Logo Ríos de Color
Artboard de la convocatoria para el segundo festival internacional de arte RÍOS DE COLOR

OPEN CALL

Endorphine Art Schoolwww.endorphine-art.com, a renowned art school in Mexico founded in 2019 under the direction of visual artist Irina Yushmanova (@endorphine.art), has successfully organized numerous events, competitions, national and international exhibitions.

Most notably, the 1st International Art Festival RIVERS OF COLOR 2023 showcased 128 works by artists from 26 countries. The school’s organizing team, composed of more than 20 professional artists and coordinators, is now inviting visual artists of all techniques and nationalities to participate in the 2nd International Art Festival RIVERS OF COLOR, which will take place from September 25 to 28, 2025.

During the festival, 100 pre-selected works will be exhibited, along with competitions, workshops, and live artist demonstrations. To extend this major event, workshops will continue from September through November, and the exhibition will open with the festival and remain accessible to the public after September 28.

Additionally, a virtual exhibition featuring 500 works will be available on our website www.rios-de-color.com. and on our social media platforms:www.instagram.com/riversofcolor.festival, www.facebook.com/rios-de-color.

EXHIBITION GUIDELINES:

Theme
Three categories
  1. Natural and Urban Landscape
  2. Portrait and Figure
  3. Still Life and Flowers
Participants

Artists of all nationalities aged 18 and over.

Medium

Oil, acrylics, 100% transparent watercolor on paper, dry or oil pastels, Chinese ink, gouache, gold leaf or mixed techniques. Engravings or sculptures, and digital art will not be accepted. Three-dimensional art such as collages or assemblages etc. will not be accepted.

Measurements (Dimensions)

The sizes must range from a minimum of 38 cm to a maximum of 100 cm on any side, whether in horizontal or vertical format.

Examples: A watercolor can measure 38 x 56 cm or 56 x 76 cm (i.e., half a standard sheet or a full standard sheet) or any format with a minimum of 38 cm and a maximum of 100 cm per side.

Similarly, an oil painting can measure 60 x 50 cm or any other size between the minimum of 38 cm and the maximum of 100 cm on any side (width or length).

Maximum number of works

Each participant may submit up to 3 works of their own creation, which can be in the same category or different categories.

For the selection of works for the virtual exhibition of a total of 500 pieces, all 3 submissions by an artist may be considered. However, for the physical exhibition of 100 works or for the awards, only one work per artist will be accepted.

Other characteristics
  • No digital images or any form of digital editing, reproduction, or printing will be accepted.
  • Registered works must be original, created between 2022-2025, and not previously awarded in any exhibition.
  • Works created in class, copies, or works similar to those of other artists or based on public sources or references not attributed to the author or made with the help of AI will not be accepted.
Registration dates

from March 1 to May 31, 2025.

The individual registration of each participating work must be done by filling out the form at the following link: www.rios-de-color.com.

Image of the work

Only one image per work will be accepted during registration, which must be perfectly cropped without including matting (mount) or frame. Image format: 3 to 5 MB, resolution of 300 dpi with a minimum of 1500 pixels on its longest side.

File name

“Country_Author_Title_Dimensions_YearCreated_Category.jpg”

Participation fee

The initial participation fee must be paid when registering the artwork on the website and will be US$25 or 400 Mexican pesos per artwork for national artists, and 500 pesos for international artists. This fee allows the submission to be considered for the 500 selected works in the permanent digital exhibition on the website https://rios-de-color.com and the Festival’s social media platforms for one year.

This fee is non-refundable in case the artwork is not selected by the international jury.

Works created on canvas are framed by the artist's choice in silver or black colors, with frame thickness ranging from 1 to 4 centimeters, or delivered with the canvas sides painted black. Works on paper can be framed by the artist with a silver frame of 1 to 4 centimeters and a mat (paspartú) of white color, measuring 4 to 6 centimeters. Frames can be rented from the Organizing Team for $400 pesos or $20 USD for a frame suitable for artwork sized 38 x 56 centimeters, and for $600 pesos or $30 USD for a frame suitable for artwork sized 56 x 76 cm.

If the submitted artwork on paper does not conform to these formats, it will be the artist’s responsibility to frame it according to the specified guidelines for mat size and frame dimensions.

Sale of works

The exhibited works may be sold at the price stated by the artist during registration. If this field is left blank, it will be assumed they are not for sale.

For each work sold during the exhibition, the Organizing Committee will retain 30% of the price indicated on the registration form. The amount received from the sale will be sent to the artist after deducting the commission retained by the Organizing Team.

Copyright

The Organizing Team reserves the right to display and record videos and photos of the participating works solely for promotional purposes.

Reception and return of works

The selected works must be delivered or sent to the physical address indicated in the selection notification. If the artist prefers to send their work already framed, they must inform the Organizing Team.

