Mark Your Calendar: The 2025 6th Annual Women in Watercolor International Juried Competition Opens April 1st
Spring has sprung—and so has the fine art competition season! Watercolor societies across the country are in the throes of hosting their juried competitions, including Women in Watercolor’s 6th Annual International Juried Competition, which opens for entries on April 1. The panel of awards jurors for the 2025 competition includes Lynn D. Pratt, founder and president of Women in Watercolor, along with acclaimed watercolor artists Daniela Werneck, Lana Privitera, Michelle Nixon, Sylvia Monge, Lorraine Simonds, Marie Francoise Ingels, Jennifer Annesley, and Reyhan Ardakanian.
Last year, the organization’s 5th annual competition received more than 1,970 entries from 62 countries. “Those artists definitely represent the best of the best women watercolorists,” says Pratt. “The work entered was truly extraordinary, and picking the top winners was very difficult.”
Let the Light In, by Daniela Werneck, took the Best in Show award in the 2024 competition. “You immediately can feel the emotion coming from the girl with the expression on her face and the beautiful way that she’s painted,” Pratt says of the work. “The play of sunlight and shadow in the painting is exquisite––not to mention the details and brushwork. And the details in the tile and lacework are so on point you feel like you’re right there in the room. It’s a truly amazing work, well deserving of that coveted ‘Best in Show’ designation.”
Pratt founded Women in Watercolor in 2020 after noticing that most of the students signing up for her classes and workshops were women. “Instead of what can often be a very competitive environment,” she says, “I want to work together, build each other up, and learn from one another to help increase our individual and overall success.”
Eventually, Pratt hopes to expand Women in Watercolor to include classes, workshops and other art events. For now, she feels the organization has already established itself as an important place in the world of watercolor art. “I’ve had so many talented students mention to me over the years how nervous they are to enter competitions,” she says. “They don’t know if they can compete, how they would enter, how they would frame or ship their work. And many women––especially from other cultures––often feel nervous competing with men. I wanted to construct a platform and community in which they’d feel comfortable participating. It’s my hope that I’ve created an opportunity for these artists to see just how talented they are.”
Visit womeninwatercolor.com/ to learn more about Women in Watercolor and view entry details for the 2025 6th Annual International competition.
