PleinAir Salon — an international painting competition with a $15,000 prize and a cover feature in PleinAir Magazine
There are competitions where everything is obvious at the start — and the result remains just as clear. PleinAir Salon is exactly that case. The main prize is $15,000, and the winning work appears on the cover of PleinAir Magazine, one of the most influential magazines on painting today. This is not an abstract prestige, but a concrete professional outcome: money, publication, and international visibility.
A competition with reputation, not a one-time promotion
PleinAir Salon has been organized for more than 15 years by Streamline Publishing, the publishing group behind PleinAir Magazine and Fine Art Connoisseur. Over the years, the competition has become a reference point for artists working in painting and drawing, and a stable entry point into the professional international context.
Not only plein air, not only painting
Despite the name, the competition is open not only to plein air works. Traditional 2D works are accepted — painting and drawing, created both outdoors and in the studio. Photography, digital works, AI-generated images, and 3D practices are not accepted. The focus is on authorship and artistic craftsmanship, not on media experimentation.
International format without barriers
Artists from all over the world may participate. There are no citizenship, residency, or gallery representation requirements. This makes PleinAir Salon particularly attractive for artists who work seriously but are not located in major art centers and are looking for an understandable international format with tangible results.
How the competition works and deadlines
PleinAir Salon operates in a monthly format. Each month is a separate competition cycle with its own set of winners.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for each month.
From the 1st to the 15th — discounted entry fee.
From the 16th to the end of the month — standard entry fee.
There is no fixed “last chance” deadline, which is an important advantage: you can plan your participation without stress and return with the same works even if you did not win earlier.
Prizes and further opportunities
In addition to the $15,000 grand prize, the competition awards cash prizes in monthly categories and honorable mentions. Monthly winners automatically advance to the annual PleinAir Salon Awards, where the main prize is selected.
Finalists receive additional professional visibility, and 25 best artists are invited to participate in the Plein Air Convention, while the overall winner becomes the cover artist.
Fair judging and professional review
Works are evaluated by invited experts — artists, gallerists, and curators. Judging is conducted in a blind review format: jurors see only the image, its title, and technical details about the work. The author’s name is not visible. The evaluation is truly focused on the artwork itself.
Why it is worth applying
PleinAir Salon is a competition for those who want clarity. Clear value, transparent rules, regular deadlines, and a real professional outcome. It is a format where participation can be integrated into a long-term strategy, rather than treated as a one-off lottery.
