The Art Renewal Center (ARC) received over 5,000 entries from 87 countries for its 17th annual International ARC Salon Competition, a number reduced to roughly 1,200 finalists from which first, second and third place winners were chosen across 11 categories of contemporary realism.
With the collaborative efforts of more than 50 jurors, altogether, 213 awards and honorable mentions were given out including over $130,000 in cash awards.
Pavel Sokov, Watching the Dance, oil on linen, 36 x 24"
The most prestigious award of $25,000 for Best in Show went to Pavel Sokov for his oil painting Watching the Dance. The piece, which depicts a young girl in front of a tribal dance, is part of a series inspired by the months the artist spent living in Ethiopia. About the work Sokov says, “As I seek to discover, understand and share the stories of traditional cultures around the world, I felt that learning about the life of real tribes that don’t interact with modern society would be an amazing adventure. My curiosity drew me to Ethiopia where I lived for two months among eight of the most traditional tribes of the Omo Valley. We slept in tents right inside their different villages and got to experience their culture and way of life. Each tribe is different from one another in traditions, aesthetics and temperament, but all are a unique window into ways of life that are deeply rooted in history.”
Sara Gallagher, Let Them Fall, graphite and pan pastel on paper, 23 x 30"
Three artists won top awards in multiple categories, including Gabriel Akre, who won first place in both the sculpture category and the fully from life category with his reclining nude The Garden. Anni Crouter won first place in the watercolor and works on paper categories, and John McCartin received first place for his work in the still life and fully from life categories for his fruit and floral oil Azaleas & Pomegranates.
Hiroshi Furuyoshi won first place in the figurative category for the painting on this issue's cover, while Casey Baugh was awarded first place for imaginative realism for his painting The Music Teacher. “This work was created to express some heavy feelings I had after having taught art for over 20 years and gone through some difficult times,” says Baugh. “It is a therapeutic piece of sorts that helped me and hopefully could help others who have been drowning while on a mission and must stay strong and ‘keep playing the music.’”
Casey Baugh, The Music Teacher, oil on linen, 20 x 30"
For works on paper, Sara Gallagher’s drawing Let Them Fall took home the prize, while Lynette Cook’s depiction of a San Francisco building façade, Illumination, won first place for landscapes. “When I first noticed this San Francisco building I was struck by the beauty of its architecture and the abstract cast shadow of the fire escape,” says Cook. “To me, this piece is largely about the natural world. This scene could never exist without the sun; thus, it is a symbiotic pairing of human creation with nature. To point the viewer toward this fact, I included the tree silhouettes and moon through the windows as well as the shadows of ravens soaring by, casting their shadows upon the building’s surface. This image is a fleeting moment in time, for the light and shadows will move and change as the afternoon arises, eventually disappearing when the sun sets or the fog rolls in.”
Lynette Cook, Illumination, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 48"
All of the award-winning works are now on view at www.artrenewal.org, along with the finalists and semi-finalists. In July of 2026, a live, in-person exhibition of approximately 100 of the best works from the combined 17th and 18th International ARC Salon Competitions will be hosted by Sotheby’s New York, along with an official award ceremony.
ARC is accepting entries to the next iteration of the International ARC Salon Competition from March 1 through June 12. Visit the website for details. —
17th annual International ARC Salon Competition
Ongoing
www.artrenewal.org
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