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751 Sproul Road #1057, Springfield, PA 19064 Voting Is Open! Vote for Your Favorite Artwork →
Every $5 gift is one vote. Vote as many times as you like through December 1, 2026, at 5 PM ET.
Give $50 or more and receive the 2027 Shades of Amber Calendar. Calendars ship starting December 1, perfect for holiday gifts!
Questions about how voting works? Read the Voting FAQ.
The Appendix Cancer PMP Research Foundation invites artists from all disciplines and skill levels to participate in the 3rd Annual Shades of Amber: Creative Contest for a Cure, a national virtual art contest in honor of Giving Tuesday! This contest brings together artists and supporters to raise awareness and funds for appendix cancer research, education, and awareness.
Featuring original artwork inspired by the color amber, the official color of appendix cancer awareness, symbolizing hope, strength, and awareness for those affected by appendix cancer.
Key Details
- Submission Period: Oct 2 – Nov 1, 2026
- Voting Period: Nov 2 – Dec 1, 2026
- Giving Tuesday / Voting Closes: December 1, 2026, at 5 PM ET
- Winners Announced: December 1, 2026, on ACPMP social media
- Entry Fee: $15 or more donation
- Voting Fee: $5 or more donation
Prizes & Recognition
- 1st Place: $300 Visa Gift Card
- 2nd Place: $200 Visa Gift Card
- 3rd Place: $100 Visa Gift Card
- Recognition across ACPMP’s website, social media, and newsletter
- Your Art Featured in our Calendar!
- The top 12 entries from the 2026 contest will also be featured in ACPMP’s 2028 Shades of Amber calendar, distributed nationally as a donor premium and awareness piece. Your artwork will inspire hope and spread awareness all year long. (The 2027 calendar will feature art from the 2025 Shades of Amber contest).
Eligibility
- Open to all artists, regardless of experience level or location.
- All forms of art are welcome, including painting, drawing, photography, digital art, mixed media, and textiles.
- Artwork must incorporate the color amber as a prominent feature and/or reflect themes of hope, strength, or awareness for appendix cancer. Amber is the official color of appendix cancer awareness. Here is a handy guide to the different shades of amber.
Entry Requirements
- Original Artwork: All submissions must be original work created by the artist. Each artist may submit up to two pieces.
- Mediums: Any medium is accepted, including but not limited to: painting, drawing, photography, digital art, and mixed media.
- File Format: Digital images only. High-resolution JPEG, PNG, or PDF files.
- Image Quality: Images must be clear, well-lit, and cropped appropriately, as they will be displayed in the online voting gallery.
- Entry Fee: A minimum donation of $15 per artist (includes up to two pieces) is required. All proceeds support the Appendix Cancer PMP Research Foundation’s Giving Tuesday campaign to fund research, education, and awareness for appendix cancer.
Submissions
Submissions closed on November 1, 2026. Thank you to all of the artists who shared their work!
Submission Deadline: November 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET
Prizes & Recognition
- 1st Place: $300
- 2nd Place: $200
- 3rd Place: $100
- Recognition across ACPMP’s website, social media, and newsletter
- Special shout-out on Giving Tuesday on social media
- The top 12 entries from this year’s 2026 contest will be featured in ACPMP’s 2028 calendar. Each of the 12 featured artists will receive a complimentary copy of the 2028 calendar.
- The 2027 Shades of Amber calendar will feature the top 12 entries from the 2025 contest. Supporters can receive this calendar as a thank-you gift with a donation of $50 or more. Calendars ship starting December 1, perfect for holiday gifts!
Public Voting
- Voting Period: November 2 – December 1, 2026, at 5 PM ET
- Vote now at acpmp.org/vote. Each vote requires a $5 or more donation to ACPMP’s Shades of Amber Campaign Page.
- There is no limit to the number of votes an individual may cast.
Meet the Artists
Behind Every Artwork, a Story
Shades of Amber celebrates creativity and community while raising awareness for appendix cancer and PMP. Below, you can explore each artist’s work in its full format and read the statements from artists who chose to share one.
Dylan M., My Port, Acrylic and Mixed Media, 2026
When I finally got my port taken out, I cried with joy and jumped up and down! I was really hungry, so the nurse gave me some Chips Ahoy cookies (which I thought was fitting … port … ahoy). I saved the port, and the cookie wrapper, and made a painting out of it.
