ArtOpps – Showcasing the very best artist opportunities

Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum’s OPEN 2024

We are delighted to present the Open 2024, an exciting exhibition providing a showcase for artists living and working in the West Midlands. Last seen in 2022, the Open has been a regular and popular feature of Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum’s (LSAG&M) programme since the 1930s. Open 2024 is sure to be an eclectic mix of artistic forms, with previous Opens featuring, amongst others, sculpture, photography, installation pieces, computer generated imagery and textiles. An independent panel of judges will select artworks for exhibition and the winner of the Open 2024 Award. They will receive £1,000, a Spotlight exhibition at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum and an opportunity to talk about their work at a Friday Focus talk. Visitors can vote for their favourite artwork, which will receive the People’s Choice Award of £500.

Georgia Kitty Harris, Explain Yourselves 1930s, Derwent Art Prize 2022

THE DERWENT ART PRIZE

Derwent, the internationally renowned fine art brand, are proud to announce that the seventh instalment of the Derwent Art Prize is now open for entries! Created in 2012 by Derwent, the Derwent Art Prize celebrates and rewards excellence in contemporary pencil art, inviting artists to submit the very best in 2D and 3D artworks created in any pencil, including colour, water-soluble, pastel, graphite and charcoal pencils. Dedicated to championing art made in pencil and supporting artists in their careers, the Derwent Art Prize presents an international exhibition in the beating heart of the Southbank at gallery@OXO and awards prizes to winning artists worth £13,000.

Gareth Gardner

Artist at Soane

Within Sir John Soane’s Museum, the Drawing Office is the earliest surviving example of a working architectural office. To mark the 200th anniversary of its installation, Sir John Soane’s Museum completed a programme of restoration, new multi-layered digital interpretation, and the launch of the Museum’s first residency programme. The historic importance of the Museum, its archive and collections are well known. What is less well known is the work the Museum does with contemporary artists and the relevance of the Museum and its collection to artists, architects and designers practicing now . The residency will enable Sir John Soane’s Museum to develop its work with contemporary practitioners, whilst complementing the broader work of the organisation. Two artist residents will be hosted annually from 2023, for three months each, during the Spring (March to May) and the Autumn (September to November).

THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF SCULPTORS – GILBERT BAYES AWARD

The Gilbert Bayes Award for early career sculptors is given annually by the Society to a small group of outstandingly talented sculptors. Selected by the sculptor members of the Society’s Board and a guest judge, the award provides vital support during what can be a difficult transition from study to professional practice. The award is open to sculptors of any age or nationality, with or without formal training and working in any style of media.

The Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary

Since 2002, The Discerning Eye has offered artists a unique Drawing Bursary and exhibiting opportunity as part of the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London. Five artists will be shortlisted for the Bursary and an exhibition of their selected work will be shown as part of the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition from the 16 to 26 November 2023 alongside a virtual gallery showcasing all the artists’ shortlisted works £1500 will be awarded to the winner of the Bursary and £150 will be awarded to each of the runners-up. This opportunity is open to any artist resident in the UK. Artists are required to enter online. Artists must complete the online Application Form, upload images, CV and short statement about their work and how receiving the Bursary will benefit their practice.

John Ruskin Prize

John Ruskin Prize is open to entries from artists, designers and makers, amateur or professional, from anywhere in the world. The Prize welcomes works in all mediums, including drawing, painting, print, sculpture, photography, textile, animation, mixed media, digital, performance, installation and more The selection panel will shortlist up to 40 artists and select work for inclusion in an exhibition

Guildford House Open

Guildford House Gallery is calling for entries for a brand-new art prize. Up to 100 works will be chosen for a group exhibition at Guildford House Gallery and a prize of a solo show and £1,000 awarded to the winning artist. Artists can enter both 2D and 3D for consideration by an eminent panel of selectors.

