NorthStar Watermedia 2026 Spring Online Juried Exhibition - Awakening

Awakening is the NorthStar Watermedia Society’s spring online juried exhibition celebrating renewal, transformation, and creative emergence through watermedia. Artists are invited to explore moments of growth, clarity, and quiet revelation inspired by changing seasons and shifting inner landscapes.

Awakening is the NorthStar Watermedia Society’s spring online juried exhibition celebrating renewal, transformation, and creative emergence through watermedia. Artists are invited to explore moments of growth, clarity, and quiet revelation inspired by changing seasons and shifting inner landscapes.

Featuring a diverse range of watercolor, acrylic, ink, and mixed watermedia works, Awakening highlights both artistic technical skills and personal voice. Entries should represent a turning point—where light breaks through, ideas take root, and new perspectives begin to form. Together, the works will create a shared visual experience that honors resilience, hope, and the power of artistic renewal.

Awards

NorthStar Watermedia Society will award:

•           Best in Show: $500 cash

•           Additional cash awards will be awarded

Juror

David R. Becker

NorthStar Watermedia Society is honored to welcome David R. Becker as the juror for Awakening. Becker is an accomplished artist, educator, and author whose lifelong passion for art began with early experiences in tempera paint and charcoal and was shaped through formal training at the American Academy of Art.

A versatile artist working in oil, pastel, drawing, and especially watercolor, Becker values watercolor for its freedom and portability while emphasizing that strong drawing and sound design principles underpin all great art. He is the author of Watercolor Composition Made Easy and How to Sketch with Watercolor, both widely praised for their practical guidance, clear instruction, and vibrant examples across a range of subject matter.

In addition to teaching workshops and presenting demonstrations, Becker shares his expertise through a popular YouTube channel, inspiring artists worldwide to practice daily, observe with intention, and grow with confidence.

NSWS Members: $30.00 for up to three images

Non-members*: $50 for up to 3 images - *This includes an introductory membership valid through the end of the NSWS program year (Aug. 31, 2026)

All submissions are through CaFE Call For Entry.

Entry fees are non-refundable under all circumstances.

Open to all artists 18 years of age and older.

Acceptable mediums: watercolor, acrylic, casein, gouache, water-soluble ink, and egg tempera.

Collage or drawing elements may not exceed 25% of the work.

Artwork must be family-friendly (no hate imagery or nudity).

Work must have been completed after March 23, 2023.

All work must be entirely original, not completed in a class, and not previously exhibited in any NorthStar Watermedia Society exhibition.

No digital alterations are permitted.

Each participant may enter up to three JPEG images of three different paintings; however, only one painting from each artist will be juried into the exhibition by the juror.

Acceptance of any entry into the exhibition is not guaranteed.

Enter artwork images only by removing matting and frames; present the correct orientation without digital watermarks.

Entrants must first upload their images into their “My Portfolio” in their CaFÉ NSWS account.

File Type: JPEG or JPG  in RGB color format only.

File Dimensions: Maximum 5 MB with 1,200 pixels or greater on the longest side.