The deadline for receiving selected works not framed para exponerse en físico es 1 de septiembre.

The deadline for receiving selected physical works (framed) is September 10.

Upon completion of the exhibition, the works will be returned either directly at the gallery or sent to the address provided in the registration.

Each participating artist will assume the shipping and return costs of their work(s).

Printing of works

The Organizing Team has considered high-quality printing on cotton paper for watercolor and drawing paper for other graphic techniques EXCLUSIVELY for artists living outside of Mexico who wish so. The printing will not be done on canvas. The printing will incur an additional cost of $600 Mexican pesos (US$30 American dollars) per work. Once the event is completed, the prints can also be sent to the artist who will be responsible for the shipping costs.

Virtual exhibition

All works selected for the virtual or physical exhibition, as well as the winning pieces from live contests, will be published in the virtual version of the Festival (website and social media) accessible to the public for one year.

Jury

The jury that will evaluate the works for the international exhibition will consist of prestigious international and national artists who will select the 500 pieces that will participate in the virtual exhibition. From there, they will choose the 100 that will be showcased in the physical exhibition and determine the winners of this call.

The grading will be completely anonymous. The jury's decisions are final.

The score results for each of the 100 accepted works for the physical exhibition will be transparently published on the website.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Mastery of technique (oil, watercolor, etc.)
  • Quality based on artistic skills according to the type of each work (for example: anatomy, perspective, composition, color, etc.)
  • Artistic expressiveness
  • Prominent idea
Jury Members

Award Ceremony

Prizes will be awarded for the works in the international exhibition with the highest scores:

Landscape Category
  • 1st Place: $20,000 Mexican pesos (US$1,000 American dollars according to the current exchange rate).
  • 2nd Place: $10,000 Mexican pesos (US$500 American dollars according to the current exchange rate).
  • 3rd Place: $5,000 Mexican pesos (US$250 American dollars according to the current exchange rate).
Portrait and Figure Category
  • 1st Place: $20,000 Mexican pesos (US$1,000 American dollars according to the current exchange rate).
  • 2nd Place: $10,000 Mexican pesos (US$500 American dollars according to the current exchange rate).
  • 3rd Place: $5,000 Mexican pesos (US$250 American dollars according to the current exchange rate).
Still Life and Flowers Category
  • 1st Place: $20,000 Mexican pesos (US$1,000 American dollars according to the current exchange rate).
  • 2nd Place: $10,000 Mexican pesos (US$500 American dollars according to the current exchange rate).
  • 3rd Place: $5,000 Mexican pesos (US$250 American dollars according to the current exchange rate).
Category: Outstanding Mexican Artists

To honor Mexico as the host country, there will be special awards in this category. Winning in this category does not prevent participation in other categories alongside international artists or in the competitions. If a Mexican artist secures a place in one of the three general categories(1) Natural and Urban Landscape, 2) Portrait and Figure, 3) Still Life and Flowers), they may also be selected for this category and will be eligible to receive both prizes.

  • Special Prize for Best in Show - Mexican Artist: $40,000 MXN (approximately US$2,000, depending on the exchange rate on the day). Sponsored by the event’s partners.
  • 1st place: $20,000 MXN.
  • 2nd place: $10,000 MXN.
  • 3rd place: $5,000 MXN.
  • Honorable Mentions in any category: Art supplies.
  • The top 20 works will receive a special certificate as Top 20.

Prizes will be awarded in cash to winners or via PayPal for artists abroad.

Winners who, due to various circumstances, cannot attend the awards ceremony may send a representative, attaching a POWER OF ATTORNEY letter with their signature that authorizes the representative to receive the corresponding prize on their behalf.

All participating artists will receive a certificate of participation.

The award ceremony and the inauguration of the festival exhibition will take place on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at 18:00 hours (Central Mexico Time), at the Venue, Mexico City, Mexico.

The exhibition will be open to the public starting September 25 and will last for one month.

Festival Schedule and Timetable

Activity
Date

Beginning for image submission and registration

March 1, 2025

Deadline for image submission and registration

May 31, 2025

Notification to artists of the 500 selected works

June 10, 2025

Notification to artists of the 100 selected works for physical exhibition

15 de junio de 2025

Deadline for print request of works (artists abroad)

July 15, 2025

Deadline for receiving payments for 100 works selected for physical exhibition

July 15, 2025

Deadline for receiving unframed selected works for physical exhibition

September 1, 2025

Deadline for receiving framed selected works for physical exhibition

September 10, 2025

Award ceremony for exhibition winners and Festival opening

September 25, 2025

Competitions and live demonstrations

September 24-28, 2025

Award ceremony for competition winners

September 28, 2025

Festival closing

September 28, 2025

Workshops by world-renowned artists

September 19 to November 7, 2025

calendario

Competitions and Demonstrations

As part of the festival, there will be 4 in-person art competitions and several live artist demonstrations on the specified dates and times.

