Glakas’ portraits hang in the permanent collections of the United States Capitol, the Virginia State Capitol, the CIA, universities, museums and numerous collections both public and private.​He is represented by Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA and Charleston, SC, and Palm Avenue Fine Art in Sarasota, FL.​He has won numerous honors for his artwork, including awards from the Portrait Society of America, the Art Renewal Center, the Plein Air Salon and the Butler Institute of American Art. His paintings have been featured on NBC News and in The Washington Post, as well as magazines and other media, and exhibited at museums and galleries throughout the country.​Glakas lives in McLean, VA, with his wife, Jasmine, and two barnstorming sons, Nico and Rory.

Awards Juror: Jill BashamContemporary landscape artist Jill Basham was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Columbia, Maryland. Basham comes from a family with a multi-generational history of artists. She grew up with an interest in art, yet it was not until later in adulthood that she began oil painting. Once she began, she has never looked back.Basham is known for her plein air and studio landscape paintings, celebrated for their rich atmosphere and expressive sense of place. While she often paints outdoors on location, she also develops her work in the studio. Deeply inspired by the natural beauty of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding areas, she remains equally drawn to any scene that evokes an emotional response, whether close to home or discovered in her travels.Jill has been honored to participate in and earn numerous awards in national plein air events and art exhibitions. Presently, her work is in corporate and private collections as well as in the permanent collections of museums. She is on the Board of Directors for Oil Painters of America. In addition, she is a signature member of both Oil Painters of America as well as The American Society of Marine Artists. Jill is also an artist member of The American Impressionist Society, as well as two historic art institutions; The Salmagundi Club, NYC, and The Washington Society of Landscape Painters.Jill now resides near the Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where the local landscape continues to inspire her work. She is drawn to any scene that sparks an emotional response, allowing her to translate the beauty and atmosphere of a place onto canvas.

Exhibition Schedule:

Oct 22 Juried Artist Application OpensJan 21 Juried Artist Application DeadlineFeb 24 Notification @ 5 PM

Tentative Schedule:

May 31 Dueling Brushes (Quick Draw)Jun 2 Paint the Bay ReceptionJun 4 Art on the AvenueJun 5 Collector’s Reception and Awards CeremonyJun 6 Opening ReceptionJun 7 Muffins and Mimosas

NOTE: Should Circle Gallery or any other exhibition space be closed for reasons beyond our control, MFA reserves the right to move a planned physical exhibit to our online gallery.

User Entry Process Tutorial

Watch the video below for a tutorial on how to upload your entries.

How to Upload

Terms of Entry

   
Artist Conditions

Entry is open to all artists internationally.
Entering this exhibition indicates understanding and agreement on the part of the artist with the conditions stated herein and with (a) MFA’s approved Statement of Equity and Diversity and (b) MFA’s General Guidelines. Work must meet exhibition guidelines to be included in the event. MFA may determine work ineligible if entry guidelines are not followed. Work delivered must correspond with the image(s) submitted to the juror.
Images of work made at Paint Annapolis may be used at the sole discretion of MFA for promotional purposes including, but not limited to: the invitation, catalog, website, social media, or a subsequent year’s prospectus. Images will include attribution wherever possible.
Work cannot be withdrawn before the end of the event.Thirty artists will be selected to participate in Paint Annapolis as juried artists. Additional artists will be selected as alternates. If selected, artists will be required to submit a 300 word bio in the third person, a headshot, and an images of their work.Accepted artists must confirm their participation in Paint Annapolis via email by the specified date.

    
Entry Requirements

All work must be uploaded through artcall.org. File size may be no more than 10 MB.
To enter online, you will need an artcall.org account that includes an email address and a password. There is no charge to create an artcall.org account.

    
Work

All entries must be original and completed solely by the artist’s hand. A maximum of 3 original plein air works created within the past 3 years may be entered.

   
Sales

Artists will retain 60% from sales of work made during Paint Annapolis. MFA will retain 40% commission on any work sold during Paint Annapolis. 

Work submitted for the Juried Artist Application does not have to be for sale.

FAQ

What is a submission?

One submission or application on artcall.org is the equivalent of one entry on MFA’s old entry system, or one piece submitted for jurying. Artcall.org uses the terms submission and application interchangeably.

Can I edit my submissions after I've submitted them? 

Artcall.org requires you to select the number of submissions / applications you want to enter and to pay before entering in your image and image details. You can edit your submission details along with images you've attached up until the submission period is over. Once the submission period has ended, you cannot edit their entries in any form.

Can I add more submissions after I've paid?

You must submit a separate submission / application for each piece of artwork you wish to be shown to the juror.  You have the option to add a second or third image of the same work to your submission / application as a detail photograph. This is not required.

What are the entry fees?1 – 3 entries, $50. 1 – 3 entries may be submitted, we recommend submitting 3. Entry fees are non-refundable. Artists who enter and are notselected as juried artists may participate in Paint Annapolis 2023 as public artists at no additional entry fee.
Who is this exhibition open to?

We invite all artists from near and far, this exhibition is open internationally.