2026 National Fine Art and Photography Show

The Lincoln Gallery and the Thompson Valley Art League invite you to enter the 2026 NATIONAL FINE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW.  Open to all U.S. artists working in the 7 categories listed below.  All entries must be for sale.  No installations or sets of works to make one entry will be accepted.  Cash awards of $2,000 will be awarded.  

The exhibition will run from May 9 - June 4, 2025 with the Artists’ Reception and Awards Presentation on Friday, May 8, 2026

The Lincoln Gallery and the Thompson Valley Art League invite you to enter the 2026 NATIONAL FINE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW.  Open to all U.S. artists working in the 7 categories listed below.  All entries must be for sale. Entry fees are non refundable.  No installations or sets of works to make one entry will be accepted.  Cash awards of $2,000 will be awarded.

The exhibition will run from May 9- June 4, 2026 with the Artists’ Reception and Awards Presentation on Friday, May 8, 2026. 

Judge

Ricki Klages

Ricki Klages is a internationally known artist. Her paintings reflect the influence of the places she has seen, visited, or lived in. All of these environments are referenced either directly or more subtly within her paintings.

Ricki was born in Stuttgart, Germany. She received her BFA from the University of Arizona, Tucson, and her MA and MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally, including solo exhibitions at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio; University of Montana, Missoula, Montana; Epping Forest Museum, Waltham Abbey, United Kingdom; the Joint Research Center, Ispra, Italy, Galerie Knud Grothe, Copenhagen, Denmark and Colorida Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal.

Trees have become the primary focus in Ricki's paintings for the past several years. She is interested in exploring what remains of old growth forests while they still retain the essence of the ecosystem that created them.  

Ricki is the head of the art department at the University of Wyoming.

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REQUIREMENTS:
Categories:
1.  Oil 
2.  Mixed Media 
3.  Acrylic 
4.  Watercolor
5.  3D & Sculpture
6.  Pastel & Drawing                                                                                 7.  Photography
Artists may enter multiple categories but total entries may not exceed 6.  Artwork not meeting any of the above criteria will be rejected.  The Thompson Valley Art League reserves the right to categorize your entries if we feel they are entered incorrectly. No AI produced art is allowed.

Details:
Delivered artwork must match image juried into show.  No substitutions will be allowed.  Flat work (including frame) SHALL NOT EXCEED a linear measurement of 75 LINEAR inches (height + width) and must be wired for hanging.  Works exceeding these dimensions or with saw-tooth hangers will not be accepted.  Plaques will be accepted if they are properly wired.  Frames and matting must be in new or like new condition. Gallery-wrapped canvas must be secured on stretcher bars of at least 1.5” in thickness with sides painted.  Gallery wrapped photographs are must have finished sides and no staples.

Frames and matting must be in new or like new condition. 

All work to be hung must weigh no more than 25 lbs.  Any work deemed to be less than represented in entry or with presentation/appearance deemed to be unacceptable will not be exhibited.

Three-dimensional art must be completed work; no more than 30 inches in any one dimension and weighing no more than 50 pounds.  Relief works are considered 3-D and must be wired for hanging and weigh no more than 25 lbs.  All work must be labeled with an Artist/Art label.  Multiple entries of the same 3D piece are not acceptable and must be entered as a split image on a single entry image. 
 

All work must be originals and preferably completed within the past 3 years.  Please pay special attention to weight and size limitations, no refunds will be allowed.
  
Entries:
Only entries received online through CaFE’ (callforentry.org) will be considered.  Deadline for entry is 11:59pm, Mountain Standard Time,  March 25, 2026.  All artists will be notified by email from Cafe of the juror’s decisions by April 3, 2026.  If you do not receive notification, check your spam or the status on your cafe account.

While the Lincoln Gallery will undertake the utmost care in handling all entries, the Gallery will not be held liable for damage occurring either while in the gallery or during shipping.  Insuring the artwork is the responsibility of the artist.

Fees:
$45 entry fee includes up to 2 entries.  Additional entries are $10 each for a maximum of six (6) entries total. Fees are non-refundable.  Your email address will be our primary contact.  Only works selected by the juror will be displayed and eligible for awards from the show. 

Deliveries: 
Hand delivered work will be received between May 1- May 2, 2026 at the Lincoln Gallery between the hours of 12:00-5:00pm.   Any artwork not received by May 2 will not be exhibited. 

Shipped deliveries will be received between April 18 - April 25, 2026.   Shipping containers will be stored and reused for return shipment.   If a piece is sold and the artist wishes the shipping container returned, the Lincoln Gallery must be notified by email.   A prepaid return-shipping label must be included with all shipped artwork.   Return shipments will be shipped by June 9, 2026.  Please deliver or ship to:

Lincoln Gallery
429 North Lincoln Avenue
Loveland, CO 80537 
Phone:  970 663-2407

Gallery hours are Tues-Sat. Noon-6:00pm


Sales:
All works must be for sale and preferably remain on display until the close of the exhibit. Sales will be encouraged to further the efforts of the artists and to stimulate acquisition of original art by patrons and the public.  The Lincoln Gallery will collect a 35% commission on all sales.  Payment for sold items will be mailed to the artists on the 20th of the month following the close of the show.

Awards:
Cash awards of $2,000 total will be presented for Best of Show, 1st and 2nd Place in each Category.  The Awards Ceremony will take place during the Opening Reception to be held on May 9th, from 6:00pm - 7:00pm for Artist and guests only.  The reception will be open to the public at 7:00pm - 9:00pm at the Lincoln Gallery, 429 North Lincoln Ave, Loveland, CO, 80537. Live Facebook awards presentation will be at 6:30pm on Facebook @thelincolngallery. 

Calendar of Important Dates:

Media: 
Images - Minimum: 2, Maximum: 6
Total Media - Minimum: 2, Maximum: 6
Entry Fee (Includes up to 2 entries): $45.00
Media Fee (per entry over minimum): $10.00

Eligibility:
Open to all US artists working in the listed categories.  Work must be original art, not copied from photos or works by other artists, or done under instruction. No installations or sets of works to make one entry will be accepted.  The juror reserves the right to disqualify any work which they consider to be in poor taste or inappropriate.  Entries preferably have been completed within the last 3 years (on or after 1/1/2023) and may not have been included/accepted in previous Lincoln Gallery or Thompson Valley Art League juried shows.

Artificial Intelligence Statement: The Thompson Valley Art League will not accept any Artificial Intelligence generated art for this exhibition. It is not considered a medium for this art exhibition.