The MSWS has held the Grand National Watercolor Exhibition every year since the mid 1980's.  The past two years, the Grand National has been on display at the new Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson.  The Exhibition hangs for three months beginning in mid-October and ending in January.  This is a juried show and is judged by a nationally recognized artist.  The 2010 Exhibition will be judged by Judi Coffey, a signature member of several watercolor societies including the National Watercolor Society.  Her paintings are included in corporate, private and permanent Art Society Collections throughout the Unites States and Europe.  You can view some of her artwork on her website, www.judiart.com.

The prospectus is mailed to members in the spring and entries are due in early July.  To enter the Grand National, an artist must be a member of the MSWS, although he or she may join when they submit their entry.  The Exhibition is limited to paintings in water-based media on paper only.  Artists may enter up to three images of their paintings for the juried show, but no more than one painting may be accepted from a participating artist.  The judge will evaluate the images and determine which paintings will be in the Exhibition, and then artists will be notified accordingly.  After the accepted paintings are received and hung by the curator of the Mississippi Museum of Art, the judge will come to Jackson to view the paintings and determine which ones will receive monetary awards.

Any artist who has had paintings displayed at three MSWS Grand National Exhibitions is eligible for Signature Member status.  Artists must maintain their current, dues-paying membership in MSWS to continue to be listed as a Signature Member. 

For the 2009 Grand National Exhibition, the MSWS received 211 entries from 88 artists in twenty states.  Nine artists received monetary awards totaling more than $6,000, including the best-in-show award sponsored by the MSWS in the amount of $1,500.  Nationally recognized watercolor artist, Don Andrews, was the judge for this Exhibition.