SACRED ART PRIZE
2025
SPONSORED BY CANNING LITURGICAL ARTS
Competition & Exhibition
Seeking the finest contemporary sacred art for an online juried exhibition hosted by the Catholic Art Institute.
The Sacred Art Prize reaches a world-wide audience and offers the opportunity for finalists to showcase and sell their work through a featured gallery on
the Catholic Art Institute website.
Sr. Mary Paul Beierschmitt I.H.M. Grand Prize: $2500
Sponsored by Canning Liturgical Arts
Second Prize: $750
Sponsored by
Third Place: $250
Sponsored by
Competition Opens: May 7, 2025 Submission Deadline: October 30, 2024
Notification Date: November 19, 2025
2025 Sacred Art Prize Jurors
James C. McCrery, II AIA, NCARB
James McCrery is the founding principal of McCrery Architects, PLLC, a firm committed to the design of churches, civic and university buildings, and unique commissions for clients desiring rich, legible meaning incorporated into their buildings. He is an internationally recognized leader in classical architectural design and construction. His built works and contributions throughout the United States havereceived many awards and have been favorably reviewed in The New York Times City Journal, The Washington Business, Journal, The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, Period Homes, The New York Post, Country Life (U.K.), The Washington Post, Traditional Building, The Washington Times, New York Daily News, The Classicist, and the National Review.
McCrery is the design architect of the recently completed Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville, Tennessee; Saint Mary Help of Christians Church in Aiken, South Carolina; and St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel at the St. John Newman Center – University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska. He is the architect of the Book and Gift Store in the United States Supreme Court Building, and he designed the pedestal for the statue of President and Governor Ronald Wilson Reagan that stands in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol.
James C. McCrery, II is a member of the faculty of the School of Architecture and Planning at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC where he is the founding Director of the Concentration in Classical Architecture and Urbanism. He is particularly pleased to be an Inaugural Fellow of the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America. McCrery is a life member and an executive board member of the Supreme Court Historical Society; a founding member of the National Civic Art Society, a National Design Peer of the U.S. General Services Administration, and in December 2019 was appointed by President Donald J. Trump to the United States Commission of Fine Arts.
Kathleen Carr
Kathleen Carr is an award-winning, classically trained painter, illustrator, and designer. She holds a BFA from the Maryland Institute College .
Her painting has received recognition from the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London, The Portrait Society of America, The Art Renewal Center Salon, The Salmagundi Club, The Butler Institute of American Art and many others.
She's an experienced web designer working for major media including Washington Post and National Geographic.
In higher education, she worked as Design Program Head and taught in the undergraduate program at the Corcoran College of Art in Washington DC.
Her design and illustration work has been recognized by Communication Arts, Adobe, and Apple Quicktime.
She studied classical painting with Scott Waddell, of Grand Central Atelier , Robert Liberace of the Art Student's League, and Dan Thompson of Studio Incamminati.
The Sacred Art Prize 2025 Prospectus
Submission Criteria:
Evident mastery of the artistic medium employed – meeting high standards in the fundamental facets of the artistic craft including mature competency in the use of the human figure.
Content – Biblical or Ecclesiastical subjects suitable for pious devotional and/or liturgical use while demonstrating knowledge and continuity of historical artistic practice in the Catholic tradition.
Effectiveness in sacramental revelation - works of art which reach beyond a mere copy of an earthly object, portrait of a model, political statement, or the technological process, will be given preference.
Subjects Sought:
Subjects sought include Biblical or Ecclesiastical subjects scenes - examples: Life, Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ; other biblical scenes, stories, and characters; depictions of the saints and their lives; depictions of the seven sacraments; personifications of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, virtues and vices, icons and so on.
Please read this article in the Sacred Architecture Journal by sculptor, Cody Swanson, for guidance on the types of work the Catholic Art Institute is seeking for this call.
Subject Restrictions:
Media limited to representational painting, illumination, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, liturgical textiles, stained glass, mosaic, altar furnishings and devotional items such as medals, monstrances, etc..
Artwork must be recognizable and appropriate for liturgical use, public or private devotion.
No photography, hyper-realism, or computer-generated art will be accepted. AI submissions will be disqualified.
Subjects which will not be considered include:
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copies of existing works (excluding Icons), unless the copy interrupts the existing work, adding or editing it in some new way.
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portrayals of non-canonized persons as saints
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works which are only recognizably religious from their titles
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scenes of the exterior or interior of churches (unless the work is illustrating an important religious/historical event or the administration of the sacraments)
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mass produced statues which have been painted or statue restoration projects.
Eligibility
This competition and exhibition is open to any artist over the age of 18, professional or amateur, of any religious background.
All entries must be original, by the submitting artist, and created within the past ten years. Limit five entries per artist. Works need not be for sale to be eligible. Mark your submission NFS (not for sale).
If you have any questions about eligibility please email contact@catholicartinstitute.org.
Submission Process:
Please complete the entry form at the bottom of this page and upload images that conform by selecting how many images you plan to upload depending on your member type. This will automatically provide the total for you submissions and by clicking on your selection, the number of upload form fields will be revealed. This is clearly explained on the form below.
After you upload your images you will be required to provide details about them to include first/last name, title of submission, dimension, medium, price/NFS, and your website/social media.
Submissions can be paid for by credit card or PayPal. We cannot accept wire transfers or other forms of payment.
If you wish to enter the competition from outside the US and cannot use PayPal or have any issues paying by card, please email contact@catholicartinstitute.org and we will work with you to find a way to receive your entry fees.
Submission Fees:
Members of the CAI: $35 for 1-3 entries, $10 per additional entry for a maximum of 5 entries.
Non-members: $50 for 1-3 entries, $15 per additional entry for a maximum of 5 entries
Please add the total amount to the form as it will not automatically know the amount to charge since each participant is entering differing numbers of entries.
Image Requirements:
Each uploaded image file label must be formatted to include your first name, last name, title of work, medium, price (or NFS) and dimensions (in inches). For example: John Angelico_Annunciation_tempera on panel_$3000_12x12.jpg
Failure to do this may result in disqualification. This will ensure that the information you submit in your entry form matches the information on your file label and thus guarantee accuracy in the gallery listing.
Please provide clear images large enough to view and show detail. Images should be between 1-4 MB each, and not to exceed 25 MB for entire form entry. Images should be in JPEG format. Large printable files that exceed 5MB will not upload correctly to the form.
We cannot assist participants in preparing their images but if you have questions, please feel free to email us at contact@catholicartinstitute.org.
Please include the following information for each image to text box under area to upload images to add image details:
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Artist’s full name
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Title of work
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Media
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Price for sale or NFS
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Dimensions in inches (height x width) or (height x width x depth)
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If possible, please provide an image that does not have your signature visible.
Example:John Angelico’s Submissions 1.The Annunciation, tempera on panel, $3000, 12 x 12” 2. Bust of St. Dominic, terracotta, NFS, 20 x 12 x 12”
By entering the competition you consent to allowing the Catholic Art Institute to display images of your work on the Catholic Art Institute website and social media accounts, if you are selected for the exhibition.
Sales and Shipping:
A 15% sales commission will go to the Catholic Art Institute on all sales. Please consider the 15% commission in the price of your work.
Artists are responsible for shipping their work to buyers should it sell as a result of this online show. For the safe delivery of your work, we strongly recommend using an Airfloat Strongbox or Masterpak Titan Strongbox for shipping your work to buyers.
The Catholic Art Institute is not responsible for loss or damage to the artwork while in transit.
Winners and Finalists
The winners and finalists will be announced on November 20, 2025 with efforts to help promote and sell the finalists work.