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Best of Watercolor Summer 2022 Digital Edition 
Breakthrough Paint Along: Where Mixed Media Combine Together 
Paint Along 127: Paint the Motion of the Sea 
Paint Along 126: Simplify Your Landscapes with a Limited Palette 
Breakthrough Paint Along: The Big Value of Miniature Landscapes 
Portrait Painting: Rembrandt's Techniques Video Download 
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Southwest Art August/September 2025 Digital Edition 
Best in Show: Pets Art Competition
Begin the application process:
5th Annual Best in Show: Pets
Put your best paw forward in our 2026 pets-themed art competition. Whether furry or feathered, we want to see artwork of your favorite animal friends. Share your creative portrayals of cats, dogs, lizards, birds, horses — all pets (and all painting and drawing media) are welcome! The art competition is open to any artist, U.S. and international!
A portion of each entry fee will be donated to the ASPCA, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.cFor more than 150 years, the ASPCA been the leading voice in animal welfare, bringing the critical protection of animals to the forefront of society.
Super Early Bird Deadline – Sept 24, 2025
Artists Network Members: $15 Non-Members: $25
Early Bird Deadline – Nov 24, 2025
Artists Network Members: $25 Non-Members: $35
EXTENDED Final Deadline – Jan 19, 2026
Artists Network Members: $30 Non-Members: $40
Entry fees are due with entries. Your record of the credit card or PayPal charge will be your receipt.
Click here for the official Rules + Regulations.
- To enter, visit our online entry portal to log in or register for a free account.
- You can save your progress as you go and return anytime to make edits to your entries.
- This art contest is open to all artists around the world age 18 years or older.
- If you are a member, you will be asked to provide the email address associated with your Artists Network membership. If you’d like to take advantage of membership pricing sign up today to save on entry fees!
- Upload your entry details and image(s). There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit. You are able to edit your entries until the final deadline.
PRIZES & AWARDS
Best in Show
$1500
One Grand Prize Winner (Best in Show) will receive a $1,500 cash prize, a one-year membership to ArtistsNetwork.com ($99 value) and a digital winner’s badge.
Top Dog, Top Cat, Top Other Pets*
$500
Three Category Winners (Dogs, Cats and Other Pets) will receive a $500 cash prize, a one-year membership to ArtistsNetwork.com ($99 value) and a digital winner’s badge.
*Other Pets is defined as any pet that is not a cat or dog.
15 Honorable Mentions
$50 Artists Network Gift Card
Fifteen Honorable Mentions (five per category) will receive a $50 eGift Card redeemable at ArtistsNetwork.com, plus a one-year membership to ArtistsNetwork.com ($99 value) and a digital winner’s badge.
OTHER HONORS
All Award Winners
Publication in Artists Magazine
All nineteen winners will be published in an online art presentation on ArtistsNetwork.com as well as a feature article in the Sept/Oct 2026 issue of Artists Magazine.
THE JURY
Rita Kirkman
Cats
Rita Kirkman is a renowned U.S. pastel artist known for painting animals that radiate presence and personality. With roots in portraiture, she captures each animal as an individual soul. Her luminous underpaintings and reverence for nature create depth, sparking imagination and inviting the viewer to see not just subjects, but kindred spirits. Since 2003 she has consistently won major awards in national and international competitions. She is a Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America and an Eminent Pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies. Her paintings have been published in Pastel Journal, Pratique des Arts Spécial Pastel, and many others.
Patrick Saunders
Dogs
Patrick Saunders is an award-winning artist who travels the globe, creating fine art, teaching painting workshops, and judging painting competitions. Patrick paints a variety of subjects, including portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, and florals. His works are featured in a number of notable permanent collections and have received awards by the American Advertising Federation, the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, Oil Painters of America and others. Patrick is a Master Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America.
John Plishka
Other Pets
John Plishka is a member of the Masters Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies, and a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists, the American Academy of Equine Art and the Chicago Pastel Painters. In addition to the Pastel Journal, his award-winning paintings have appeared in Sidelines Magazine, Equus magazine and the Chronicle of the Horse. The artist is a founding member of VetartNow, an art group for veterinary professionals that promotes wellness,and emphasizes the therapeutic and healing power of art. His works have been exhibited throughout the United States and his paintings hang in private collections across the country.
PAST WINNERS
2025 Best in Show
Walla
By Amarita Winter
2025 Top Dog
Sound of Silence
By James Swanson
2025 Top Cat
Surreptitious Gaze
By Linda Lucas Hardy
2025 Top Other Pet
Olivia and Taya
By Kevin Thomas
WINNER GALLERIES
2024 Online Winner Presentation
3rd Annual Best in Show: Pets
2023 Online Winner Presentation
2nd Annual Best in Show: Pets
2022 Online Winner Presentation
1st Annual Best in Show: Pets
FAQs
QImportant notice about our NEW online entry system:
As of March 2024, we have transitioned to a new online entry system for all Artists Network competitions. We will no longer be using Submittable to manage our contests.
If you’ve previously entered an Artists Network competition via Submittable, you will still have access to your account and entry records when you log in to the Submittable platform.
Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions.
QWhy is my entry still “In Progress”?
In order to officially enter your image into the jurying pool, you must hit “Submit Entry” during the entry process. This will place your image in the cart so that you may pay and complete your entry.
QWhy didn’t I receive a notification when I entered my artwork?
You must have your Award Force notifications enabled in Settings in order to receive updates about your entry. Please make sure that our emails (anything ending in @goldenpeakmedia.com) are not blocked, or you may not receive critical information, receipts, confirmations etc.
QWhat do I do if I make a mistake in my entry?
You may edit your entries up until the closing deadline of a contest. When logged into Award Force, click on “Enter” at the top of the screen. This will show your entries that are in progress or completed.
QWhat types of artwork are acceptable?
Best in Show: Pets is open to all artists working in two dimensions in all traditional art media (e.g., oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, mixed media, gouache, egg tempera, pen and ink; drawing media such as graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, scratchboard, markers, metal point; and two-dimensional collage).
Photography, except for minor elements incorporated in a collage, will NOT be considered. Sculpture will NOT be considered. Digital art will NOT be considered. Entries are limited to two-dimensional artwork. Two-dimensional means that a mixed media cannot exceed one inch in depth.
QOriginal artwork and Artificial Intelligence (AI) guidelines:
All works must be original. “Original” means that the work must be from the hand of a single artist; pieces that originate from a workshop or a class under the direction of a teacher are not eligible. For works based on reference photographs, eligibility requires that the artist must have taken the photographs or have obtained written permission from the photographer to create the work and to enter it in the Contest. Compositions based on published material or other artists’ work are NOT considered original and are not eligible.
Artwork or reference imagery generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) will NOT be considered.
Click here for the official Rules and Eligibility details for the 2026 Best in Show Pets art competition.
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