Call for Submissions: THE BIG CHILL

Art Fluent invites artists worldwide to submit artwork to THE BIG CHILL, an online art exhibit.

• Applications due by Friday, January 23, 2026, at midnight MST.
• Notification of acceptance and online gallery opening by Friday, February 20, 2026.
• Best of Show: $750
• Two Director’s Choice awards: $250 each
• All accepted pieces will be displayed in the online gallery at www.art-fluent.com

THEME

Winter strips it all down with its bare trees, frosted mornings, and that sharp breath of cold air. But it’s not all icy; there’s cocoa, cozy fires, and the sparkle of snowflakes, too. Show your version of winter’s beauty and transformation… show THE BIG CHILL from your perspective.

ENTRY FEE

$25 for first entry/$10 for each additional entry (maximum 20). Payment is non-refundable and does not guarantee acceptance. For 3D work, there is no need to pay for additional entries for detail shots. Once a first entry is made, you may send additional views by email to hello@art-fluent.com.

SELECTION PROCESS

Director’s choice. Each show is curated and juried by Creative Director Amy Matteson Neill, along with an anonymous committee of jurors. Please note, there is no personal feedback given by jurors.

NOTIFICATION

Notification will be done by email; everyone who submits will be notified of the juror’s selections. Please check the filters in your email account if you have not heard by the notification date. Notification emails are sent to the email on file with CaFÉ.

SALES

All sales inquiries will be directed to the artist’s website and/or contact information. The artists receive 100% of the sale for any artwork sold.

GIVING BACK

A portion of the proceeds from the entry fees is donated to organizations committed to the arts and supporting artists.

REQUIRED FORMS

Cash awards over $600 are subject to federal income tax withholding within the United States. A W-9 form must be filled out by the winner and submitted to Art Fluent, Inc.

Requirements

This call is open to artists worldwide, both amateur and professional. Work selected for previous exhibits with Art Fluent will not be considered.

• Work copied or done under the guidance of an instructor is not eligible.
• Open to ALL fine art mediums (oil, acrylic, watermedia, pastel, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, photography, sculpture, fiber, wood, ceramics, film/video, digital art).
• AI will not be accepted.
• Diptychs and triptychs should be uploaded as a single image.

By entering calls for art through CaFÉ, the applicant agrees to be added to Art Fluent’s email list for forthcoming artist opportunities. By submitting images, the applicant agrees that the images are their own work, nothing copied, they own all rights to the images, and they take full responsibility for the content of all images, including the likeness of recognizable individuals. The actual artwork will remain the property of the artist, the mission of Art Fluent is to promote artists and their work. Should your work be accepted, Art Fluent has the right to reproduce your image on the website, on social media, and where appropriate to help promote further online opportunities. Art Fluent will always credit the artist wherever feasible and won’t use images for any other purpose without the artist’s permission.

Application Instructions

Entry is done through CaFÉ, a web-based service that allows artists to upload images and organize their artwork for submissions to galleries. To apply for a call, go to the CaFÉ website at www.callforentry.org to create a FREE artist account. Add details and upload images to CaFÉ to submit work to THE BIG CHILL. For any questions, please contact hello@art-fluent.com. A team member is happy to walk you through the process.

MEDIA PREPARATION

Please only submit properly cropped images of works that are in focus. There is a free resource for artists with tips on how to get high-quality images of their work. Visit www.art-fluent.com/resources for a free download. CaFÉ also offers tips on its blog: www.callforentry.org/photographing-artwork/.

• All images must be in JPEG/JPG format using CaFÉ guidelines.
• The image size must be 1,200 pixels or greater on the longest side.
• The maximum file size is 5 mb.
  
• Accepted video formats include MOV, MP4, WMV. Aspect ratio 4:3 or 16:9, resolution minimum 640x480, maximum 1920 x1080, bit rate recommended above 240 kbps, recommended frame rate 30 fps.
• File size must be under 100 MB.

If selected for the exhibit, please provide the video file link via Vimeo. Please ensure the linked video is set to be shared publicly. It will not play if it is set to private.