Ingram Prize 2022 installation view at Unit 1 Gallery ǀ Workshop, London. Image by Phil Adams

The Ingram Prize

The Ingram Prize is an annual purchase prize open to visual artists who are within five years of graduation from a UK-based art school. This leading prize for contemporary artists was established by The Ingram Collection to celebrate and support artists at the beginning of their professional careers. We recognise the vital importance of practical support in these early years, and through our prize we offer opportunities to exhibit and sell work, a programme of continuing professional development, and the chance to develop both industry and peer-to-peer networks.

Royal Society of Sculptors Membership

The Royal Society of Sculptors was created more than 100 years ago to champion contemporary sculpture and the artists who create it. Today we welcome everyone interested in exploring this art form and its many possibilities.

Lola Betiku, Ladies First. Acrylic paint and gold leaf.

ING Discerning Eye

The ING Discerning Eye Exhibition has established an outstanding reputation among artists, collectors and enthusiasts for its unique curatorial approach. ING is proud to support the exhibition, which provides, a rare opportunity for works by lesser-known artists to be hung alongside contributions from internationally recognised names. The selected works will be shown in a virtual exhibition and at the Mall Galleries from Thursday 10 - Sunday 20 November 2022. Artists are invited to submit up to six works in a variety of media: painting, print, sculptures, drawing and photography are all accepted. These works must be for sale, and should not exceed 20” (50 cm) in their largest dimension.

Fred Uhlman, Welsh Farm / Photo: City & County of Swansea: Glynn Vivian Art Gallery Collection / © The Artist’s Estate / Bridgeman Images

Wales Contemporary / Cymru Gyfoes

Wales Contemporary / Cymru Gyfoes is an international open competition for two or three dimensional and in any medium apart from photography, digital prints or film. Developed by the Waterfront Gallery in association with the Welsh Government, Wales Contemporary seeks to celebrate all aspects of the country by inviting artists to submit work that is inspired by its ancient history, its art history, its heritage, its landscape (rural, urban or political) and its contemporary culture.

Anita Taylor, Founding Director of the TBW Drawing Prize, 2022 Preview, photo by Ben Jones

TRINITY BUOY WHARF DRAWING PRIZE

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize was founded in 1994 and is celebrating the 26th consecutive annual exhibition in 2021. The exhibition and awards are open to applications by emerging, mid-career and established drawing practitioners UK-wide and internationally. Up to three drawings may be entered by each applicant for consideration by the Selection Panel.

Ben Johnson, Scrovegni Chapel Worksheet, 2019

Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Working Drawing Award

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Working Drawing Award aims to expand and enhance our knowledge and understanding of working drawings – drawings from which something else can or will be made. It is anticipated drawings for design, architecture, engineering, and other disciplines, as well as within art practice, will be submitted for this award and exhibition. Drawings are invited for entry that illustrate and explain an idea as part of a process towards production or construction, or that facilitate the development of an idea, or that form a drawn instruction to a maker.

Angela Webb

The Gallery at Green & Stone

Green & Stone, the internationally renowned art shop, opened the Gallery in 2018. Each year we host two open calls in search of emerging talent. The first prize of our Summer Exhibition is a fully funded solo show. Previous winners include Nneka Uzoigwe and Michael Slusakowicz. Since exhibiting with us, both artists have soared within the artistic community. We take pride in being the first rung on the ladder of success for many artists. We are a gallery orientated towards emerging artists with incredible talent and potential. The work we exhibit is unique, contemporary and affordable. Our growing community is testimony to the success of our model. Our ambition is to create a space that will become a major resource upon which artists, collectors, researchers, curators, and the broader artistic community might draw and benefit in the future.

