Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (WFWS)

Western Federation of Watercolor Societies 2026
51st Annual Show: May 8 – June 27, 2026
Presented by the Colorado Watercolor Society

WSO artists, get ready to submit your paintings to the 2026 WFWS Art Exhibit! The show will be at the Curtis Center for the Arts, 2349 E Orchard Road, Greenwood Village, CO, outside of Denver, CO.

Artists must be members of WSO in good standing and have paid all WSO dues before entering the 2026 Western Federation of Watercolor Societies 51st Exhibition.

See the prospectus here

Key dates

  • Dec 15, 2025 – Entry opens on ArtCall
  • Feb 1, 2026 – Entry closes on ArtCall
  • Feb 27, 2026 – Jury results released
  • Feb 28, 2026 – Xi Guo workshop registration opens
  • Apr 3, 2026 – Paintings must be delivered to delegate
  • May 5–7, 2026 – Xi Guo workshop at Curtis Center
  • May 8, 2026, 6–9 PM – Awards dinner, Hilton Garden Inn, Denver Tech Center
  • May 9, 2026 – Exhibit opening reception

About the juror

Xi Guo, Signature member of the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society, was born in Shanghai, China. After completing graduate school at the Savannah College of Art and Design, majoring in photography, Xi moved to St. Augustine, Florida. 

Xi started painting with watercolor about twelve years ago and soon became an international award-winning artist. Xi’s paintings have been exhibited in China, France, England, Taiwan, Italy, Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam and Greece. Her articles and paintings have been featured in the International Artist Magazine, the Art of Watercolor Magazine and Watercolor Artists Magazine. Her paintings were included in the art book, The Best of Watercolor – Splash 16, 20 and 21, published by North Light Books. 

In 2015, Xi won a cash prize at the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours’ 203rd Open Exhibition, and a major award from Shenzhen International Watercolor Biennial in China. Xi’s paintings have been accepted by American Watercolor Society’s international exhibition six times since 2016 and received the Anne Williams Glushien Memorial Award in 2021. Moreover, Xi won merchandise awards and cash prices at the National Watercolor Society’s International Exhibition in 2016, 2017 and 2020. In 2018, Xi received third place at the Biennial International Prize “Marche d’Acqua” Fabriano Watercolour in Italy. Xi was also the Best in Show winner at the Florida Watercolor Society’s Exhibition in 2019 and 2022. In 2021, Xi received the Best Watercolor Award at the 15th International ARC Salon competition. Additionally, Xi earned the TWSA Members Award (Third place) twice at the Transparent Watercolor society of America’s annual exhibition in 2021 and 2022. Most recently, Xi received the AWS Gold Medal of Honor (courtesy of Clara and Ida Wells Stroud) in the 157th Annual International Exhibition.

See Xi Guo’s website here.

WFWS 2025 Exhibition

See the gallery from the WFWS 2025 Exhibition here.

About WFWS

Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (WFWS) annual exhibition is a National Show, open to water media artists who are current members of one of the WFWS Component Societies (AWA, CWS, IWS, NMWS, SDWS, SAWG, SWS, UWS, WSO, WTWS).

Membership in WFWS is automatic for any member of one the ten societies shown.