The competition takes place during the Neilson Park Creative Festival on Saturday, July 5 @ 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 4:30 p.m.

En plein air, a French phrase meaning “in the open air,” traditionally describes the process of painting a landscape outdoors. For the NPCC competition, we accept all mediums and encourage artists working in wet and dry media, fabric, fibre and 3D to join in the fun! Artists may work in a location of their choice: in the woods, with the vendors or musicians – anywhere out-of-doors in Neilson Park or Markland Woods. The deadline to register is July 4 at 5:00 p.m.

Click here for the application form with all the details.

Competition Categories and Entry Fee
There are two competition categories:
Youth, 13 – 17 years of age, free of charge to enter
Adults 18+, $5.00 (with H.S.T $5.65) entry fee

Awards
Youth category: First, $100; Second, $75; Third, $50
Adult category: First, $200; Second, $100; Third, $75

Artists must check-in, and may pick up their easels (if needed) inside the Neilson Park Creative Centre between 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. on July 5. Any time before 4:00 p.m. the artists may return the easels and drop off their completed paintings at the same location inside the Centre. The jurying will take place at 4:15 p.m. sharp with an artists’ reception and award ceremony at 4:30 p.m.

Click here to register for the youth category (13-17 years of age.)

Click here to register for the adult category (18+ years of age.)

Juror 
Maria Iva

Maria is a landscape painter who works in an impressionistic manner and employs a colorist approach. She creates with both oil and dry pastel mediums.

A nature lover and tireless hiker, Maria finds inspiration in exploring the provincial parks and conservation areas of Southern Ontario. Often painting on location with dry pastels, she captures the light and feeling of each scene. She later uses her pastel sketches as references for larger oil pieces, which she creates in her studio on canvas using a palette knife. By manipulating oil paints wet-on-wet with a palette knife, she blends colors directly on the canvas, creating harmonious transitions and subtle gradients that enhance the textural complexity of her work. Embracing the unpredictability of using a palette knife and allowing the underpainting to show through, she fills her paintings with spontaneity and vitality, making the landscapes feel alive and in motion. The result is a series of textured pieces that celebrate the beauty of nature and invite viewers to experience it in a tangible, immersive way.

Maria is an Elected Member of the Society of Canadian Artists and the Ontario Society of Artists, as well as a Master Signature Member of Pastel Artists Canada. She lives and works in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.