APPLICATION GUIDELINES

The 18th Annual Newmarket ArtWalk, organized by the Newmarket Group of Artists (NGA), is a juried event featuring the work of approx. of 40 artists (venue dependent). All venues will be located within 1 kilometre of historic downtown Main Street. We will have multiple venues with small groupings of artists showing at each location, making access to the event a walkable event for our visitors. After jurying, we carefully place the selected artists in a business or in a community venue. Applications open on Feb. 10, 2026 and close at 11:59 pm on April 10, 2026.

Date
Saturday October 3, 2026 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Who can apply?

Any visual artists of all mediums with a current membership to the NGA are welcome to apply. Not a paid-up member?   Click here to join.  Non-Newmarket residents may apply but must pay the non-resident fee. Of the artists juried into the ArtWalk, at least 80% will be Newmarket residents.
​It's crucial to submit your application by the deadline, as no further applications will be accepted after it has passed. Please refrain from inquiring about joining the ArtWalk after the application deadline. Applications are due by 11:59 pm on April 10
Locations

Artists will be allocated a 100 square ft space. This could be 10 x 10 square or the equivalent.  Expect to provide supports (i.e. grids) and/or a display for your work. Artists accepted into the ArtWalk will have the chance to indicate their location preferences through a survey.
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Local Businesses- Many local businesses generously volunteer to host artists. 
Newmarket Community Centre, Old Town Hall Location & Newmarket Library- These locations will be decided by lottery. Artists who have not shown at The Old Town Hall or Community Centre the past year will be given preference.

Artists' Responsibilities

Artists are required to:
  • Distribute brochures/posters/postcards and promote the ArtWalk through their social media, website, email/mail contacts and at shows they are participating in. Failure to promote the ArtWalk in this way will be taken into consideration should you apply in the future.
  • Select and perform at least one duty from a list that will be provided upon acceptance to the ArtWalk. Duties may include: staffing an NGA booth at the Farmers’ Market, putting out and collecting ArtWalk signs, soliciting sponsorship, etc. Failure to select and perform a duty will be taken into consideration should you apply to the ArtWalk in the future.​
  • The artist MUST be present during the ArtWalk hours to meet with the public to promote and sell their artwork. A helper/volunteer can be used for short breaks.
  • Artists are expected to attend the Artist Information Meeting  June 11, 2026 at 7:00 pm.
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Artist and Artwork Requirements

  • All artwork at ArtWalk venues must be that of the juried artist only. Display of artwork by non-juried artists is NOT PERMITTED.
  • Applicants must be the designer, creator and producer of the artwork sold during the show. Artwork made from kits, ceramics from commercial molds and factory or mass-produced articles are not permitted. Ready-made components may be used where appropriate but these must be secondary to the nature and design of the work and not the primary components.
  • Reproduction of Fine Art (i.e. giclee prints)- Original works must be to professional standards and clearly identified as reproductions to the public. Fine Art reproductions may not exceed 10% of booth value or volume.
  • Photography and Digital Art must be to professional standards but due to the nature of the medium is not restricted to booth value or volume.
  • Work offered for sale must be very similar to the work shown in the photos accompanying your application. NGA representatives will visit your venue to ensure compliance and reserve the right to ask you to remove from display, items that differ significantly from those in your application. Artists who do not comply with these guidelines will not be considered for future shows.
  • Work must be displayed in a professional manner.  Each artist is responsible for displaying and pricing their own artwork.
  • Artists are responsible for any insurance, vendor’s permits, liabilities and costs incurred for their location.

Note: The NGA appreciates the value of fine art and craftsmanship and expects participating artists to price their work accordingly. To maintain the integrity of all artists, signs offering pricing discounts and sales will not be permitted to be displayed at your location. 

***New*** AI Guideline Rules

AI is allowed as a tool only (not the primary creator), with significant human authorship and required disclosure to organizers and to the public. 
Acceptable Uses
  • AI used for ideation or assistance, with final creative decisions made by the artist
  • Substantial human modification and authorship
  • Clear disclosure that Ai was used (e.g., “AI-assisted artwork”)
Unacceptable Uses
  • Misrepresenting AI-generated work as fully human-made
  • Closely imitating the recognizable style of a living artist
  • Selling near-raw AI outputs with minimal human modification as “original art”

***NEW*** Auxiliary Merchandise

Starting this year, only 10% of your booth's merchandise either in volume or value may consist of items featuring reproductions of your artwork. 90% of what is shown must be original work (with the exception of photography and digital art). Below is a guide to merchandise that is acceptable or not acceptable. This new guideline is due to complaints of certain commercial reproductions encroaching on other artists original work. Please note any auxiliary merchandise for sale must be very similar to the work shown in the photos accompanying your application.

