Plein Air Plus 2026

The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce the eleventh "Plein Air Plus" Competition and Exhibition on Long Beach Island, New Jersey.

Entry Deadline: May 26, 2026

Apply Online: 

https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=16326

FEE:  $35.00 for 6 entries (non-refundable)

The Juror is Peter Trippi, editor-in-chief of Fine Art Connoisseur, the national magazine that serves collectors of contemporary and historical realist art.

PAINT OUT: July through August 2026 on LBI, NJ

The September “Island Life” exhibition of finished artwork opens September 12 - November 1, 2026. The "Island Life" exhibition will show two types of Plein Air painting: Classical "Plein Air” and/or "Plein Air Plus" paintings. All artwork submitted must be for sale.

Questions? exhibitions@lbifoundation.org

"Plein Air Plus" 2026 - Eleventh Annual National Juried Competition at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts, NJ.

Entry Deadline: May 26, 2026
Apply Online: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=16326 

FEE:  $35.00 for up to 6 entries (non-refundable)

Paint Out on LBI: July 1st - August 31st, 2026
"Island Life" Exhibition: September 12th - November 1st, 2026

The Juror is Peter Trippi, editor-in-chief of Fine Art Connoisseur, the national magazine that serves collectors of contemporary and historical realist art.

About the Juror:

Peter Trippi is editor-in-chief of Fine Art Connoisseur, the national magazine that serves collectors of contemporary and historical realist art, and president of Projects in 19th-Century Art, a firm he established to pursue research, writing, and curating opportunities. Peter previously directed the Dahesh Museum of Art (New York City), headed development teams at the Brooklyn Museum and Baltimore Museum of Art, and created international touring exhibitions and publications devoted to the 19th-century painters J.W. Waterhouse and Lawrence Alma-Tadema. In 2021, he co-curated the exhibition Artful Stories: Paintings from Historic New England at the Eustis Estate in Milton, Massachusetts. Peter's most recent curatorial project, the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: A Modern Renaissance, attracted 120,000 visitors to the Museo San Domenico near Bologna, Italy in 2024.

AWARDS:
Juror’ s Prize:  
First Prize: $500. to classical “Plein Air” and First Prize: $500. to “Plein Air Plus +”; one 2nd Prize $250. and one Third Prize $100.  and 4 Honorable Mentions. Awards will be announced at the reception. Reception & Awards Date: September 12, 2026.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION ON LBI:
Long Beach Island has a vibrant artist community and is a vacation destination which draws its audience of collectors, supporters of the arts and artists from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC and beyond. The LBIF, founded in 1948, is celebrating its 78th year in 2026.

The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce the eleventh "Plein Air Plus" Competition and Exhibition on Long Beach Island, New Jersey.

The juror will pick approximately 50 artists to participate in the Paint Out on Long Beach Island during July and August. The accepted artists will exhibit the paintings created in the LBI Paint Out in the "Island Life" exhibition scheduled for September through October.

We welcome artists to apply to a unique Plein Air Event!  Our Paint Out is over a two-month period, allowing artists to visit and paint the scenic, seashore environment of Long Beach Island (LBI) New Jersey on their own schedule, any time between July 1st through August 31st. Artists can choose the time of day, weather, and varied locations to paint.

Finished paintings will be shown in the exhibition "Island Life" in September. 

This exhibition will feature the selected artist's Plein Air works and/or studio paintings developed from their Plein Air studies. All artwork exhibited must be for sale.

Prizes will be awarded by the Juror at the reception. Artists are not required to attend the reception.

ELIGIBILITY:  Open to all artists 18 years and older in the continental US. May 26, 2026 Deadline for submission (online via CAFE) for entry applications:  

JURYING: Approximately 50 artists will be selected to participate in the 2026 Paint Out. Artists must submit 4 images of their previous work painted in the past two years for consideration.  Painting media can include oil, acrylic, watercolor, and pastel. Please indicate on each image submitted a description - was it created as "Classical" or "Plus", medium, date, size. 

Accepted artists names will be posted on LBIF site by June 10.

APPLY ONLINE @ 

https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=16326

IMAGE SIZE FOR ENTRY:

File format: JPEG or JPG only

• File dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side. Anything larger than 1200 px will be resized to fit the limitations.
• File size: under 5 MB

If you are having difficulty resizing your images to fit this format, go to http://bulkresizephotos.com/
Drag and Drop your images in the space on the site. Click longest side from the left-hand menu. Enter 1920 in the box next to pixels. Hit the Start Resizing. You should see it says completed. Note that depending on your browser settings, the image may go directly to your “Downloads” folder.
(For questions you can also send an email to exhibitions@lbifoundation.org)
 
FEE:  $35.00 for up to 6 entries (non-refundable)
 
ARTIST STATEMENT: Please upload a 1–2-page document which includes Resume with Bio. The Artist Statement can be up to 250 words and will be used for publicity purposes.

NOTIFICATION:  Accepted artists will be notified by email and posted on the LBIF website by June 10.  Artist agreement forms will be emailed to those who have been accepted and will include an island map of potential locations and housing information.  If you do not receive your notification by the notification date, please contact LBIF at: exhibitions@lbifoundation.org

ABOUT THE SEPTEMBER “Island Life” EXHIBITION:

The "Island Life" exhibition will show two types of Plein Air painting.  The selected artists will have two choices for submission for the Juror to select for the exhibition:

Classical "Plein Air” painters are requested to exhibit up to four Plein Air paintings to be shown together.

