WFWS51 Prospectus
Timeline
15-Dec 1-Feb 27-Feb
8-May-27-Jun 8-May
9-May 30-Jun
Eligibility
ArtCall entries open ArtCall entry DEADLINE
Juror notifications via ArtCall
WFWS51 Exhibition: Curtis Center for the Arts
Awards, Cocktails, Gala Dinner: Hilton Garden Inn Denver Tech Center Exhibit and Opening Reception: Curtis Center for the Arts
Paintings prepared for shipping back to delegates.
- The artist must be a dues-paid, current member of one of the societies of the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (WFWS) and may enter through only ONE society.
WFWS Members:
- Arizona Watercolor Association (AWA), Colorado Watercolor Society (CWS), Idaho Watercolor Society (IWS), New Mexico Watercolor Society (NMWS), San Diego Watercolor Society (SDWS), Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild (SAWG), Southwestern Watercolor Society (SWS), Utah Watercolor Society (UWS), Watercolor Society of Oregon (WSO), and West Texas Watercolor Society (WTWS)
- Work must be original and completed within the past two years, on or after 1/1/24.
- All work must consist primarily of watermedia on natural or synthetic paper or paperboard.
- Watermedia includes watercolor, acrylic, water-based mediums (such as texture mediums), ink, gouache, casein, egg tempera, watercolor pencil, and watercolor crayon.
- Any collage materials used must be painted by the artist with watermedia.
- No alcohol inks or water soluble (miscible) oils.
- Canvas is NOT permitted. Mounted paper such as Raymar brand archival board or similar is acceptable as long as it can still be matted exactly as paper would be; 1/16″ maximum depth.
- Digital media or art/sources generated by Artificial Intelligence are not permitted.
- Photography, prints, or reproductions are not permitted.
- Diptychs or triptychs are not permitted.
- No painting can be entered/accepted in Western Federation of Watercolor Society shows that has been previously accepted in a WFWS show or in a NWS, AWS, or TWSA show or any painting that has won an award in any juried NATIONAL or INTERNATIONAL SHOW. Paintings that have been previously displayed in online shows or magazines will be accepted.
- Each artist may submit up to three entries, but no more than one painting per artist may be chosen.
- All terms and conditions for entry into this exhibition must be met. The WFWS Exhibition Committee reserves the right to refuse any work of unacceptable quality, improper framing, damage caused by shipment, or for non-compliance with these terms and conditions. Any work, once selected by the juror, later found to be not
in compliance with any term or condition, will be disqualified from exhibiting. Any artist who submits work that is later disqualified or who withdraws work, once selected, may be banned from participation in WFWS exhibitions for a period of up to two exhibition years. The WFWS Exhibition Committee’s determinations and decisions are final.
Original art only
- “Original” means the painting is the artist’s own idea, composition, and design, painted by hand (not computer generated).
- No copies or likeness of another artist’s work or plagiarized work shall be allowed.
- No copies of any copyrighted, or un-copyrighted material from any source are allowed.
- Photo reference material must have been taken by the artist.
- No work done in a workshop, or under paid or unpaid supervision is allowed.
- Painting must be painted by one artist. No collaborative artwork.
Online entry
- Enter online on ArtCall, linked on the WFWS51 webpage and accessible through coloradowatercolorsociety.org.
2. Entry deadline is February 1, 2026.
- You may submit up to three entries for $35 for the 1st entry and $10 per entry thereafter. No refunds. Insurance for the artwork is the responsibility of the artist and their local society.
- All images/entries must be submitted at the same time, and you may not make changes or add to your entries once submitted. Your painting information and your images may not be altered/edited once the entry process has been uploaded. Tip: Don’t wait until the last minute to enter or change entries.
- READ THIS PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY BEFORE ENTERING.
- Make sure your paintings qualify before entering online.
- All accepted paintings may be for sale or NFS and must be available for the duration of the Exhibition. There is a 30% commission on all sales. All
shipping for sold work is paid for and arranged between the artist and buyer.
- No substitutions. The information and painting you send to your delegate must match the juried-in, online entry. The Juror’s and the WFWS51 Exhibition Committee’s decisions are final.
- By entering this Exhibition, you grant CWS, WFWS, and Curtis Center for the Arts permission to use your artwork image for marketing and publicity. Images will be publicly viewable on the WFWS and the CWS websites.
- While utmost care will be taken in handling entries and artwork, neither CWS, WFWS, Curtis Center for the Arts, nor its representatives will be responsible for damage or loss from any cause.
- By entering this Exhibition, you grant CWS permission to communicate with you by email, via ArtCall and/or direct email.
- Image instructions: Digital image files must conform to the following requirements:
- Digital images should be cropped to show only the painting.
- No mats, hands, background, edges, etc. should be visible in the digital entry image.
- File format: JPG files only.
- File size per image should be 300 DPI, no less than 5MB, and a minimum 1920 pixels and a maximum of 3600 pixels on the longest side.
Painting Size and matting instructions
1. Painting size requirements:
- Minimum image size: 100 square inches (length x width)
- Maximum image size: 24″x 34″
2. Mat requirements:
- The mat must be a single TRUE WHITE and a minimum of 3″ on all sides.
- NO cream, NO beige, NO off-white, NO ivory, NO colors other than pure white. We will re-mat at the artist’s expense if we deem your mat is any color other than true white.
- The outer measurement of the mat must be in whole inches and one of the following sizes:
16 X 20, 18 X 22, 20 X 24, 20 X 27, 22 X 22, 22 X 28, 24 X 30, 24 X 36, 27 X 35, 30 X 30, 30 X 40