2025 Capitola Plein Air

The City of Capitola is pleased to invite artists to participate in the 9^th annual 2025 Capitola Plein Air event. This juried plein air competition, exhibition, and sale celebrates the natural beauty and character of Capitola, California. Artists will paint en plein air throughout Capitola during the week of November 3-8, 2025. There will be an Artist Welcome on November 3^rd, a Quick Paint on November 8^th, and the event will culminate in a public exhibition and sale on Sunday, November 9^th, where awards will be presented.

Important Dates

• Application Deadline: July 15, 2025
• Acceptance Notification: August 1, 2025
• Painting Days: November 3–8, 2025
• Artist Welcome: November 3, 2025
• Meet the Artists/Quick Paint: Saturday November 8, 2025
• Exhibition & Sales Event: Sunday, November 9, 2025

Eligibility

• Open to artists aged 18 and older working in plein air painting media. 
• All work submitted for application jurying must be original, completed within the past two years, and representative of the artist’s plein air style.
• Out-of-town artists must secure their own lodging to participate in the event. No hosted lodging is provided for artists.

Application Requirements

Artists will submit:

• 3–5 images of recent plein air work
• Artist bio (250 words or fewer)
• $50 non-refundable application fee

Participation Requirements

• Selected artists must check in on Monday, November 3, and have all painting surfaces stamped, including the required 8x10 Quick Paint canvas.
• Artists may paint throughout Capitola from November 3–8.
• Artists are required to participate in all Capitola Plein Air activities (dates listed above)
• Up to 5 completed and framed paintings may be submitted for exhibition and sale on November 9.
• All artwork must be created en plein air during the event week and within the city limits of Capitola.

Meet the Artists/Quick Paint Event

The Meet the Artists/Quick Paint event will be held at Esplanade Park on Saturday, November 8, 2025. Participating artists are required to attend and engage with the public. Artists will provide an 8x10 canvas and be given 2 hours to paint near the Esplanade and return for a people’s choice vote and award.

Quick Paint Awards

• People’s Choice: certificate of recognition

Exhibition & Sales Event

The public exhibition and sale will be held Sunday, November 9, 2025. Participating artists are required to attend and engage with the public. All exhibited works must be for sale. The City will conduct all sales and retain a 30% commission. Artists will receive payment within 30 days following the event.

Exhibition Awards

A juror (TBD) will select award winners.

• 1st Place: $1000 cash prize and prominent promotional features.
• 2nd Place: certificate of recognition
• 3rd Place: certificate of recognition
• Honorable Mentions: certificate of recognition
• Artists’ Choice Award: certificate of recognition
• People’s Choice Award: certificate of recognition

Image Use Agreement

The first-place winning artist grants the City of Capitola exclusive rights to use a high-resolution image of the awarded artwork for promotional, archival, and public display purposes in perpetuity. The artist retains copyright and may reproduce and sell the image, but may not license the image to any third party.

The artist may sell the original artwork during the event. However, the winning piece must be held by the City until the following week (November 10-16, 2025) for professional image reproduction. The artwork will be returned promptly to the artist (or buyer), and the artist will receive a high-resolution digital file for their own use.

Contact

For more information, please contact:
Jaquelyn Johnson
jjohnson@ci.capitola.ca.us

(831) 475-7300 x 297

User Entry Process Tutorial

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