About the Open Call

General Information: Steamboat Art Museum, 807 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs, CO 80487. Contact: 970.870.1755. Submission Dates: November 1, 2025 - March 6, 2026. View Prospectus: 2026 National Exhibition Prospectus. Oil Painters of America’s 2026 Annual Exhibition & Convention. Entries accepted November 1, 2025 through March 6, 2026. The Exhibition runs May 29 through August 29, 2026, with the convention activities beginning on May 26 at the stunning Steamboat Grand Hotel. The opening reception for artists, the public and the press will be held at The Museum on Friday, May 29 from 5:30-7:30 pm, preceded by an private pre-view reception from 4:30 to 5:30. The Awards and Recognition Ceremony will begin at 8pm. OPA is again presenting a wide variety of demos, talks and activities during the convention and is pleased that a number of our sponsoring vendors will have representatives and displays. Awards and Jurors: The total national awards will be approximately $100,000 in cash and merchandise, including a $25,000 Best In Show. The Exhibition Juror of Awards will be Mark Boedges. The Wet Paint Juror of Awards will be Elizabeth Robbins OPA. Show Information - Entry: SUBMISSIONS DUE: Friday, March 6, 2026. Canvas size: Maximum size not to exceed 1,200 square inches (unframed). Example: 30” height x 40” width = 1,200 sq. in. Maximum entries three (3). However only one (1) painting may be accepted. Paintings must be created on one singular flat substrate and framed and wired for hanging. Multiples such as diptychs are unacceptable. Copyright infringement of any kind is unacceptable. It is unethical and against OPA policy for artists to submit work created from another person’s drawing/painting/photo or other artwork. Purchased reference material that transfers copyright to the artist is un-acceptable. Use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) is unacceptable. Digital apps and programs may be used for cropping your reference photos, etc., but no digital, mechanical, photo, or other transferring to the substrate of any kind is acceptable. You must draw and/or paint the image on your substrate yourself. Your submission must be originally conceived: self painted with your own reference, your own drawing, and your own concept. No direct copies of stock images, historic photos, or of any reference to which you do not hold total copyright are allowed. You must be able to provide signed documentation of total copyright should OPA request. Paintings created in an instructional setting, including but not limited to workshops and art classes are not considered original artwork. A painting created from a group photo shoot set-up by another artist is not considered original artwork. Paintings created in an open studio where artists share the model are acceptable provided there was no instruction being given of any kind. Painting must have been created within the last 3 years. An artist may submit a painting for a National Exhibition that has previously been accepted into an OPA Regional Exhibition, Salon or entered in OPA’s Online Showcase. An artist may not submit a painting for a National Exhibition if it has previously been accepted into another OPA National Exhibition. The artist retains copyright to his/her image(s). However, accepted images do become part of OPA archives and may be used for future OPA event promotion. All work must be for sale. No NFS. Paintings that do not reflect the artist’s current pricing structure may be disqualified from the competition. An artist who withdraws an entry after acceptance into the exhibition shall not be eligible to enter any OPA exhibitions for the next two years. General Information (continued): Online Submissions — Deadline: Friday, March 6. Electronic applications will be accepted beginning Saturday, November 1, 2025 through Friday, March 6, 2026. Maximum canvas size may not exceed 1,200 square inches (unframed). Maximum file size is 5mb. Please upload a JPG,JPEG, PNG or HEIC with a filename that only contains alphanumeric characters. The minimum size for image uploads is 1400 pixels (px) in the longest dimension. However, for best results we recommend your image size be closer to the maximum size of 4000 pixels in the longest dimension. Jurying Fees: first painting is $35.00, second painting is $15.00 and third painting is $10. Only one painting can be accepted. Electronic payment may be made by credit card or through Stripe. No e-checks will be accepted. Membership: You must be a paid member through December 31, 2026 at a cost of $80.00. If you are not a member of OPA you must apply and be accepted before the system will allow you to enter the exhibition. If you are a renewing member and have not paid your dues for 2026 the system will not accept your exhibition entry. Sales Commission: Artists will receive 50% of sale price with the other 50% going to the Steamboat Art Museum and OPA. Please take this into consideration when setting your price. All work that is submitted must be for sale. No NFS. Paintings must be priced in accordance with the artist’s current pricing structure. Delivery and Return of Accepted Work: Delivery for Local Artists: Deliver uncrated paintings to Steamboat Art Museum from April 21-25, 2026, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. Hand delivered work must be picked up August 31-September 4, 2026, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. Out of Town Artists: ship to Steamboat Art Museum, to arrive between April 21 and April 25, 2026. Further shipping information (including shipping address and address for physical deliveries) and the necessary accompanying forms will be emailed to accepted entrants after jurying has been completed. Eligible Artists: Citizens and most non-resident aliens who currently live on the continent of North America are eligible to compete. Please see eligibility details on the OPA website. Liabilities and Responsibilities: Oil Painters of America and Steamboat Art Museum will not be responsible for loss or damage of any artwork, no matter what the cause. By submitting artwork to this exhibition, each artist will be deemed to have concurred with this agreement. Artists pay for shipping both ways. We suggest that you provide insurance to cover the full value of the artwork while in transit.

What is Offered

The total national awards will be approximately $100,000 in cash and merchandise, including a $25,000 Best In Show.

Requirements

Maximum canvas size not to exceed 1,200 square inches (unframed). Maximum entries three (3), only one (1) painting may be accepted. Paintings must be created on one singular flat substrate, framed and wired for hanging. Multiples such as diptychs are unacceptable. Copyright infringement, including use of AI or direct copies of stock images/historic photos without total copyright, is unacceptable. No digital, mechanical, photo, or other transferring to the substrate of any kind is acceptable; artist must draw and/or paint the image on the substrate. Submission must be originally conceived: self painted with own reference, drawing, and concept. Paintings created in an instructional setting (workshops/classes) are not considered original artwork; open studio work with no instruction is acceptable. Painting must have been created within the last 3 years. Accepted paintings from OPA Regional Exhibition, Salon, or Online Showcase are eligible; previous OPA National Exhibition paintings are not eligible. All work must be for sale, priced in accordance with the artist’s current pricing structure. Artists withdrawing an accepted entry will be ineligible for OPA exhibitions for two years. Eligible artists are citizens and most non-resident aliens living on the continent of North America. Must be a paid OPA member through December 31, 2026 ($80.00 fee).

How to Apply

To submit your electronic application and images, please go to: http://www.oilpaintersofamerica.com and look for OPA’s 2026 National Exhibition. You must be logged in and an active member to register for a show.