2026 Marks of Distinction National Exhibition

Fivesparks, Harvard, MA

Paintings will be judged for awards in person by Conor Moynihan, Associate Curator, Drawings, Prints, and Photographs, The RISD Museum

SHOW DATES: 8/25-9/25

Jurors of Selection: Joe Kluck and Desmond O’Hagan

Judge of Awards: Conor Moynihan, The RISD Museum

18 cash awards plus materials, including:

1^st Place: $1200+

2^nd Place: $800+

3^rd Place: $600+

4^th Place: $400+

11 more awards ranging from $100-250+

2 Juror Awards: $75+

More than $7600 in awards. All awards include cash plus materials.

And People’s Choice of $150

Calendar

Please read the prospectus in its entirety to ensure you meet all requirements.

Judge of Awards

Conor Moynihan. Mr. Moynihan is Associate Curator of Drawings, Prints, and Photography at the RISD Museum in Providence, Rhode Island.

Selection Jurors

Both jurors will offer a demo in association with the show!

Joe Kluck. Pennsylvania artist Joe Kluck is a Pastel Society of America Master Pastelist and IAPS Eminent Pastelist. His award-winning work spans a wide range of subjects and genres, from cars and sports equipment to landscapes, fruit, and flowers, all reflecting his love of color and attraction to portraying everyday life.

Desmond O’Hagan. Colorado artist Desmond O’Hagan is a Pastel Society of Americal Master Pastelist and IAPs Eminent Pastelist. Best known for his narrative urbanscapes, he paints in both oil and pastel and has been featured in numerous publications, including Pastel Journal, Southwest Art, and Pratique des Arts.

Who Can Submit

Open to all artists over the age of 18 working in soft pastel.

Submission Process and Fee

·         Submissions must be made online on OnlineJuriedShows. Log in and click Enter This Show above to begin your entries.

·         You do not need to resize your images as long as each is a minimum of 800 pixels on the longest side, and does not exceed 4 MB. All files must be jpg/jpeg format.

·         The submission fee for members is $40 for 1-3 pieces, plus $5 for each additional piece up to 5.  Membership must be fully paid before entering the show. The submission fee for nonmembers is $45 for 1-3 pieces, plus $10 for each additional up to 5.

·         A maximum of 1 piece per artist may be accepted to the show.

Submission Requirements

·         Work must be at least 80% soft pastel, with soft pastel as the final layer.

·         Work must be less than 3 years old.

·         Work cannot exceed 48” in any direction, including frame. There is no minimum size.

·         Work must be based exclusively on the artist’s own photo reference, life set-up or plein air experience, concept, and composition.

·         Work must be directly and individually drawn or painted by the artist, not traced or otherwise created over a base photo.

·         Work must be exclusively the product of the artist. Any AI-generated or AI-assisted work, whether for design, palette, critique, or other use, is not permitted. Work done in a class or workshop, online venue, or otherwise under the guidance or advice of an instructor, is not permitted.

·         Work that has previously been in a CMPS national show, or that has received a top award (Best, 1,2,3) in any national/international or CMPS members show by the submission deadline, is not permitted.

·         Work that duplicates or is a near-copy of work that has been awarded in or sold from any national/international show is not permitted.

Delivery and Shipping of Accepted Work

Artists accepted into the exhibition will receive detailed instructions with their acceptance notification for either hand-delivering or shipping work to the venue according to the dates in the above calendar.  CMPS will send an email list to accepted artists for coordinating hand delivery as desired. The address for both hand delivery and shipping is:  Fivesparks, 7 Fairbank St, Harvard, MA 01451.

There will be no handling fee for work shipped in an Airfloat Strong Box, Masterpak Titan Strongbox, or Uline Deluxe Art Shipper box. Work shipped in other packaging will carry a $50 handling fee payable at the time of shipping; no crates or packages with loose packing material will be accepted. Work must be shipped by commercial carrier (UPS, FedEx, DHL). Shipped work will be returned promptly after show close. Artists will be asked to enter their shipping information on a shared spreadsheet for tracking purposes.

All work must be clean, securely framed, and wired for hanging in a non-metal frame. We advise against shadow-box frames or others that cast a shadow on the work. We recommend the use of a framer’s grade plexiglass for shipping large paintings to minimize shipping cost and risk.

Pricing and Sales

·         All work must be for sale exclusively through CMPS for the duration of the show. Prices should reflect market value for similar work by the artist; this means that artists should have a track record of sales at prices similar to the price of their submitted work. Artists are responsible for any sales tax required by their states.

·         CMPS and Fivesparks will process sales at the show venue and through the show’s online store. CMPS will receive a 35% commission on all sold work, which will be split 25% to CMPS and 10% to the venue. Artist proceeds will be remitted within 30 days of show close.

·         Unless a buyer is authorized to pick up purchased work on show closing, artists are responsible for delivery or shipping sold work to buyers.

Notices

·         CMPS and Fivesparks will use all reasonable care in receiving, hanging, showing, and returning work. Neither CMPS nor Fivesparks is responsible for any damage or loss to work incurred during shipping, hanging, or showing the work. It is recommended that artists insure their own work.

·         CMPS reserves the right not to hang work that arrives damaged or dirty; is not properly wired for hanging; that is not equivalent to the image submitted for selection; or that otherwise does not conform to Submission Requirements (including age). Damaged work will be reported to the artist and, if needed, returned at the artist’s expense.

·         Work shipped in an Airfloat Strongbox, Masterpak Titan Strongbox, or Uline Deluxe Art Shipper will not be charged a handling fee. There will be a $50 fee for shipping with other containers and materials. Crates will not be accepted; Styrofoam peanuts and similar loose packing materials are not allowed.  Boxes that arrive unusable for return shipping must be replaced by the artist.

·         Submission fees are nonrefundable. Entry does not guarantee acceptance.

·        Failure to deliver an accepted painting will result in disqualification for entering any CMPS show for two years.

·        No early drop-offs or pick-ups, no exceptions. No drop-off or pick-up without checking in/out the work by a CMPS representative. All hand-delivered work must be picked up on 9/26 by either artist or buyer with receipt. Art cannot be stored and hand-delivered work cannot be return-shipped.

·        By entering the show, artists grant CMPS and Fivesparks the limited right to use images of the artist’s work, labeled with artist name and painting title, for promotional and news purposes related to the show.

For questions about this prospectus: jane@cmpastels.org

For help with your entries: onlinejuriedshows@gmail.com or 888-666-1351

Show Staff

Co-chairs: Jane Robbins, Shuk Susan Lee

MOD on the Web:  Alexia Rosoff Wilber

Awards Manager: Cheryl Hardy-Faraci