Watercolor USA is a prestigious national competitive exhibition celebrating excellence in water media painting. Now in its second year at the Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin, Missouri, the exhibition continues a remarkable legacy that began at the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Missouri, where it was hosted from 1962 through 2023. Spiva is deeply honored to once again steward this historic exhibition and carry forward its tradition of showcasing outstanding water media artistry.
We are also thrilled to welcome Carol Carter as the juror for Watercolor USA 2026. Her distinguished career and expertise bring an exciting perspective to this year’s exhibition. Additional information about the juror can be found by scrolling further down this page.
Watercolor USA 2026 will be on view from Saturday, May 30, through Saturday, July 25, 2026, with a special opening reception on Friday, May 29, 2026.
View the Watercolor USA 2026 prospectus HERE.
Watercolor USA 2026 – IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES
January 9 Online entry begins – APPLY ON callforentry.org HERE
February 16 Entry deadline at midnight CST.
March 16 Juror results notifications via email from Spiva and on your Call for Entry account.
March 19 – April 18 Shipped artwork may arrive at Spiva.
April 14 – April 18 Hand delivered artwork may arrive at Spiva between 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
May 29 Opening reception and awards
May 30 Watercolor USA 2026 opens to public
July 25 Exhibition closes, 5:00 PM
July 28 – July 29 Hand deliveries may be picked up between 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
July 28 – July 29 Shipped artwork is packed and shipping in process.
WCUSA 2026 AWARDS:
Cash Prizes Awarded by George A. Spiva Center for the Arts:
Cash Prizes Awarded by Watercolor USA Honor Society:
Merchandise Prizes Awarded by Watercolor USA Honor Society ($500 MRSP value):
*Please note, WHS award categories and amounts change each year.
Email exhibits@spivaarts.org for more information.
Cover image: L.S. Eldridge | Hashtag Harmony
Begin entering on January 9, 2026, at www.callforentry.org | APPLY HERE ON CALLFORENTRY.ORG
Deadline is February 16, 2026, midnight CST.
Watercolor USA 2026 will exhibit May 30-July 25, 2026.
Watercolor USA 2026 will be selected from digital image files. Digital images should accurately represent the artworks entered. No detail views. It is the intention of Spiva that all acceptances will be considered final. However, Spiva reserves the right to delete from the exhibition any artwork that does not conform to the entry specifications.
Digital images must be high quality JPEGs with a resolution of 300 dpi.
For Watercolor USA 2026, all submitted artwork must be original and created within the past three (3) years of the exhibition’s opening date.
Due to CaFÉ system requirements, the $40 entry fee is associated with a two-entry minimum. Artists must submit at least two entries to complete checkout. Artists who have only one artwork available may submit the same piece twice to meet this requirement. Submitting duplicate entries does not affect jury consideration and is simply a technical workaround required by the platform. Current members of the Watercolor USA Honor Society will be charged $30.00. Contact WHS for PROMO code used at check out.
The Watercolor 2026 juror is Carol Carter.
Carol Carter is an internationally recognized artist whose career has spanned more than 35 years. Carol has taught workshops for over 30 years, as well as in university. Her paintings have been in many national and international exhibitions, both juried and invitational. She has been featured in global publications including, International Arts Magazine, Art of Watercolour, Watercolor Artist, and L’Aquarelle Magazine. In 2012 she was an AIRE fellow for the Everglades National Park. She is part of the Art in Embassies program with art currently in the American Embassy in Montenegro.
In 2019 she was also honored with Master Signature Member status, American Women Artists and Master Signature Member status, Heartland Art Club. She recently exhibited in “Making Their Mark: American Women Artists” at the Booth Western Art Museum. She is the recent recipient of 2020 Snehil Lifetime Achievement Award, Snehilsrijan, India. She has exhibited her work in Europe, China, Hong Kong, USVI, Morocco and throughout the United States. She has lead many symposiums on how to make a living as an artist and marketing art as a career. She has frequently served as a juror in art exhibitions both on national and on international levels. She is on the advisory board of the American Watercolor Weekly.
View more about Carol and her work at www.carol-carter.com.
| Suzanne Accetta |
| Ellery Akers |
| Miles Batt 2 |
| Cindy Brabec-King |
| Marilynne Bradley |
| Jessica Bryant |
| Helen Burkett |
| Nel Dorn Byrd |
| Lana Cease |
| Due Chan |
| Coral Ye Chen |
| Merri Chester |
| Ken Clubb |
| Rachel Collins |
| Kathleen Conover |
| Wayne Conyers |
| Walter Costilow |
| Gail Delger |
| Jackie Dorsey |
| Kelly Eddington |
| Gregory Effinger |
| L. S. Eldridge |
| Lisa Englander |
| Alicia Farris |
| Kristine Fretheim |
| Karen Frey |
| Jane Fritz |
| Sarah Gatewood |
| Antoaneta Georgieva |
| Kathleen Giles |
| Yidan Guo |
| Lisbeth Hamlin |
| James Hartel |
| Janine Helton |
| Zhebin Hu |
| Judith Hummer |
| Sandra Humphries |
| Sonja Hutchinson |
| Mary Jansen |
| Bev Jozwiak |
| John Keeling |
| Dan Kirchhefer |
| Cindy Kopenhafer |
| Robert Kraszewski |
| Chris Krupinski |
| Howard Kuo |
| Alexis Lavine |
| Randall Leclere |
| Vicky Lilla |
| Nick Long |
| Carolyn Lord |
| Lea Magruder |
| Anni Matsick |
| Laurel McGuire |
| Rebecca Meloy |
| Sandy Ann Meyer |
| Mary Jane Mooneyham |
| Temple Moore |
| Tess Myers |
| Olga Nikishina |
| Charles Novich |
| Brian Paulsen |
| Ann Pember |
| Trish Poupard |
| Elayne Prince |
| Susan Puelz |
| Debora Reed |
| Sydni Reubin |
| Dorrie Rifkin |
| Megan Ripke |
| Alayne Sahar |
| Margaret Scanlan |
| Annie Scheumbauer |
| Fred Schollmeyer |
| Beth Shadur |
| Alisa Shea |
| Jennifer Sowders |
| Eileen Sudzina |
| Dana Thompson |
| Monte Toon |
| Beth Trott |
| Carmella Tuliszewski |
| Melissa Van Egdom |
| Elena Von Derau |
| Lee Walter |
| Ben Wang |
| Mami Weber |
| Alisha Whitman |
| Christopher Wynn |
| Stephen Zhang |
| Xiaochang Zhang |
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Wednesday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Thursday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Friday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Saturday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Sunday: Closed
212 W. 7th Street
Joplin, M0 64801