If you are considering an item not listed below, please consult the ArtWalk Committee for approval. These guidelines were created because the growing accessibility of print-on-demand services has led to increasing overlap with the work of ceramic, textile, and wearable-art artists. To maintain fairness and artistic integrity, stricter merchandise rules are now necessary.

Acceptable Merchandise
  • Journals and notebooks
  • Calendars
  • Mousepads
  • Magnets
  • Art buttons
  • Art cards
  • Puzzles
  • Coasters
  • Stationery (including sticky notes)
  • Bookmarks
  • Books of artwork
  • Stickers
Not Acceptable Merchandise
  • Mugs (and other items that overlap with ceramic artists)
  • Scarves, T-shirts and other items that overlap with textile artists
  • Bags (e.g., tote bags)

Application Process

You must be a paid member to apply.  If your membership has lapsed, Click here to renew it before beginning the application process.
  • Application Form: To be completed online. Bios and short descriptions for brochure will no longer be part of the application but will be required upon acceptance.
  • Photos of Artwork: Upload 5 photographs of recent work (2022-2026) which represents the types of artwork that you intend to show. Each image must show one piece of artwork only. Exceptions would be pieces sold as a set (i.e. a triptych, cream & sugar set).  Images cannot have overt signatures or watermarks as the submissions to the jury are anonymous.  Submitted images older than 2022 will not be passed onto the jury for evaluation.  (Tip: for 2d artwork you should crop out frame and just focus on artwork. 3D artwork should be a professional, neutral background.)
  • Photo size and format: Send images in .jpeg format; minimum 900 pixels along the width x no height minimum; max. 5 MB in size. Do not send pictures in HEIC (Apple format) they cannot be retrieved!
  • Numbered and titled to correspond with your image list, as follows: Last Name, First name Initial, Image#. For example for John Doe it would be  DoeJ1)​. Improperly labeled images will not be passed onto the jury for evaluation.

​Please note: that images that are overly long or wide do not show well within our jurying, promotional material and social media format. Images that are close to square or 4:5 aspect ratio tend to work best.
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Payment of Fees:
  1. E-transfer
  2. Credit Card 

NOTE: Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Promotional Material

The NGA reserves the right to use the images and promotional material submitted by the artist in their application for any and all promotional purposes without notice or payment to the artists.
  ArtWalk Fees

All applicants to the ArtWalk must be members of the Newmarket Group of Artists. For membership details click here. Applicants who are not residents of Newmarket must pay the Non-Resident Fee.

Newmarket Resident     $ 145.00
Non-Resident                $ 210.00

            

Should your application not be accepted, ArtWalk Fees will be refunded less the $30 Application Fee. Membership fees are non-refundable.
Cancellation Policy

  • A $30.00 administration fee will be charged if the artist chooses to cancel up to and including June 5, 2025. After June 5, 2025, all fees are non-refundable. 
  • If the NGA cancels the show for unforeseeable reasons, the Artwalk fee will be refunded less a $5.00 administration fee.
  • Applications from artists who have outstanding fees or bank charges in arrears will not be considered.
  • The Artwalk will go ahead rain or shine.
 The Selection Process
  • In order to maintain a high quality of artwork and to ensure that it is possible for visitors to see all of the locations, participation is limited to approx. 40 artists depending on space availability.  If the quality of the applications, or other logistical circumstances dictate, fewer or more than 40 artists may be selected. Of the accepted artists, at least 80% will be Newmarket residents.
  • Previous acceptance to the ArtWalk is not a guarantee of admission as the jury process takes place annually. Photos submitted for jurying must be of recent works and represent the complete range of artwork intended for show/sale, even if the artist has applied previously. A committee member will visit locations during the ArtWalk to confirm compliance.
  • Submissions are juried blind (i.e. the jury members see only the images provided; names of applicants are not disclosed to the jury). The jury consists of professional artists and educators from outside the Newmarket area, none of whom are applying to the Artwalk or are members of the NGA or its Board.
  •  The selection by the jury is based solely on the quality of the work as shown in your photograph. The criteria in which the art will be juried are as follows:
  1.  Artistic Merit: The artwork demonstrates a high level of achievement or innovation in relation to the pool of applicants in the given art form.
  2. Quality of Design/Composition: The artwork demonstrates appropriate use of design: line, colour, texture, balance etc. to achieve a successful or unique composition.
  3. Creativity: The artwork demonstrates a high level of originality and inventiveness in both the use of medium and the choice of subject matter.
  4. Technical Merit: The artwork demonstrates a high level of competency and consistency with the selected medium or media.

(Tip: for 2d artwork you should crop out frame and just focus on artwork. 3D artwork should be a professional, neutral background.)​​
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Notification of Jurying Decision
Notification will be sent out via email by May 23, 2026. The NGA reserves the right to reject applications that do not meet the guidelines or fulfill the application requirements.


We look forward to receiving your application

Questions?

Please contact Robin Burnett at [email protected]