Ex-tempore Piran is one of the oldest competitive art festivals of its kind in Slovenia. It now comprises both painting and ceramics festivals, and concludes with the presentation of awards.

In recent years the number of participants who have sent in their works has risen to 300 artists - 40 per cent of these are professional academic artists, while the rest are amateur artists who are eager to offer their creative work for comparative evaluation. In 2004 the 39th international painting Ex-tempore and the 5th international ceramics Ex-tempore took place. The selected works were exhibited at various venues, including Piran City Gallery, Olimlje Monastery, Gasspar Gallery and Herman Pečarič Gallery (ceramics), while more than 100 short-listed works were shown to the public at Tartini Square in Piran.

At the conclusion of the festival an international jury awards the grand prix for painting, major purchase prizes, the young artist prize, the watercolour prize and honourable mentions, while the best ceramics artist gets the grand prix for ceramics plus a solo exhibition at the Obalne galerije - Coastal Galleries. Upon viewing selected exhibited works, various sponsors also award around 40 additional purchase prizes.

Since 2003 the Ex-tempore Piran has been accompanied by the Genius Loci Lera Workshop at the nearby salt-pans at Sečovlje.