Most Western art shows are open to North American wildlife species. Western Art Shows have generated more sales for me than strictly wildlife shows by a lot!

Here are some animal specific shows that I am aware of:

Society of Animal Artists Annual Exhibition- shows held in museum venues, juried to become a member and the show is also juried. A percentage of work goes on tour to 4+ museums for a year. High prestige and great for resume – however you must be a member of SAA to even enter. Many people don’t sell all that well (most people don’t go to a museum to buy artwork), but I have sold my work 3 out of the 4 years I have been in.

Artists For Conservation (AFC) – much like SAA show above. I am not a member, so don’t know the specifics, but they do both a live exhibit and an online one each year.

Birds In Art – Limited to birds as a subject matter and must be completed in past two years. BIA is another great one for the resume/prestige, but the show is HARD to get into. I have gotten in one out of four years that I have submitted. If you get in you GO to the show – everything except your travel is paid for! While a super high quality show sometimes it feels like a crap shoot getting in with many outstanding works getting rejected from top wildlife artists and sometimes works that I don’t think are that great get in April entry deadline.

OVAL Kentucky National Wildlife Exhibition – Limited to North American Species and the show is only held every 2 years (even years). They give out over $10,000 in awards. Fall entry deadline.

LSU Animals In Art – January Entry deadline. I have sold one work at this show (small one).

Art Show At the Dog Show – January Deadline. Lots of awards. Limited to dogs as a subject matter.

Bennington Center For the Arts “Art of The Animal Kingdom” – must be invited to submit work (you can e-mail to find out about how to get invited) and then work is juried as well. Nice venue. I have sold one work there in three years.

American Academy of Equine Art – Horse specific subject matter. Fall deadline. I have sold one work there.

As far as sales type shows

I know Nature Works is one that generates a lot of sales – hard to get into and you must be invited. Openings do not become available very often. It is in Feb. in Oklahoma each year, but as I can’t get into it (yet) I don’t know specifics.

Southeastern Wildlife Festival (SEWE) – some people do really well here and others don’t. I have not participated. Must apply and be accepted.

Easton Waterfowl Festival – similar to SEWE – some people do really well here and others don’t. I have not participated. Must apply and be accepted.

Dallas Safari Club – no experience, expensive to enter. Some do well, most new artists do not (from what I have heard).

There are a LOT of western art shows and most will accept horses and NA wildlife. The western shows fit a wide range of pretige and difficulty to get into. A lot of the higher end shows will require you to have the right connections to get into (and you make these connections through galleries and mid-level shows – you make the connections for the mid-level shows through lower end shows or juried shows)… in the art world it truly isn’t just about what you do but also who you know!

Yes most of the federal and state stamp competitions (duck, upland game bird, etc.) are open to anyone, however a few of the state ones require you to be a resident of the state. I do caution all artists to read the rules carefully for stamp competitions, as some require you to pay for a certain number of prints if you win. Also they all have size and most have species requirements. Most of the competitions do not pay out for winning, though the prestige may make it worth it if you win.

I think winning something like the federal, while it may not make you an overnight success, will at least bring you a lot of publicity.

Useful information

I don’t live in the UK – but a few shows I am aware of (and there may be more) are:

David Shephard Wildlife Artist of the Year (WAY)
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BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year (this one is free to enter I think)

National Exhibition of Wildlife Art (NEWA)

And In Austraila: Queensland Wildlife Artists Society Inc[/URL]

Olga it is true you have to have money to make money This is my almost all artists have a day job for years before doing art full time. There are entry fees, framing costs, shipping charges, etc. that all cost money. I am not aware of any cheap way to exhibit your artwork except perhaps things like local fairs. Have you tried talking to local cafe’s and shops to see if they would be willing to display your work for a month or two?