Cape Ann Plein Air 2026
Prospectus Cape Ann Plein Air Competition and Festival October 3-11, 2026
www.capeannpleinair.com
bethbuckingham@capeannpleinair.com
Description
Cape Ann Plein Air 2025 was another success! We presented $22,000 in prize money and made a donation from the proceeds of painting sales to Cape Ann Art Haven to ensure access to art education for all our local children. The artists had a fantastic time creating art all over Cape Ann and now we are poised to start all over again. This year, in celebration of our 10th Anniversary, we will be offering a $10,000 First Prize!
For nearly two centuries, Cape Ann, Massachusetts has been a destination for some of the finest painters who paint en plein air. Throughout its five picturesque seaside communities, Cape Ann Plein Air will host its tenth annual week-long plein air painting celebration in October when the famous Cape Ann light shines at its very best. Organized by the Cape Ann Plein Air Board of Directors, the communities will see 35 of the finest plein air artists in the nation compete for over $22,000 in prizes and awards while raising awareness of the importance of plein air painting and raising the visibility of the creative economy on Cape Ann, the birthplace of American Plein Air painting. The work produced will be sold at the end of the week at the Gala and Art Sale.
Geographic area
Greater Cape Ann, Massachusetts: Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Ipswich.
Lodging
We will do our best to provide complimentary lodging in private homes for artists from outside the area. Discounted lodging in local hotels and inns may also be available.
More information will be provided upon acceptance and details will be posted on the website.
Application Process
There will be 35 artists participating. The top 5 CAPA 2025 prize winners are automatically invited back (First, Second, Third and Artist Choice from the Gala and Art Sale and First from the juried Quick Draw artists). The online jurying process will choose the remaining artists. There will be up to 10 alternates chosen from the applicant pool.
Entries will be processed by OnlineJuriedShows from Jan 1-Apr 1, 2026.
Print your receipt for your records. Submit 3 color images of plein air work from 2024 to present in jpeg format, sRGB color. For best results, make sure each image is 72 dpi and at least 1920 pixels on the longest side. Image files must be under 4mb.
Help in photographing your work and properly sizing your images can be found at: www.OnlineJuriedShows.com/help.aspx
If you need help entering your images or are unable to, please contact onlinejuriedshows@gmail.com or call 888-666-1351. $60 entry fee must be made in full!
More information about the OnlineJuriedShows process below.
APPLICATION DEADLINE April 1, 2026: THERE WILL BE NO EXTENSIONS!
CAPA2026 Online Juror-Mike Hernandez
Cape Ann Plein Air’s 2026 artists will be selected from all applicants by renowned plein air painter and instructor Mike Hernandez. Mike is a skilled painter in oil, acrylic and gouache whose work has been featured in many on-line publications and galleries. He was a Production Designer and Art Director at Dreamworks Animation and worked on Shrek, Madagascar and many other films.
Selected artists will be notified in mid-April and the list will be posted on the Cape Ann Plein Air website shortly after selection.
CAPA2026 Event Awards Judge-Jeff Weaver
Jeff Weaver is one of Cape Ann’s most talented and respected artists. After high school, Jeff attended the Boston Museum School. In 1972, he moved to Gloucester where he is known for his paintings of working waterfronts and architectural diversity. He works in the American Realist tradition and has been influenced by developments in 20th century painting and its emphasis on gestural brushwork, line and compositional structure.
Anticipated Awards: these may vary and are subject to change.
1st Place $10,000 (plus entry into CAPA27)
2nd Place $4000 (plus entry into CAPA27)
3rd Place $2000 (plus entry into CAPA27)
Greg LaRock Memorial Artist Choice $1,000 (plus entry into CAPA27)
Best Cape Ann Abstract: $1,000
Best Americana: $500
Best In Art and Architecture: $500
Best Seascape: $500
Best Nocturne: $750
Best Marine: $500
Best Maritime Activity: $500
Best Working Waterfront: $750
2026 CAPA TENTATIVE CALENDAR: Event week details subject to change.
April 1 - Submit works online DEADLINE. $60 entry fee must be made in full!
