Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) is seeking 10 artists to participate in the 2025 Plein Air Festival (September 6-13) as “Select Artists” based on the merit of their portfolio.

ENTRY FEE and PARTICIPATION FORMAT: $65 (non refundable) to submit the best of your Plein Air portfolio (minimum 5, maximum 20). 

If juried as a Select Artist, the CaFÉ entry fee will act as a Festival ticket and the artist will not be required to pay any further registration fees. Artists who submit but are not selected can apply their CaFÉ entry fees to the purchase of a Festival ticket if they are interested in registering at the general level.

Submitted works will NOT be selected for the exhibition that will be on display at OMA September 13-November 30. The submitted works determine if the artist will be juried into the "Select Artist" tier of the Festival. Artworks eligible to be included in the exhibition at OMA must be painted during the week of the Festival on a Festival stamped canvas.

Take a look at the benefits chart to see the difference between participating as a Select Artist and a general artist.

Learn more about the Oceanside Plein Air Festival here: oma-online.org/pleinair

Participation as a Select Artist includes:

• Guaranteed inclusion in the juried exhibition
• Entry of three (3) artworks for exhibition jurying consideration (one more than general artists)
• Eligible for Best In Show award - only compete against other Select Artists and the festival's four Featured Artists (all participating festival artists are eligible for further awards)
• Name included in promotions
• A complimentary +1 to the Closing Event/Awards Ceremony on September 13
• Full access to the festival - participation in all communal “Paint Out” events and the Quick Paint Challenge; entry of one artwork into the Quick Paint Challenge Sale; participation in two Easel Sales and two networking events; one ticket to the Closing Event/Awards Ceremony on September 13; access to ticketed festival workshops led by the Festival Featured Artists (ticket costs apply)

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TIMELINE:

• Monday, June 2, 2025, 10:59pm Pacific Standard Time (PST): Deadline to submit
• Tuesday, June 10, 2025: Notifications of "Select Artist" results
• Saturday, September 6, 2025, 8:00am PST: Plein Air Festival event check-in opens at OMA, and continues through Thursday, September 11
• Thursday, September 11, 2025, before 3:00pm PST: Festival artwork submissions due for exhibition jurying and award consideration
• Saturday, September 13, 2025: Plein Air Festival closing event including awards presentation and easel sale. Exhibition opens at OMA, on view through November 30

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QUESTIONS?

Submission-fee scholarships are available, please contact pleinair@oma-online.org if you would like to be considered for a scholarship.

Thank you for being a part of OMA. Your submission fees (less CaFÉ listing fees) and membership dues go toward supporting the museum’s exhibitions and educational programming. 

Submitting via the CaFÉ call for entry system indicates your intention to participate, if selected.

All technical submission issues will be handled by CaFÉ technical support. Contact them here. 

Find answers to most common technical questions on the Help page. 

CaFÉ is an all-in-one artist submission platform designed for the arts field that is not owned by or affiliated with Oceanside Museum of Art.

Contact pleinair@oma-online.org with questions about this artwork submission opportunity after carefully reading the prospectus in full.

Application Requirements

Submissions must include a minimum five (5) artworks and a maximum twenty (20) artworks. 

Artists must include a professional website and CV/resume with their submission.

Artists must be available to be in Oceanside and create Plein Air artwork during the week of the Festival (September 6-13). Travel and accommodation stipends are not available.

IMAGE CONSIDERATIONS

There are no size requirements for the artworks submitted from your portfolio.

The quality of artwork photography may affect your eligibility. Ensure that artwork is photographed in a well-lit environment, and that details are clear. Include only the artwork in the image. If the artwork is three-dimensional, photograph against a neutral/blank background. For best results submit high quality 72 dpi images under 4 MB, and close to 1920 pixels on the longest side. Image files should be jpg.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE 2025 PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL

• Size requirements for artwork created during the Festival:
  • 2D - 24" x 36" not including frame
  • 3D - 24" x 24" x 24"
• Artists receive a 50% commission on the sale of their work.
• Tax of 8.25% will apply to all sales at check out, to be paid by the buyer.
• Artists should bring their own art supplies and surfaces on which to create artwork. There are limited locations to purchase supplies near Oceanside.
• Festival stamp MUST BE VISIBLE on the back of the artwork.
• If the stamp will be obscured after framing, please provide photos or video of the work with the stamp visible being framed.
• Artwork submitted for exhibition jurying must include hanging hardware (wires or D rings attached to frames or a sturdy substrate). Unframed canvases must be trimmed or be wrapped with finished edges.
• To participate in easel sales, artists must provide their own easels.
• If artwork for sale on OMA premises does not sell, it must be retrieved by the artist at the end of the sales opportunity. If the artist is no longer in the area, they will be responsible for shipping fees. Any artwork remaining at OMA more than 60 days after the close of the art sale it was a part of will be considered an unrestricted donation to the museum.

Eligibility Criteria

Plein Air professionals based in the United States are encouraged to submit their portfolio for consideration (minimum 5 artworks, maximum 20). 

Submitted works will NOT be selected for the exhibition that will be on display at OMA September 13-November 30. The submitted works determine if the artist will be juried into the "Select Artist" tier of the Festival. Artworks eligible to be included in the exhibition at OMA must be painted during the week of the Festival on a Festival stamped canvas.