Crocker Kingsley 2027 - A National Art Competition

The Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition was first juried in 1940, a tradition that continues to the present day. Over the past 80 years, this prestigious show has included many premier names in American and California art, including Robert Arneson, Elmer Bischoff, Fred Dalkey, David Gilhooly, Ralph Goings, Gregory Kondos, Roland Petersen, Mel Ramos, Ruth Rippon, and Wayne Thiebaud. Works selected by this year’s juror will be on display in all 4 galleries at Blue Line Arts. 

The juror for the 2027 Crocker Kingsley competition will be Naz Cuguoğlu, a curator of contemporary art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Naz will be making the curatorial selections from entries to this call and will be awarding the cash prizes for 1st-5th place starting at $2,000.

The Curatorial staff from the Crocker Art Museum will select approximately 6 works from the Crocker Kingsley Exhibition to have on display at the Crocker Art Museum following the show at Blue Line Arts.

The Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition was first juried in 1940, a tradition that continues to the present day. Over the past 80 years, this prestigious show has included many premier names in American and California art, including Robert Arneson, Elmer Bischoff, Fred Dalkey, David Gilhooly, Ralph Goings, Gregory Kondos, Roland Petersen, Mel Ramos, Ruth Rippon, and Wayne Thiebaud. Works selected by this year’s juror will be on display in all 4 galleries at Blue Line Arts. All materials are welcome, including installation.

The juror for the 2027 Crocker Kingsley competition will be Naz Cuguoğlu, a curator of contemporary art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, where she most recently curated “Rave into the Future: Art in Motion,” an exhibition exploring the dance floor as a space of collective joy and resistance. Naz will be making the curatorial selections from entries to this call and will be awarding the cash prizes for 1st-5th place starting at $2,000.

The Curatorial staff from the Crocker Art Museum will select approximately 6 works from the Crocker Kingsley Exhibition to have on display at the Crocker Art Museum following the show at Blue Line Arts.

Prizes

1st place: $2,000

2nd place: $1,500

3rd place: $1,000

4th place: $750

5th place: $250 

Application Fee

There is a $45 fee for all applicants. Up to 10 additional images can be submitted for an extra $5/image. Please capitalize first letters of all names, titles and medium in application.

Important Dates

Application deadline: November 6th, 2026 by 11:59pm PST

Show dates: January 2nd to February 13th, 2027

Limited Selection of Artworks will be on display at the Crocker Art Museum following the show at Blue Line Arts

Artist Notifications: Results will be sent by 5pm PST on November 27th, 2026

Confirmations will be due from artists via a high-resolution image upload by December 4th to be included in the catalog. We will not include your artwork in the catalog if we don't receive a high-quality image by December 4th.

Shipping deadline of work to Blue Line Arts (the day the work should be dropped off with mail carrier): December 11th, 2026

Hand deliver work to Blue Line Arts: December 20th and 21st from 10am to 3pm

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 16th from 5 to 7pm

Pick up any unsold work from Blue Line Arts: February 14th and 15th from 10am-3pm

All shipped artwork will be returned promptly the week following the show, considering that it has not been selected to show at the Crocker Art Museum. PLEASE BE SURE if your work is shipped, that you have included a return shipping label. If you drop off artwork, you must also have it picked up in person after the show, as we do not have the capacity to organize shipping for artworks after the fact. Thank you for understanding.

Questions

If you have questions about submissions, please contact Blue Line Arts staff during gallery hours at (916) 783-4117 or at gallery@bluelinearts.org

Applicants must apply using the online application form, available through the Callforentry.org website.

There is a $45 fee for all applicants. Up to 10 additional images can be submitted for an extra $5/image. Please capitalize first letters of all names, titles and medium in application.

Image specifications: 

Between 1mb and 3mb in size 

Minimum of 1200 px on one side 

Images must be in JPG format. 

Open to artists residing in the United States.

Artist must be 18 years or older

All artwork must be original and completed within the last 2 years.

Artwork cannot have been previously exhibited at Blue Line Arts

All wall hung artworks must be ready to hang with appropriate hardware. All wall-hanging work must have a wire installed prior to delivery. NO SAWTOOTH HANGERS.

All mediums are welcome.

All artwork must be for sale.

No accepted entry may be withdrawn or sold outside of the exhibition prior to the closing date.

Blue Line Arts handles all sales transactions. Non-member artists receive a 50% commission from all gallery sales and members receive a 60% commission.

The artist is responsible to pay for all shipping and should have a prepaid label from FedEx or UPS for return of artwork. For artworks shipped through USPS the artist must pay for return shipping at the end of the exhibition if their artwork does not sell.

Size limitations

Artwork must be able to enter through the doors with a clearance of 94”h x 91”w. The ceilings in the gallery are 10 feet tall. We have the capacity to feature installation artworks. Please note there is no heavy machinery present on site.