Welcome to Oil Painters of America’s Sixth Annual Student Art Competition
An online fine art exhibition for students
Show Your Talent. Be Recognized. Shine!
Oil Painters of America (OPA), one of North America’s leading professional art organizations with 3,500+ members, invites high school & college students to submit their oil paintings. Explore the beauty of representational art and take your skills to the next level!
Submit your work, gain recognition, and be part of an amazing art community. Let your art shine for the world to see!
Who can enter
Students ages 14–23
Submit up to 3 oil paintings
Teacher/faculty guidance is encouraged but optional
What to Submit
Oil paintings in representational style in accordance with OPA’s Submission Rules.
Plein air or studio work accepted
Family-friendly subject matter only
Online display includes: artist name, painting title & size, school, and age.
Where Winners Exhibit
The top 3 winners in each division are invited to OPA’s 35th National Exhibition of Traditional Oils.
Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, CO
May 29 – August 29, 2026
Requirements: framed, wired, remain on display; winners handle shipping
Awards by Division
First Place: $500 cash + $500 Blick Gift Certificate
Second Place: $250 cash + $250 Blick Gift Certificate
Third Place: $100 cash + $100 Blick Gift Certificate
3 Honorable Mention: $50 Blick Gift Certificate
Important Dates
Submission Period: Dec 1, 2025 – Apr 1, 2026
Winner Notification: Apr 15, 2026
Submission Fee
$10 per entry (max three entries)
How to Enter
Free OPA Student Membership required (ages 14–23)
New Members: Complete the online membership application to enter
2025 Student Members: Renew before submitting
Optional: Student Associate Membership ($40/year) all the benefits of Associate membership
.
Awards and Jurors
- Awards: High School Division - ages 14 to 18 years First Place: $500 cash/$500 Blick Gift Certificate, Second Place: $250 cash/$250 Blick Gift Certificate, Third Place: $100 cash/$100 Blick Gift Certificate, 3 Awards of Excellence with each receiving a $50 Blick Gift Certificate College Division - ages 19 to 23 years First Place: $500 cash/$500 Blick Gift Certificate, Second Place: $250 cash/$250 Blick Gift Certificate, Third Place: $100 cash/$100 Blick Gift Certificate, 3 Awards of Excellence with each receiving a $50 Blick Gift Certificate
- Jurors:
The awarding juror is TBD
Show Information
- Entry: Students between the ages of 14 and 23 are invited to submit up to three oil paintings for award consideration. Students are encouraged to work under the direction of a teacher or faculty member although it is not required. It is $10 per entry and student membership is required, but free!
- General Information: With over 3,500 artists, Oil Painters of America is one of today’s leading professional art organizations in North America. OPA is pleased to announce its Fifth Annual Student Art Competition, which is open to all high school and collegiate-level students living in North America. OPA aims to raise awareness of representational art and allow students to learn more about this beautiful art form.
- Show Rules: Rules & Regulations: To maintain the integrity and spirit of
the competition, the following rules apply:
● Paintings must be created on one singular flat substrate.
● The substrate must not exceed the maximum size of 864 sq. inches (24” x 36”)
● Submission must be originally conceived: using your own reference, your own drawing, your own concept and must have been self-painted.
● All entries must depict family-friendly subject matter (any portrayals of graphic nudity, violence, or other non-family-friendly subject matter will not be accepted.
● Faculty or mentors can make suggestions only and should NOT work directly on the student’s canvas
● Copyright infringement of any kind is unacceptable. It is unethical and against OPA policy for artists to submit work created from another person’s drawing/painting/photo or other artwork that is not solely the artist’s copyright.
● Digital apps and programs may be used for cropping your reference photos, etc., but no digital, mechanical, photo, or other transferring to the substrate of any kind is acceptable. You must draw and/or paint the image on your substrate yourself.
● No direct copies of stock images, historic photos, or of any reference to which you do not hold total copyright are allowed. You must be able to provide signed documentation of total copyright should OPA request.
● The artist retains copyright to his/her image(s). However, award winners’ images do become part of OPA archives and may be used for future OPA event promotion.
● Paintings must be created in oils in the representational style. This includes a broad spectrum of styles ranging from realistic to impressionist – or your own style, as long as it is representational. Both plein air and/or studio work is acceptable. All submissions will be displayed online with the artist's name, painting title & size, school name and age on OPA’s website.
● Award winning artists will be responsible for having their paintings properly framed and wired for hanging to participate in the National Exhibition. In addition, shipping to and from the exhibition will be the responsibility of the artist.
● Paintings exhibited in the student competition do not need to be for sale. However, paintings that are for sale will be subject to a commission fee of 50% of which 40% will go to Herrig Center for the Arts, 10% to OPA, and 50% to the artist.
Events
- April 4, 2025