Plein Air Plus artists can submit Plein Air Plus paintings and the studies (photographs, sketches, drawings) for Plein Air Plus for a total of four paintings or studies.

Plein Air and Plein Air Plus are described below. As long as the artwork is clearly labelled as "Classical" or "Plus", the artists can submit work in either combination and will be shown together. The amount of allotted space per artist remains approximately three feet wide by four feet high showing a total of 4 pieces. Artists should plan accordingly. 

PLEIN AIR / PLEIN AIR PLUS SIZE REQUIREMENTS

Artists can work in both Plein Air and Plein Air Plus.

Artists cannot exceed 4 framed pieces (for example a triptych = 3 pieces unless the triptych is contained in one frame). 

Artists will have approximately 12 square feet of wall space which allows for many different size options.  

"Plein Air" (classical) is defined as the painting being completed on site, without the use out photography. Plein Air artists are asked to submit a maximum of four paintings on any size canvas that will fit into the allotted exhibit space.

“Plein Air Plus” is defined as inspired by a specific location on Long Beach Island observed during the Paint Out during July through August, with studies painted out of doors and completed in the artists’ personal studio. We request that no paintings be created entirely from photographs, but photos and Plein Air sketches can be used to produce a Plein Air Plus painting.  Large size paintings are encouraged. 

EXHIBITION DATES:

The “Island Life” Exhibition will be held from September 12 – November 1, with a Reception and Awards Presentation is scheduled for September 12. Artists are not required to attend. The exhibition will be hung salon style in our gallery at LBIF's discretion. 
 
All work for the exhibition must be made during the period of July 1-August 31, 2026.  Subject themes include: Beaches, Salt Marshes, Barnegat Bay, Island Towns, Water Sports, Surfing, Fishing, Boating and Family entertainment venues and buildings on LBI.  Check www.lbifoundation.org  website for map.
 
Only paintings begun and completed during the July 1st, 2026 through September 6th are eligible for submission. Canvas stamping is not required.  All artwork submitted for the exhibition must be ready to hang and firmly wired. Frames for artwork should be white, black or a natural wood. Previous work that has been shown at the LBIF is not eligible for the exhibition.

A web ready photograph (jpg) of completed work to be used for sale on LBIF's website must be submitted with the artworks with the following information:

Title of piece / Medium / Size / Retail Price / Plein Air OR Plein Air Plus
 
SALES:

Submitted work must be available for the duration of the exhibition. The LBIF retains 40% of the retail price of the work exhibited. Artists receive payment for sold work 45 days after the close of the exhibition.

DELIVERY of accepted artwork and RETURN of UNSOLD WORK:

Shipping or drop off of artwork to LBIF is the responsibility of the artist. Submissions of shipped packages must be sent with a pre-paid return shipping label or shippers’ UPS or FEDEX account number to charge to artists’ account.

Artist can pick up unsold work after the exhibition closes. If unsold artwork is to be shipped back to artists, artist must provide a pre-paid UPS or FEDEX label when artwork is delivered in September.

Unclaimed artwork becomes the property of the LBIF if left for more than 30 days after close of exhibition. LBIF is not responsible for unclaimed artwork for loss or damage. We will invite artists whose work has not sold to be included in our Holiday Market Fest, currently scheduled for November 14 until December 13, if they so wish.

SPECIFICATIONS: 

Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences reserves the right to exclude from the exhibition any works that do not arrive in sturdy condition or are deemed too fragile to be successfully exhibited. Work that has not been suitably prepared will be hung at LBIF's discretion.
 
Please submit only work that will be available at the time of the exhibition and will remain for its entirety. Please do not submit work that has a retail value over $7,500. ALL WORK MUST BE FOR SALE.

No accepted entry may be withdrawn prior to the close of the exhibition. No pricing changes will be allowed after acceptance. Work that is copied or done under the guidance of an instructor is not eligible. Entries must not have been previously exhibited at LBIF.

Please refer to the prospectus for full details regarding eligibility, deadlines, awards and details posted on the LBIF website at:  https://www.lbifoundation.org  

ABOUT THE LBIF:

The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences (LBIF) was established in 1948 as a non-profit institution by artist Boris Blai to provide arts and educational opportunities to the surrounding communities.  Blai, a sculptor and founding Dean of Tyler School of Art, Temple University, had a vision that through exceptional art exhibitions, classes, and cultural activities the LBIF could provide visitors an opportunity to experience and share quality arts and cultural programming.  For more than seventy-eight years the LBIF has delivered this mission through its Exhibition programs, Art Classes, Visiting Artists programs, Artist Residency and Retreat Program.

CALENDAR:

The following is a tentative schedule for the selection process and exhibition:

May 26, 2026: Deadline for submission (online via CAFE) for entry applications

By June 10: Notification of acceptance emailed to the artists

July 1 - August 31: Paint Out on Long Beach Island (Check in at LBIF)
Artwork due at LBIF August 29 -September 2 - Artist delivery of paintings must be ready to hang

Sept 12 – Nov 1: “Island Life” Exhibition 

September 12: Exhibition opens 

Reception: September 2026 

Nov 2-6: Artist pick-up of unsold work

Nov 14 – Dec 13 Holiday Market Fest     

Entry Deadline: May 26, 2026
Apply Online:  https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=16326

FEE:  $35.00 for 6 entries (non-refundable)

Open to all artists 18 years and older who live in the continental US.