5th Annual Animal Portraiture Open

About this call

Wild Heart Gallery, a gallery focused on animal and wildlife art that currently runs virtual exhibitions, invites artists and photographers to submit animal and wildlife portraiture. The portrait should communicate something about the animal: its history, personality, habitat or a glimpse into its life. Any species is welcome, wild, domesticated, pet, feral or farm, and any style, as long as animal portraiture is clearly the genre. Accepted work includes 2D and 3D art, printmaking, sculpture, pastels, mixed media, ceramics, original digital art (no AI) and photography. Award recipients are shown in a virtual exhibition on wildheartgallery.com in January 2027, with results on or before January 3, 2027.

Who can apply

• Open to applicants of any nationality
• Medium: Painting / Drawing / Printmaking / Sculpture / Ceramics / Mixed Media / Photography / New Media / Textile
• Entry fee: $18
• Open to artists aged 18 or older; the call is international. Entry fee $18 (USD, non-refundable) for 1 to 2 images; sculpture entries may add up to 3 additional views per piece. Work must be your own original (no AI), must feature an animal and fit the portraiture theme, and must not have been shown in a previous Wild Heart Gallery show on wildheartgallery.com. Images in JPG, PNG or GIF, 500 KB to 5 MB, at least 1080 px wide or high, cropped, with no glare, frames or watermarks. Photographers note the camera make and model and whether film or digital. No nudity (private parts must be covered), profanity, animal cruelty, gore or political work (animal conservation and environmental protection are not considered political). Work completed in the last 2 years is preferred, not required. Work need not be for sale and no commission is taken. Entrants grant Wild Heart Gallery a non-exclusive perpetual license to reproduce images of their work on wildheartgallery.com and artcall.org and to publish winners and accepted entries on Facebook, Instagram and other media. Award recipients are shown in the online exhibition, along with any Selected Works, of which there is no set number.