Plein Air Grand Marais
​Award Categories and Prizes

Plein Air Grand Marais is a community-supported, artist-organized event. We offer cash and in-kind awards for the Competition main category and Quick Paint in addition to sponsored awards.

Main Category and Night Paint

First Place:  $1,000
Second Place:  $500
Third Place:  $250
Fourth Place:  $100
Night Paint:  $250 1st place, and fine art supply packages for 2nd and 3rd place

Quick Paint

First, Second, and Third Place Prizes 

The Quick Paint competition is a 90-minute crowd-pleasing spectator sport that involves artists and visitors alike in the drama and pressure of painting rocks, water, and scenes of Artists Point amid constantly changing light and weather conditions.  (Check out this 2013 award-winning documentary short, which continues to inspire appreciation of timed plein air competitions.)

Sponsored Prizes

  • Cook County Historical Society:  $500 for Best Historic Place
  • Gunflint Hills Golf Course:  $300 "Art of Golf" award for best painting of the golf course
  • OPM: $300 for Best Sense of Place 
  • Raphael Oil Colors owner Dan Petrov will offer a set of split primary colors for Best Atmospheric Perspective. 
  • Lakeside Studio's Joyce Staley and Doug Berg will offer a variety pack of fine linen panels to the winner of an award for best oil painting.
  • $300 Gunflint Trail Award sponsored by Big Bear Lodge owners Andy & Ida Delisi for best painting of scene up the Gunflint Trail.
  • $100 prize for "Beauty of Pastel" award sponsored by Lake Country Pastel Society

Open Class Best in Show

The owner of Yellow Bird Fine Art will choose the Best in Show from the Open Class exhibit. The winner will be invited to be a Competition Artist the following year.

Quick Paint Open Class: Art On The Rocks

It's a tradition:  immediately after the Quick Paint, artists place their paintings on the rocks along East Bay and pose for photos.  Open Class artists may compete in the Quick Paint for the Art On The Rocks prize. Artists and visitors vote to choose the winning painting, which is featured in JHP's center gallery display and included in the Competition Exhibit. Local business Joy & Co. will sponsor this prize with $25 cash and $25 in gifts.