The 28th Annual Pastel 100 Art Competition is an international pastel art competition presented by Pastel Journal and Artists Network. It invites artists working primarily in soft pastel to submit digital entries for review across five subject-based categories.

Entries may be submitted in Animal + Wildlife, Abstract + Non-Objective, Landscape + Interior, Portrait + Figure, and Still Life + Floral. Submitted work must be predominantly soft pastel, with oil pastel excluded, and the competition emphasizes original work created by the submitting artist.

For pastel artists, the competition offers a focused platform built around the medium itself rather than a broad open art call. Its category structure gives artists working in representational, abstract, landscape, portrait, wildlife, still-life, and floral approaches a clear route for presenting work to editors and jurors connected with Pastel Journal.

Entry fee: Final deadline entry fee is $30 per image for Artists Network members and $40 per image for nonmembers; earlier entry periods were $15/$25 and $25/$35 per image.

Eligibility

Open to U.S. and international artists who are at least 18 years old and of the age of majority in their jurisdiction, submitting original work made at least 80% in soft pastel, with oil pastel, AI-generated artwork or reference imagery, and ineligible previously published or nationally awarded work excluded.

Prize

The competition awards five top prizes: $3,000 for the Pastel Journal Founder’s Award in memory of Maggie Price, $2,000 for the Pastel Journal Award of Excellence, $1,500 for the Gold Award, $1,000 for the Silver Award, and $750 for the Bronze Award, each with a one-year Artists Network membership. The prize structure also includes 25 category prizes, 70 honorable mentions, premium art materials from sponsors, and publication in Pastel Journal for top prize winners and place winners.