Dylan M., My Insides After CRS-HIPEC, Acrylic and Mixed Media, 2026
I had my gallbladder, spleen, my omentum, part of my small intestine, part of my colon, my right transverse colon, part of my liver, and the outside lining of what’s left of my small intestine removed. It was a BIG surgery. And it saved my life. This is a painting of my new insides. Honoring the organs and partial organs that are still there, in their new formation, and allowing me to live.
Anette P., Bloom Anyway, Ink, 2026
After my PMP diagnosis in 2023, I turned to art as therapy and a way to raise awareness. My abstract floral paintings remind me (and others) that life with appendix cancer and PMP can be messy and unpredictable, but that it is nonetheless possible to bloom despite – and often because of – the challenges it brings.
Anette P., Bloom Even If It’s Messy, Acrylic, 2026
Kathy G., Sunset’s Hope, Photography, 2023
I’ve always felt peace and awe when experiencing the beauty of a sunset. And since my husband’s diagnosis in December 2022, the vibrant amber in sunsets has reminded me of the blessing of the day that’s ending and hope for the day to come.
Susan T., Autumn Leaves in Aiken, Photography, 2020
Taken while on a quiet walk during the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020.
Susan T., Aiken Fall Colors, Photography, 2020
James N., Amber After the Rain, Digital Photography, 2023
Both of these photographs began as ordinary moments I almost walked past. Amber After the Rain captures a bed of wallflowers just after a spring shower: hundreds of blooms in every shade from pale gold to deep amber, still holding raindrops. To me it’s what hope looks like up close. It’s not one perfect flower but many, crowded together and still blooming after the storm.
Where the Path Turns Amber was taken at golden hour along a lakeshore trail, where a maple had turned fiery amber against a clear sky. The path curves out of the shadows toward open water and light. It reminds me that strength often means taking the next step without being able to see all the way ahead.
Amber stands for hope, strength and awareness. I’m sharing these images for everyone walking that path with appendix cancer, and for the people walking it alongside them.
James N., Where the Path Turns Amber, Digital Photography, 2014
Ruth H., All of Me Loves All of You, Pencil and Color Pencil, 2026
I started sketching my husband Jeff Howard after he passed away on May 15th, 2026 from complications from the Mother of all Surgeries. Jeff did remarkably well after his 14-hour surgery, and 5 days in, he developed blood clots in his lungs. We were together 42 years so I am totally shattered by his passing. I take comfort in sketching him. I feel closer to him while I am sketching. He was diagnosed with appendix cancer December 5th, 2025. He was a beautiful man and he is greatly loved and missed.
Ruth H., Jeff Howard 11-21-1957-05-15-2026, Pencil and Color Pencil, 2026
Ellen Z., Serenity on the Horizon, Photography, 2022
Photo taken 5 years post-diagnosis, and it offered me plenty of calmness and joy.
Adonia G., Still in Flight, Digital, 2026
“These photographs hold pieces of my life still being lived since my Stage 4 Cancer diagnosis. Family, travel, laughter, movement, and the people who stand beside me. Together, they form a motmot in flight – a nod to the beautiful birds of the Tulum jungle and to the color and wonder that surround my family there, in our special place. The golden dawn over Tulum marks my journey through appendix cancer, while the bird carries the rest of the story: a life that is still vibrant, still moving, and still mine.”
Jackie M., My Dad Our Warrior, Digital, 2026
My Dad is our hero, our warrior. He has battled appendix cancer every day since he was diagnosed in March. He is a lion. Fierce, strong, and fighting for his life.
Dandylyon D., Spirit of the Sea, Encaustic, 2024
Dandylyon Darr is an encaustic artist on the Big Island of Hawaii. Her biggest inspiration is her brother Everett, who has been surviving appendix cancer since 2020.
Dandysart.com
Dandylyon D., Positive Flow, Encaustic, 2024
Adam B., Lonely Tree, Film Photography, 2025
Adam B., Road Ahead, Film Photography, 2025
Benjamin B., Blossom, Film Photography, 2025
Christine B., Love, Light, and Amber Hope for Beth, Photography, 2025
Vaughn N., Circle of Life, Digital Photography
Grace N., Waiting Room, Digital Photography
Voting Is Open! Vote for Your Favorite Artwork →
Every $5 donation is one vote, and you can vote as many times as you like. Give $50 or more and receive the limited edition 2027 Shades of Amber Calendar. Calendars ship starting December 1, perfect for holiday gifts!
Questions about how voting works? Read the Voting FAQ.