General rules for participating in the competitions

Theme

It will be specified for each competition as applicable: landscape, portrait, still life, or abstract art.

Participants

artists of all nationalities aged 18 and over.

Registration

Must be completed with payment for the competition via the website by the day before each competition. One hour before the competition begins, participants must present an official ID to validate their registration.

Capacity

30 people for each competition.

Materials

Materials are the responsibility of the participant. Each sheet or other support will be stamped to be used for the competition work.

Accepted materials: oil, acrylics, 100% transparent watercolor on paper, dry or oil pastels, ink, gouache, mixed techniques. Printmaking, sculpture, digital art, and three-dimensional collage or assemblage art will not be accepted.

Sizes

Dimensions will be 56 x 38 centimeters or 55 x 40 centimeters.

Format

Horizontal or vertical.

For the portrait and still life competitions, participants will be divided into several groups with one model for each group to facilitate visibility for all artists.

For the landscape competition, a comfortable and safe space will be provided for participants, who must bring their own plein air materials (easel, chair, paints, etc.). Transportation costs are included in the competition fee.

Duration and location of each competition: 3 hours. Each participant may submit only 1 artwork for each competition, which must be created at the indicated facilities.

Submission of artworks: upon completion, artworks must be submitted for jury review by the specified deadline for each competition.

Food: meals are not included in the competition costs, but suggestions for nearby places will be provided.

During the competitions, there will be access to drinking water, as well as bathrooms and sinks.

Participation: each artist may participate in one or more competitions in addition to the international exhibition. Participation is optional in all cases.

Fees

Still Life

$600 mexican pesos (US$30 dólares americanos)

Urban Landscape

$700 mexican pesos (US$35 dólares americanos)

Portrait

$950 mexican pesos (US$55 dólares americanos)

Abstract Art

$600 mexican pesos (US$30 dólares americanos)

Exhibition of works

All the winning works of each competition will be exhibited in the same space as the international exhibition at no additional cost. Likewise, the works will be published in the virtual version of the Festival (website) open to the public.

Sale of works

if interested in selling their work, at the end of the contest, the participant must write down the desired price in pencil on the back of their work and notify the Organizing Team. The sale of works from competitions will be governed by the same guidelines for the sale of works from the international exhibition indicated above.

Copyright

The Organizing Team reserves the right to display and record video and photos of the participating works and their creation process during the contest solely for promotional purposes.

Return of works from competitions: at the end of the exhibition, the winning works from competitions that are exhibited and have not been sold will be returned to the artists under the same guidelines of the international exhibition indicated above. The costs for shipping works will be borne by artists who cannot pick them up directly.

The works made during the competitions that are not winners will be delivered to the artists at the end of the awards event.

Evaluation of competition works and awards: to determine the winners, the competition works will be evaluated by a jury made up of prestigious artists with experience in each of the contest themes and pictorial techniques.

Evaluation criteria

They will be governed by the same evaluation criteria of the international exhibition indicated above.

Contest awards

3 works from each competition will be awarded:

Category Urban Landscape
  • 1st place: $6,000 mexican pesos (US$300 american dollars according to the daily exchange rate).
  • 2nd place: $2,000 mexican pesos (US$100 american dollars according to the daily exchange rate).
  • 3rd place: art materials.
Category Portrait
  • 1st place: $6,000 mexican pesos (US$300 american dollars according to the daily exchange rate).
  • 2nd place: $2,000 mexican pesos (US$100 american dollars according to the daily exchange rate).
  • 3rd place: art materials.
Category Still Life
  • 1st place: $6,000 mexican pesos (US$300 american dollars according to the daily exchange rate).
  • 2nd place: $2,000 mexican pesos (US$100 american dollars according to the daily exchange rate).
  • 3rd place: art materials.
Category Abstract
  • 1st place: $6,000 mexican pesos (US$300 american dollars according to the daily exchange rate).
  • 2nd place: $2,000 mexican pesos (US$100 american dollars according to the daily exchange rate).
  • 3rd place: art materials.

Prizes will be awarded in cash to the winners or via PayPal for foreign artists who are not present during the award ceremony.

Award recipients who, due to various circumstances, cannot attend the ceremony may send a representative, attaching a power of attorney letter with a handwritten signature, authorizing them to receive the corresponding prize on their behalf.

All participating artists will receive a certificate of participation.

The award ceremony for all competitions will take place on Sunday, September 28, 2025, at 6:00 PM at the venue in Mexico City, Mexico.

For MORE INFORMATION, please contact the Organizing Team

WhatsApp: +525561442806 with Irina Yushmanova

eMail: [email protected]

Website: https://endorphine-art.com/convocatorias/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/riversofcolor.festival

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rios-de-color