Red is the color of intensity. It can signal passion, courage, desire, danger, power, warmth, or life itself. “The Red” invites artists to explore the emotional, symbolic, and visual force of red in all its shades—from deep crimson and burgundy to vivid scarlet and vermilion. We welcome painting, drawing, mixed media, digital art, sculpture, and other contemporary practices in which red plays a central role.
September 1, 2026 — Applications open
September 25, 2026 — Application deadline
September 30, 2026 — Notification of winning artworks
Gold Award
— Digital Certificate
— $100-$200 Cash Prize
— Featured at The top of the Exhibition Page
Excellence Award
— Digital Certificate
— $45 Cash Prize
— Featured on the Exhibition Page
Curator’s Choice
— Digital Certificate
— Featured on the Exhibition Page
Finalists
— Included in the Online Exhibition

Requiem
·
2025
Olio su tela
L'opera si pone come strumento per analizzare il tema sull'ecologia dell'abitare, intesa come alienazione, giudizio sociale o solitudine dell'individuo di fronte alla massa. Le maschere sorridenti non trasmettono gioia ma creano un effetto perturbante, in buona sostanza, rappresentano l'indifferenza della massa di fronte al collasso silenzioso dei valori della nostra società.

Excellence Award
Drunken Red
·
2017
Oil painting
Much like the vibrant and bountiful autumn, the female form offers an inexhaustible source of artistic inspiration. The artist composes the image using the simplest, purest palette of black, red, and white, creating a tone that is at once intense and elegant. Expanses of highly saturated red symbolize life in its prime; a young woman is depicted at the very zenith of her vitality, while the air is thick with an intoxicating, evocative Oriental charm. Bathed in the spotlight, the maiden is immersed in a dreamlike realm; her radiant, flawless body is revealed in all its splendor, and the silken smoothness of her skin seems almost tangible—one can practically sense the warmth of her body and the breath at the tip of her nose, even across the canvas. This work embodies the true beauty of the female form.

Excellence Award
Reversal
·
2024
Acrylic on Canvas
Reversal explores the dramatic power of red through an acrylic pour that balances intensity with restraint. Brilliant scarlet, crimson, and touches of orange move across the canvas in sweeping organic forms, interrupted by passages of black, soft gray, and open white space. Intricate cellular patterns create areas of concentrated detail, while broader shapes allow the composition room to breathe.

Curator’s Choice
ACCENT on RED
·
2024
Anthony Chapman
Phorography
Influenced by Timeless Classics from the past this composition uses natural light to recreate traditional still life

Curator’s Choice
The Emperor's Dispossessed
·
2010
Bob Jolly
Acrylic

Curator’s Choice
Primary Impressions 2
·
2009
Eldon Ward
Acrylic
Primary red and yellow inspired by New Mexico

Curator’s Choice
The Guardians
·
2022
Frances Murphy
Commercial and hand-dyed fabrics
As I watched the television coverage of the Cathedral of Notre Dame burning on April 15, 2019, I was stunned that a place so massive and so timeless could also be so fragile. I felt an ancient, deep fear of fire and how quickly fire can change our lives and alter our world. The gargoyles of Notre Dame are a part of the uniqueness of the Cathedral. Gargoyles are said to frighten off and protect what they guard, such as a church, from any evil or harmful spirits. In my opinion, the gargoyles of Notre Dame did just that. The structure survived the fire and most of the priceless art and religious artifacts within the Cathedral were saved.

Curator’s Choice
Nur den roten Faden nicht verlieren
·
2025
Canvas, Mixed Media
Viele Situationen in einem Leben sind geeignet, Werdegänge und Karrieren zu beeinflussen. Bei all dem ist es wichtig, den "roten Faden" nicht zu verlieren. Die rote Spur im Bild stellt symbolhaft diese Situationen dar.

Curator’s Choice
RED
·
2024
Acrylics on canvas and black metal leaf
Red is not merely a colour here, but a presence. Monumental blossoms emerge from the darkness with an almost human intensity—sensual, proud and unapologetically alive. Their crimson, burgundy and luminous pink surfaces move between delicacy and strength, while the vertical green stem introduces a quiet structural tension. Enlarged beyond botanical intimacy, the flowers become individual characters: vulnerable yet commanding, transient yet defiant. The work explores red as the colour of vitality, desire and emotional excess—a moment of life held at its most vivid.

Curator’s Choice
ENTANGLED
·
2026
Julie Heifetz
Digital Photograph
Entangled - caught in a web, enflamed by the red - open to the viewer to experience the entrapment and consider the what, whys and hows.

Curator’s Choice
Dalila Gothic
·
2026
Nicholas Kozis
Digital
Here the use of the color red symbolizes the longing and remorse of the models feelings.

