Moonlight Mirage
A world of beauty arises.
Entries closed Tuesday, September 22, and thank you to everyone who sent a painting. Every artist hears back by Friday, September 25. The jury's picks hang at Milan Art Gallery, 80 S Palm Ave, Sarasota, from October 16 to November 1, with an opening reception Friday, October 16 at 5pm.
Two weeks on a real gallery wall
The jury hangs selected pieces for a two-week exhibition, in the gallery and online at the same time. Artists on the wall get:
- Your painting on the wall at 80 S Palm Ave, in the heart of downtown Sarasota, October 16 to November 1
- An opening reception on Friday, October 16 at 5pm
- Your piece in the online exhibition, shared with thousands of collectors
- Our team presents and sells your painting. Sales split 50/50, and you set the price.
Every selected painting is shown online. Some are also on the wall.
The jury makes two picks: one for the Sarasota wall, one for the online exhibition. Both run October 16 to November 1.
The gallery and the online exhibition
- Your painting hangs at 80 S Palm Ave in Sarasota, October 16 to November 1
- You are in the online exhibition too, automatically, at no extra cost
- Eligible for all four awards, including the $1,000 Online Choice
- An invitation to the opening reception on Friday, October 16 at 5pm
The online exhibition
- Your painting is shown in the online exhibition for the full run of the show
- Listed for sale on the same 50/50 split, at the price you set
- Eligible for the $1,000 Online Choice award, voted by our online audience
- Nothing to ship unless it sells
Two artists and a gallery director review every entry
Every entrant hears back by September 25, selected or not.
Paint the moonlit world your way
Moonlight Mirage wants paintings that feel immersive, luminous, and hard to walk past. The spirit is a contemporary masquerade: beauty carrying a little mystery, softness carrying a little drama, in any register from bold and theatrical to hushed and atmospheric.
A garden at midnight, a gilded ballroom, a face behind a mask. Moonlight has pulled painters to the easel since Whistler's nocturnes and Van Gogh's starred sky, because some kinds of beauty only show themselves at night.
If your painting glows, veils, transforms, or enchants, this is the wall it belongs on.
What the jury looks for
- Strong, intentional color stories
- Sophisticated, engaging composition
- Atmosphere and emotional depth
- Mystery balanced with warmth and beauty
- A sense of elegance, transformation, or wonder
- Rich texture and immersive presence
$6,000 across four awards
Each award is decided by a different group: the jury, our collectors, visitors at the gallery, and the online audience. Every piece in the online exhibition competes for Online Choice, including the runner-ups.
The jury has every entry
Entries closed Tuesday, September 22. Every artist hears back by email by Friday, September 25, and the chosen paintings hang from October 16 to November 1.
Entries are closed. Here's what comes next.
Entries closed Tuesday, September 22 at 11:59pm ET.
Every entrant gets an answer by email by Friday, September 25.
Selected art arrives at the gallery by Friday, October 9.
The show opens Friday, October 16 with a reception at 5pm and runs to November 1.
The dates
What your artwork needs
- Any painting medium: oil, acrylic, or mixed media
- Sized between 9x12 and 40x40 inches, frame included in the measurement
- Ready to hang: wired, signed, varnished, edges painted or framed
- Canvas needs 1.5 inch depth or a quality float frame. Paper pieces need a frame or mount.
- Available for sale for the length of the show
- Up to 7 entries per artist. International artists are welcome and handle their own shipping both ways.
Your painting, on Palm Avenue
Milan Art Gallery is a white-wall collector gallery at 80 S Palm Ave in the heart of downtown Sarasota. Selected pieces hang here for two full weeks.
See what a call for art looks like on the wall: Unbridled Hope, August 2026.
Before you ask
Can I enter from outside the U.S.?
Yes. Artists anywhere in the world can enter. If your painting is selected, you arrange and cover shipping to and from the gallery.
What happens if my painting is selected?
You'll get an acceptance email naming your selected piece by September 25, with shipping instructions. Your artwork needs to arrive at the gallery by October 9.
What if I'm not selected for the wall?
The jury also picks runner-ups for the online exhibition, so a piece can still be shown when the Sarasota wall is full. You'll hear either way by September 25, and a pass this round says nothing about your future entries.
What is the online exhibition?
Every piece on the gallery wall is in it, plus the runner-ups the jury selects. It runs alongside the show, everything in it is for sale on the same 50/50 terms, and all of it competes for the $1,000 Online Choice award.
How are sales handled?
Our team presents and sells your painting during the show. Sales split 50/50, so set your price with the split in mind.
Can I change my entry after submitting?
Entries closed on September 22 at 11:59pm ET. Every artist hears back by email by September 25.
Are entries refundable?
Entry fees are final and aren't refundable.
Do unsold pieces come back to me?
Yes. Unsold pieces ship back to you after the show closes on November 1.
See it on the wall
The show hangs October 16 to November 1 at Milan Art Gallery, 80 S Palm Ave, Sarasota. The opening reception is Friday, October 16 at 5pm.
