Rockwall Art League 26th Annual Juried Fine Art Show & Sale

Rockwall Art League presents the 26th Annual Juried Fine Art Show and Sale
 

October 16–18, 2026 · The Center at Rockwall City Place · 108 E. Washington St., Rockwall, TX 75087

Rockwall Art League (RAL) is pleased to announce our 26th Annual Juried Fine Art Show and Sale. This North Texas event welcomes artists from a five-state region and is open to residents of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico, 18 years or older. RAL endeavors to provide a platform for both experienced and emerging artists. Join us for this 3-day event, which gives artists the opportunity to be seen by art lovers, collectors, and business representatives from across the DFW metroplex.

Up to $6,600 in cash prizes will be awarded across 8 categories of artwork including oil, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, mosaic, drawing, photography, and sculpture.

Important Changes for the 2026 Show

• Hand delivery only — all artwork must be hand-delivered and picked up in person; shipped artwork will not be accepted.
• New size limit — two-dimensional works may be no larger than 36" × 36", including frame.
• New weight limit — sculpture weight is limited to 50 lbs.
• New location — the show has moved to The Center at Rockwall City Place, 108 E. Washington St., Rockwall, TX 75087.
• Updated schedule — take-in, reception, and awards times have changed; see the Calendar of Events.

2026 Key Dates

• July 15 — Call for Artists opens on CallForEntry.org (CaFÉ).
• September 15 — Call for Artists closes 11:59 PM Mountain Time. No late entries will be accepted.
• September 26 — Acceptance and rejection notifications will be emailed.
• October 16, Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM — Take-in for entries at The Center at Rockwall City Place.
• October 16–18 — Show exhibit on display. Judging takes place the afternoon of October 16 before the show opens.
• October 16, 5:30 PM — Ribbon Cutting with the City and County; exhibit opens to the public.
• October 16, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM — Artist Reception, with award announcements at 7:00 PM.
• October 17, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM — Artists' Social with the show judges.
• October 18, Sunday, 3:00 PM — Final awards announced; artwork pickup and art sales begin immediately following the awards. Pickup closes at 5:00 PM.
• November 1 — Checks issued for sold artworks (no later than 14 days after the conclusion of the show).

Calendar of Events

Friday, October 16 — 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Ribbon Cutting with City & County — 5:30 PM
Artists Reception — 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Award Announcements — 7:00 PM

Saturday, October 17 — 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Artists' Social with the Show Judges — 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Sunday, October 18 — 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Final Awards Announced — 3:00 PM
Pick up artwork — immediately following the awards announcement, until 5:00 PM

Awards: Up to $6,600 in Prize Monies

• Best in Show — $1,000
• 1st Place in each category — $500
• 2nd Place in each category — $200

Special Awards

In addition to the judged cash prizes above, the following special awards will be presented. Special awards are ribbons and recognition (no cash prize):

• Heather Lawley Memorial Award — Presented in memory of Heather Lawley. Open to RAL members only. The winner receives a commemorative plaque.
• People's Choice Award — Selected by votes from show visitors over the course of the weekend.
• Touches the Heart Award — Selected by local medical professionals.
• Shine On Award — Selected by participants in the SHINE program.
• Showstopper Award — Awarded to the artwork with the highest number of social media shares tagging Rockwall Art League.
• Hot off the Press Award — Selected by local publishers.
• Mayor's Award — Selected by the Mayor of Rockwall.
• Images of Rockwall County Award — Awarded to artwork depicting Rockwall County subjects — for example, paintings or photographs of local sites, landmarks, and scenes. Selected by Rockwall County representatives. Open to RAL members only.
• Around the Cities Award — Selected by city representatives from the Cities of Rockwall, Fate, Heath, McLendon-Chisholm, Royse City, and Rowlett.

Categories

• Oil — Works in which oil-based paint is the primary medium.
• Watercolor — Works in which water-soluble watercolor paint is the primary medium, typically on paper or board.
• Acrylic — Works in which acrylic paint is the primary medium.
• Mixed Media (includes Digital Art) — Works that intentionally combine two or more distinct media or materials — for example, paint with collage, ink with pastel, or incorporated found objects — where no single medium alone accounts for the finished piece. Digital Art is judged within this category (see Category Notes). Artists entering Mixed Media must include a brief description with their entry explaining what materials were used and how the piece qualifies as mixed media.
• Mosaic — Works composed of small pieces such as tile, glass, stone, or other tesserae assembled into an original design.
• Drawing — Works created using dry media such as chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencils, or wax crayon, and fluid mediums limited to inks and washes applied by pen or brush.
• Photography — Original and enhanced photography originating from a single photographic frame captured by the artist, including images refined or edited with digital tools.
• Sculpture — Three-dimensional works of original design that are carved, modeled, hand-built, or cast from molds created by the artist.

There must be a minimum of 6 participating artists for a category to be represented in the show. RAL reserves the right to move an entry into a different category if, in its judgment, the artwork does not meet the criteria of the category entered.

Category Notes

• No jewelry, for security reasons.
• No installation art.
• No video or audio enhancements.
• Artworks must be entirely the work of the entrant, executed without the supervision of an instructor.
• Digital Art (judged within Mixed Media) is a work created digitally from a blank canvas, or composed by combining multiple photographs or images into a single piece through digital manipulation. Source photographs must be the artist's own. Artwork generated in whole or in part by artificial intelligence (AI) is not eligible.
• Photography includes original photography and enhanced photographs, judged as a single category. Digital photography is a work that originates from a single photographic frame captured by the artist, including images refined or edited with digital tools. Photographic prints made from the artist's original image must have been processed by that artist or under that artist's direct supervision.

Jury and Judges

This is a juried entry event. Our 3-person jury panel is comprised of artists, art reviewers, or other art professionals. We use a two-step process. The first step is blind and based on a simple yes/no method. Step two is curated using several factors including, but not limited to, size of artwork, category strength, and number of accepted entries. The number of works in each category is not predetermined. All panel decisions are final.

Meet the Judges: The 2026 show will feature two judges: Dana Brock and Rachel Townsend Cerny. 

Brock is an abstract and mixed-media painter whose free-flowing, layered work moves between acrylic, ink, charcoal, and watercolor on paper, canvas, and birch board. She became a Signature Member of the Southwestern Watercolor Society in 2022 and has been recognized with the Lou Bono Memorial Award and the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies' Longhorn Award, with work exhibited at Watercolor USA and in Federation and SWS member exhibitions. She serves as Art Curator-Director and Treasurer for MillHouse McKinney and as Exhibition Chairman for the Southwestern Watercolor Society.

Cerny, also known as RTown, is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and founder of RTown Gallery in historic downtown Grapevine, Texas, and holds a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of North Texas. Working on both sides of the gallery wall — as a practicing artist and as a curator who has reviewed thousands of portfolio submissions — she brings a perspective shaped by both the vulnerability of making work and the discipline of selecting it. She values originality, thoughtful craftsmanship, and work that leaves a lasting impression.

The exhibit will be judged the afternoon of October 16 prior to show opening. The award selections are based on mastery of design, technique, conceptual quality, and creativity. Best in Show and all category selections will be determined by the judges. The judges' decisions are final. Artists may not qualify for more than one award per category but may win awards in multiple categories.