Spiva Center for the Arts invites artists to submit up to three watercolor works for Watercolor USA 2025.

Watercolor USA 2025 is a national competitive exhibition sponsored by Spiva Center for the Arts, continuing a tradition established by the Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, Missouri, since 1962. The primary purpose of the exhibition is to recognize and encourage excellence in watercolor and water media painting. This will be a juried exhibition, and the work selected will be on display in Spiva’s Freeman Health System Main Gallery from August 23 – October 11, 2025.

Artwork Guidelines: 

Mediums Accepted: Artwork must be original and utilize water-soluble paint as the primary medium used in a traditional watercolor like manner. 3-D watercolor painted paper sculpture is allowed. Prints are not allowed. 

Presentation Restriction: Watercolor media must be on watercolor paper substrate and framed using an acrylic covering. No glass allowed unless work is hand delivered.

Focus: The primary purpose of the exhibition is to recognize and encourage excellence in watercolor and water media painting.

AWARDS

The selection of artwork for awards will be made from actual accepted paintings. Top cash prizes will be awarded in the amounts of $500 and $300 as well as Watercolor USA Honor Society cash and merchandise awards. Cash awards will be made at the Juror’s discretion. For a full list of awards, please visit the official Watercolor USA 2025 website.
 

All entrants will be informed of acceptance or declination via email no later than June 5th. You may also check your acceptance status by going to www.callforentry.org. Please contact Shaun Conroy at sconroy@spivaarts.org if you have questions or concerns.

Application Requirements

WORK REQUIREMENTS

Submission Format: Watercolor USA 2025 will be selected from digital image files. Please submit high-quality images of your work (at least 300 DPI) in JPEG format. Digital images should accurately represent the artworks entered. No detail views. We ask that you size and label images before uploading them to the entry form. 

Artist Statement: Include a brief artist statement (200-300 words) that describes the work and explains your creative process. Spiva is particularly interested in artists who utilize watercolor in intriguing ways, both in terms of the content of the imagery as well as the process in which it was made.

Size Limitations: All 2-D work must be framed and ready to hang using proper brackets and/or wire. No saw tooth hangers. Maximum physical size is 6’ x 6’ including the frame. 3-D sculpture is limited to 75 lbs., with maximum dimensions of 6’ x 5’ and must fit through a standard double entry door. 

ENTRY FEE

A $40 fee is required to enter two works. A maximum of three artworks per artist may be submitted for consideration, with an additional $10 fee per entry. Current members of the Watercolor USA Honor Society will be charged a discounted rate of $30 per entry of two artworks with one additional entry for $10.

Contact WHS for PROMO code used at check out.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

This exhibition is open to any artist, 18 years of age or older, currently living and working in the United States of America. Submitted images must be the artist’s own work, and it is the sole responsibility of the artist to obtain written releases from any recognizable person(s) depicted. All artworks must be original, executed within in the last three years, and not previously shown at Spiva Center for the Arts or in a past Watercolor USA exhibit.