2026 Art Submission Schedule
ART SUBMISSION NEEDED |
SUBMISSION DEADLINE |
Easter 2027: Traditional, contemporary, or whimsical Easter subjects, such as Easter Eggs, rabbits, florals, baskets, springtime scenic, or religious and Christian icons or symbols (church, cross, Jesus, shepherd, sheep, etc.). |
December 17, 2025 |
Mother’s Day 2027: Colorful, feminine images and themes for Mother’s Day, including photography, whimsical illustrations of animals or people, humor/editorial based designs, and contemporary/current trend-based imagery. |
January 9, 2026 |
| Father’s Day 2027: Masculine-themed imagery including outdoor scenes, sports, leisure, wildlife and other male-oriented scenes or themes for suitable for Father’s Day. “Dad” jokes and humor are welcome. | January 26, 2026 |
| Graduation 2027: Gender-neutral designs, including contemporary or graphic design, photography, humor and traditional illustration (diplomas, cap and gown, confetti, calligraphy/wording) that is suitable for Graduates of any age. | January 26, 2026 |
| Valentine’s Day 2027: Valentine icons or images which are suited to verses with “love” or “friendship” messages, i.e., hearts, flowers, candy, photography, angels, animals, etc. Both humorous and serious concepts are welcome. Typography and “words as art” are also needed. | February 16, 2026 |
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Sea Cove Gallery: Coastal imagery, including ocean scenic, boating scenes, marine mammals and coastal wildlife, beach scenes, lighthouses, birds, tropical icons, mermaids, beach attire, fish, coastal lifestyle scenes, golf, fishing, etc. Whimsical, serious, or fine art styles are appropriate. |
March 25, 2026 |
| Southwest: Images that are representative of the culture and lifestyle of the southwestern United States, such as wildlife, landscapes, desert florals, desert scenics, Kokopelli, cactus, roadrunners, chilies, hot air balloons, and southwestern patterns, colors and design elements. | March 25, 2026 |
| Wildlife Gallery: All species of North American wildlife, in a variety of art styles and color palettes, and in settings that range from backyard scenes to mountain and forest environments. Images should be active – typically with animal interacting with their environment or other animals. Humorous and whimsical wildlife illustrations are encouraged. | March 25, 2026 |
| Body, Mind and Spirit: Spiritual /inspirational images, such as angels, fairies, mermaids, unicorns, goddesses, yoga, wellness, meditation, moon, star and sun images, self-care and other spiritual icons. | March 30, 2026 |
| Tribal Spirit: Images and icons that depict the traditional Indigenous People’s culture and lifestyle. | March 30, 2026 |
Gallery of Horses: Equine imagery depicted in a variety of settings and art styles, including Western and English horses and riding styles, and all varieties of horse breeds. Selected images are typically active, relational images of horses in movement, or interacting with other horses, cats, dogs, or nature. |
March 30, 2026 |
| Laugh Out Loud: General market humor for all everyday card sending occasions, in a variety of medium. The humor can be edgy and bold, but not graphic or obscene. The intent is that these card designs will make the recipient “laugh out loud!” Cartoons, photography and illustration are all acceptable. | April 24, 2026 |
| Notelets: Cute, funny, sweet, modern-day photographs of people (babies, children and adults) and animals. Images will need to scale to a smaller printed card size of 4 ¼” x 5 ½”. Images that inspire fun, humorous and whimsical editorial are preferred. | April 28, 2026 |
| Notions: Cute, fun, and brightly colored, contemporary renditions of everyday and traditional icons (cats, dogs, flowers, animals, fashion, “cute” illustration, etc.) that will scale to a small, printed card size of 3-7/8” x 5-1/16”. Typography and “words as art” are also appropriate. | May 4, 2026 |
| Western: Western-themed artwork including romantic Western landscapes, humorous “cowpoke” characters, country humor, Western cartoons, ranch living, and all things related to life in the American west. | May 18, 2026 |
| Best Wishes: Traditional subjects in cute/whimsical styles, such as funny dogs and cats, cute/fuzzy birds, floral/garden scenes, colorful calligraphy, cute “critters”, “lite” humor, and photography. Typography and “words as art” are also needed. Also included is an assortment of fine art with a timeless appeal featuring landscapes, farm and rustic scenes, children, birds, realistic flowers or gardens, vintage subjects or photography, landscape or floral photography and other suitable subject matter for everyday greeting cards. | June 5, 2026 |
| Tapestry: Warm, expressive illustrations that depict people of color. Imagery should highlight the beauty, strength, and individuality of diverse cultures and traditions. | June 19, 2026 |
| Celebration Greetings: Christian or religious/inspirational-themed imagery and wording. Designs should be contemporary and inspiring, upbeat and positive. These card designs typically will have a scripture verse included on the inside. | June 22, 2026 |
| Family Captions: Traditional subjects in cute/whimsical styles, such as funny dogs and cats, cute/fuzzy birds, little angels and fairies, floral/garden scenes, colorful calligraphy, cute “critters”, teddy bears, “lite” humor, people or animal photography. These are designed with a special family relationship in mind. (For My Sister, Happy Birthday Mom, etc. | June 22, 2026 |
| Fall Holiday and Christmas 2026: Halloween and Thanksgiving icons and scenery, as well as an assortment of traditional Christmas, winter and holiday imagery suitable for use in boxed Christmas cards, Christmas assortments, or Christmas counter cards. | July 6, 2026 |
| Leanin’ Tree Mid-Year Adds (May 2026): A mix of images suitable for Everyday greeting cards that fit into the niche categories mentioned above: coastal, western, southwestern, horses, wildlife, Native American, fantasy, humor, inspirational or other general everyday images suitable for a catalog supplement of new everyday greeting cards. | September 18, 2026 |
Artist Submissions Guidelines
Thank you for your interest in submitting artwork to Leanin' Tree! We receive and review many thousands of art submissions annually. To ensure that your submission is processed in a timely manner, please follow the guidelines as indicated below:
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All art submissions must be sent digitally and submitted via email to art.submissions@leanintree.com. We do not accept printed art submissions of photos, original sketches, color copies or mock-ups sent via first class mail. Printed art submissions that are sent via First Class Mail will not be returned to you.
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We prefer to receive digital submissions as either multi-page PDF documents or jpegs. We prefer printable PDF files over individual jpegs attachments whenever possible. Please include 2-to-4 images per-page in order to help manage ink, paper and printing costs, and to allow us to clearly see the detail in your artwork.
- Your name and contact information must appear on each page of your submission. Separate PDF files for everyday art and holiday art are appreciated.
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We do not publish pencil or pen/ink images.
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Please edit your submission to an appropriate size. To expedite the reviewing process and allow multiple members of the art review committee to view and consider your work, please edit the size of your submission to the most appropriate 25-50 images per category.
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We are unable to provide critiques or feedback regarding art submissions or the selection process. If your artwork is selected for publication, you will be notified by telephone or email with further information.
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Payment terms are discussed when an image is selected for publication. You will receive a copy of our Standard Licensing Agreement with detailed language regarding copyright, payment, and printing/publishing terms.
- If you do not hear from us in 4-8 weeks' time, you should assume that your submission was not a fit for our product lines at this time.
We appreciate the opportunity to review and consider your work and thank you for your interest in Leanin’ Tree!