Curator’s Choice
Scarlet
·
2026
Olga Tkachova
Olej na plátně
Obraz „Scarlet“ zkoumá dialog mezi vášní a mocí prostřednictvím jazyka pohybu a intenzity červené barvy. Splývavé šarlatové šaty tanečnice rozšiřují její pohyby za hranice fyzického a transformují látku v energii. Zářící červený kruh evokuje vnitřní zdroj ohně, zatímco tmavý vertikální prvek vytváří napětí mezi pohybem a zdrženlivostí.„Scarlet“ zachycuje okamžik, kdy protichůdné síly přestávají vzájemně odporovat a stávají se jednotným vyjádřením ženské síly.Velikost: 70x100

Curator’s Choice
A Place to Land
·
2026
Mixed Media
A Place to Land A brilliant cardinal prepares to land on the weathered wooden ribs of a cactus—the strong inner structure that once supported the living plant from within. His vivid red plumage brings a sudden flash of color and energy to the quiet desert scene, a striking contrast to the sun-bleached remains below. A Place to Land celebrates nature’s continuing cycle of renewal, where what remains from one life can still serve another, offering support, refuge, and perhaps the perfect place to pause before taking flight again.

"Asian Bride" Wisdom
Andrea Lynn

"Lady in Red"
Andrea Lynn

ACCENT on RED
Anthony Chapman

SIMPLY RED 2
Anthony Chapman

Red
Barry Douglas Smylie

Beyond the Red
Bela Fidel

Summer
Bela Fidel

The Emperor's Dispossessed
Bob Jolly

Alpine Festival
Bob Jolly

Totemesque
Bob Jolly

Fargo
Bobbe Jones

THE RED WINDOW LEAK
BRAD LAKIN

PASSAGE TO SANTA FE
BRAD LAKIN

The Tube
Brigitte B Burckhardt

Heat Wave
Brigitte B Burckhardt

Wind
Brigitte B Burckhardt

Requiem
Cesare Pinotti

Little Lady In Red
Cher Pruys

Mirror Finish
Cher Pruys

Show Stopper
Cher Pruys

Impala
Dan McCrary

Take the Helm, Mister Sulu
Dan McCrary

I Must Escape this Emptiness
Daniel Mark Cassity

Hotel de l'Horloge, Avignon
Davi M. D'Agostino

The Road to Oz
dorienne carmel

Primary Impressions 2
Eldon Ward

The Guardians
Frances Murphy

Nur den roten Faden nicht verlieren
Gerhard Lämmlin

Alpenländisch I
Gerhard Lämmlin

Das Rot, das brennt
Gerhard Lämmlin

Lobster House
Gregory Supple

Poppin Poppies
Gregory Supple

H & L Company No 3
Gregory Supple

My Happy Place
Helen Yancy

RED
Ilse Krukle

Full of Vacancy
Jason Shih

Flamenco
Jason Shih

Drunken Red
Jianwu Tan

ENTANGLED
Julie Heifetz

A Moment
Julie Heifetz

Red Rhythms: Cuban Style
Julie Heifetz

Symphony in Red
Julie Heifetz

Sunburn
Kristi Richter

Poppies
Leah K. Tomaino

South of the Border
Leslie Jeffery

Put On Your Red Dress Mama
Leslie Jeffery

Reversal
Linda L McCord

Between Words #2
Linda L McCord

Emerging
Lynne Mizera

El canto de la madrugada
Magaly Quirós Cruz -Maquiz-

Me voy de fiesta
Magaly Quirós Cruz -Maquiz-

Protección
Magaly Quirós Cruz -Maquiz-

Act, Lips and others Imponderables
Malina Wieczorek

Act, red Madonna
Malina Wieczorek

ACT, WOMAN FROM AMARANTH VEIL, TERRA IGNOTA rose
Malina Wieczorek

Joyful Little Bouquet
Nancy Stella Galianos

Proud Spirit
Nancy Stella Galianos

Iridescent Magma 36"X36"
Nancy Stella Galianos

Dalila Gothic
Nicholas Kozis

Haley In Red 4
Nicholas Kozis

Mr M In Red
Nicholas Kozis

Simone Color 11
Nicholas Kozis

Simone Color Nior 3
Nicholas Kozis

Scarlet
Olga Tkachova

Království růží
Olga Tkachova

Ablaze
Pamela Beck

Attraction
Pamela Beck

Tango
Pamela Beck

John and Bon
Pascal HERVE

The harpist's hands
Paul M Dessau

Les Dames
Pejo Glassart

No Return
ric conn

Hypocrisy of Censorship
ric conn

Lady in Red
ric conn

Hibiscus Flowers In Ibiza
Sara Davies

LADIES IN RED
SUE APPLETON DAYTON

A Place to Land
Theresa Poalucci

Slice of Summer
Theresa Poalucci