Mid-April - Email notifications and posting to CAPA website and social media.
Saturday October 3, 8am-7pm: All day registration and substrate stamping. Bring one plein air painting for display for the week of CAPA2026.
Saturday, October 3, 7pm: All Artists -Welcome Meeting.
October 3-8: Artists paint en plein air in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, Manchester-by the-Sea and Ipswich.
Thursday, October 8: Drop off mandatory 4 paintings. Up to 4 additional paintings may be entered for sale. Each image size excluding frame not to exceed 480 square inches.
Friday, October 9: Gala Awards and Art Sale
Saturday, October 10: Quick Draw- Mandatory participation, Gala Gallery art sales.
Sunday, October 11: Judges Talk and Gallery sales. Gallery closes at 3PM. Your art must remain hanging for the duration of the show.
Special events, demos, workshops: details to be announced on our full calendar at www.capeannpleinair.com. There are optional dinners and other special events planned throughout the week. Artist participation in events is strongly encouraged.
General Regulations:
Participation in the Meet the Artists Reception, Gala Awards and Art Show and Quick Draw is required. We require that you stay for the duration of the event, October 3-11, 2026. Paintings may not be removed until Sunday at 3:00pm.
Artwork submitted for exhibit and awards must have been created en plein air, within the five greater Cape Ann communities, and without the benefit of photography between October 3 and October 10, 2026. Artists must submit the mandatory 4 competition pieces to be eligible for an award.
The mediums of oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, casein and pastel are acceptable for this event.
Artists are responsible for framing all submitted artwork and bringing it to the check-in site. Frames must be in good condition, wired in the upper third of the frame and completely ready for hanging. No saw-tooth hangers. All works on paper must be protected. White or off-white mats are recommended.
All paintings must have the Cape Ann Plein Air 2026 stamp on the substrate.
All exhibited artwork must be for sale. Artists set their own prices. Negotiation on prices once paintings are hung is prohibited.
All sales transactions are processed by Cape Ann Plein Air.
A 40% commission on all sales is retained to support CAPA with a portion to be donated to Cape Ann Art Haven for support of aspiring artist students. This includes any sales for 30 days after the event from our online gallery.
Unsold paintings are the responsibility of the artist.
Questions? Contact:
Beth Buckingham
Co-President, Cape Ann Plein Air Board of Directors
978-621-3942 mobile
bethbuckingham@capeannpleinair.com
A NOTE FROM OnlineJuriedShows
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING
REGARDING JURY NOTIFICATIONS: Notifications are sent through Constant Contact from onlinejuriedshows@gmail.com. To ensure receipt of this notification, please add onlinejuriedshows@gmail.com to your contact list, or safe senders list.
On the day of notification, you can do the following, but you will also receive an email notification, sent from Constant Contact, that will state the same.
1. Go to OnlineJuriedShows.com and log in using your email address and password.
2. Right above where you just logged in, click "Your Artist Profile." You are now in your account!
3. At the bottom of your screen under "List of shows that jury by artists' work as a whole (like a Plein Air show)," you will see the show name and to the right of it you will see your jury results. It will say either, "You were accepted, click to read the letter," or “You were not accepted, click to read the letter," or "You were accepted as an Alternate, click to read the letter."
4. While you are in your account on OnlineJuriedShows.com, click "Personal Info" and make sure your name, address, phone number, and email address are up-to-date.
NOTE: Please be sure to read your letters in their entirety. Most acceptance letters will ask you to RSVP or will have special instructions you must follow.
IF YOU NEED HELP WITH THE FOLLOWING:
How to look at or edit your entries.
How to pay, if you didn't pay when you entered.
How to see if you’ve already paid, or how to get a receipt.
How to Update your Personal Info (name, address, email address, password). How to REPLACE an Entry.
https://onlinejuriedshows.com/Help.aspx
Also, if you’d like to write to us to get help, CLICK HERE:
https://onlinejuriedshows.com/Contact.aspx or email onlinejuriedshows@gmail.com