The 17th International ARC Salon Competition

Applicants will have a chance to participate in the planned exhibition at Sotheby’s New York in the summer of 2026

All winners, honorable mentions, finalists and semi-finalists will have their entries accompanied by their name and artwork details displayed on the ARC website. Biography, photo of the artist and painting descriptions provided during the entry process may also be shown for all qualifying works. All winners, honorable mentions, and some finalists will be featured in the 17th/18th International ARC Salon Book, "International Realism". In addition, all winners and honorable mentions will receive an award certificate suitable for framing.

* Exhibition of Selected Works: The show will consist of approximately 100 of the best works from the combined 17th and 18th International ARC Salon Competitions.

* Best in Show: $25,000 cash

* The William Bouguereau Award "Emotion, Theme, and the Figure": $3,000

* FWSD 2024 Award: ARC will partner with Fashion Week San Diego (FWSD) who will select 5 works from the 17th International ARC Salon to take part in an exclusive opportunity with Fashion Week San Diego Designers.

* Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc., New York City, NY will select a group of approximately 15 finalists who will be asked to supply the gallery with additional images. From those finalists, the gallery will choose a select group of artists to create new works for a group show to be held at their gallery on 55th Street in 2025. 

* The Springville Museum of Art, Springville, Utah, has added an ongoing award to the ARC Salon Competition, devoting a "Featured ARC Artist" gallery wall to their museum in their Founders Gallery. The museum will be selecting one ARC Salon Finalist from the state of Utah each competition to be featured at the museum over the course of the following year.

* MEAM Exhibition Award: The museum will be selecting one to three ARC Salon Finalists to be exhibited at the museum for a two month duration in 2025.

* The ASMA Best Marine Art Awards: The American Society of Marine Artists will select three outstanding marine-themed works, (one "Best Marine Themed Work", which is a $2000 award, and second and third place, for which each recipient will receive a $500 award). 

* The Fine Art Connoisseur Award: The winning artist will be awarded an article in the prestigious art magazine Fine Art Connoisseur that will be seen by tens of thousands of art collectors and enthusiasts worldwide. In addition, Fine Art Connoisseur will publish an article highlighting some of the winners of the 17th and 18th International Salons, just as it has highlighted winners for the past six years.

* PleinAir Magazine Award: One artist who paints en plein air (a French term for painting from life outdoors) will be chosen for a feature article about their artwork in PleinAir Magazine, the best-selling art magazine at Barnes & Noble stores nationwide.

* Sheng Xinyu Art Award: The "Sheng Xinyu Art Award" will be awarded to six artists and the winning artists will receive an interview article from Sheng Xinyu Art.

* 33PA Publishing Prize: 33PA is an online platform and art community providing publishing and marketing opportunities to artists. They have partnered with 33 Contemporary offering artists online group shows at Artsy as well as exhibitions in fairs and the new showroom located in South Florida.

* The Artist Award: The winning artist will be featured in The Artist magazine. Published in the UK, with a worldwide circulation, the magazine is written by artists, for artists, and has been inspiring experienced amateurs and professional painters since 1931.

* Southwest Art Magazine Award: The winner of this award will have their work featured in "The Art List" section of Southwest Art Magazine to highlight their distinguished accomplishment. The winning work will also be featured in connection to an article on the 17th and 18th ARC Salon Competitions / Exhibition prior to the show in 2026.

* Enchanted Living Magazine Award: Enchanted Living, formerly known as Faerie Magazine, is a quarterly print magazine that celebrates all things enchanted — from a scattering of mushrooms in an ancient forest to a sweet, scented gown made only of roses. 

* Artists & Illustrators Magazine Award: This includes an article about your work in, Artists & Illustrators, Britain’s best-selling art magazine, plus a one-year subscription to the title’s British Art Club service.

* The INSIDEART Award: The winning artist will be awarded an article in INSIDEART, the prestigious complimentary art newsletter from Streamline Publishing, Inc. The article will be seen by over 130,000 artists worldwide. In addition, INSIDEART will publish an article highlighting some of the winners of the 17th and 18th International Salons, with a focus on the process of creating the art.

* Western Art Collector Award of Excellence: Western Art Collector is proud to offer the Western Art Collector Award of Excellence. This award recognizes an artist whose art entry draws inspiration — in setting, subject, or style — from the American West.

* International Artist Award of Excellence: International Artist Publishing is proud to offer the International Artist Award of Excellence. The winning artist will receive a Master Artist profile in a 2025 issue of International Artist magazine. This four-page article allows artists to describe their style, technical processes, and personal story, as well as showcase a handful of their best works and the inspiration behind them. In addition to the printed article, the winner will be considered for a feature on an episode of the American Art Collective, the official podcast of International Artist Publishing.

* American Art Collector Award of Excellence: International Artist Publishing is proud to offer the American Art Collector Award of Excellence, which recognizes an artist who exhibits distinction in Contemporary Realism. The recipient will be the subject of a one-page Artist Focus editorial piece in a 2025 issue of American Art Collector and will be considered for a guest spot on the American Art Collective, the official podcast of International Artist Publishing.

* American Fine Art Magazine Award of Excellence: American Fine Art Magazine presents an award of excellence honoring an artist who masterfully exhibits the influence of historic American art within their submitted work. Contemporary artists are often guided by the past, and this award honors an artist who calls out to American art history and builds upon it. The award winner will receive a one-page Artist Focus editorial piece in a 2025 issue of American Art Collector, American Fine Art Magazine's sister magazine, which highlights contemporary representational painters and sculptors working today. The recipient will also be considered for a guest spot on the American Art Collective, the official podcast of International Artist Publishing. 

* American Essence Magazine Award: The winner will be an artist living and working within the United States and will receive a feature article on their work in American Essence Magazine. American Essence focuses on traditional American values and great American stories. 

* The Aristides Publication Award: This award will be given to up to 5 artists and consists of the winning works being published in Juliette Aristides' latest publication with the working title Conversations on Art, published by Monacelli Press NYC, due out spring 2026.

* MacAvoy Foundation Purchase Awards: This year the Art Renewal Center has received a generous grant of $20,000 from the MacAvoy Foundation to be used to purchase works into the ARC Collection. 

*ARC Purchase Awards: In addition to the $20,000 in MacAvoy Foundation Purchase Awards, the ARC will be offering an additional $40,000 for ARC Purchase awards which will be awarded at the sole discretion of the ARC's Chairs, Frederick C. Ross, and Kara Lysandra Ross for the Art Renewal Center's growing collection.

For more prize information visit: https://www.artrenewal.org/arc-salon-application#/awards