Wells Cathedral by Andy Walker

Wells Art Contemporary 2023 (Gallery): Call for Artist Submissions

Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) is an international art competition giving artists the opportunity to exhibit their work in Wells Cathedral. Now in its 13th year, WAC’s next exhibition will take place in August 2023. This annual showcase is a highlight of Wells cultural life and attracts thousands of visitors. Selected artists’ work will be seen and admired by a huge and attentive audience. Submissions can be in any medium or style. The competition annually draws a huge entry from artists wishing to show in such an inspirational, prestigious and unusual space. Its international reach and reputation has grown significantly in recent years through the exhibition’s online platform and WAC’s ongoing association with eminent artists. An Antony Gormley sculpture is currently installed in niche 338 on the Cathedral’s West front. WAC provides two ways for artists to exhibit and sell work: the Gallery Show, where artworks are shown in a traditional gallery within the Cathedral cloisters; and the Installation Show which showcases site-specific installations in the main body of the Cathedral itself and its grounds. Both shows run concurrently.

Christian Aslund, 'Chinstrap Penguin resting at Spigot Peak, the Antarctic Peninsula' (2018)

EARTH PHOTO

Photographers, both amateur and professional, are invited to submit up to ten photographs or films to Earth Photo, an international photography competition and exhibition. Developed jointly by Forestry England and the Royal Geographical Society (with the IBG), Earth Photo aims to stimulate conversations about our world, its inhabitants and our treatment of both.

Anne Bennett, Kaleidoscope with Mirrors.

Wells Art Contemporary 2023 (site-specific installations): Call for Artist Submissions

Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) is an international art competition giving artists the opportunity to exhibit their work in Wells Cathedral. Now in its 13th year, WAC’s next exhibition will take place in August 2023. This annual showcase is a highlight of Wells cultural life and attracts thousands of visitors. Selected artists’ work will be seen and admired by a huge and attentive audience. Submissions can be in any medium or style. The competition annually draws a huge entry from artists wishing to show in such an inspirational, prestigious and unusual space. Its international reach and reputation has grown significantly in recent years through the exhibition’s online platform and WAC’s ongoing association with eminent artists. An Antony Gormley sculpture is currently installed in niche 338 on the Cathedral’s West front. WAC provides two ways for artists to exhibit and sell work: the Gallery Show, where artworks are shown in a traditional gallery within the Cathedral cloisters; and the Installation Show which showcases site-specific installations in the main body of the Cathedral itself and its grounds. Both shows run concurrently.

THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF SCULPTORS – FIRST PLINTH: PUBLIC ART AWARD

First Plinth: Public Art Award 2023 is designed to offer sculptors an opportunity to extend their practice into competing for public art commissions. The winning sculptor is awarded £15,000 to produce a large-scale sculpture for the sculpture terrace at Dora House before moving to a second site at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The award theme is Parade.

RCA Conwy Open

The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art invites submissions for its 2023 Annual Open Exhibition. Dedicated to encouraging and portraying diversity within art, both 2D and 3D work in any medium is welcome. All successful submissions will be exhibited in our beautiful gallery in Conwy, 7th January – 25th February 2023, as well as online viewing and sales through our website. The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art welcomes all UK based artists, professional, amateur and of course students, to submit work. We look forward to seeing your artwork and to perhaps meeting you during the exhibition.

Paul Brandford, Untitled, Bursary XII

THE DISCERNING EYE DRAWING BURSARY

An opportunity for five artists to have their work shown as part of the annual ING Discerning Eye Exhibition. In addition to this, one artist will receive £1,500; the remaining four will each receive £150.

Lara Cobden, Liminal Space – Part I (2018)

Wells Art Contemporary

The WAC Awards is an open competition for contemporary visual art that is gaining praise and respect in Britain and abroad. It was established in 2012 by a group of artists and their friends in Wells, the beautiful cathedral city in the South-West of England. But an idea that came to life around kitchen and dining tables has already established a strong presence in the London art world and is drawing artists from places as diverse as Australia, Azerbaijan, India, Italy, Korea, Japan and the United States, as well as all over Britain.

(TOUCH) BEACH II, 2020 BY HARRY RÜDHAM 2020

np.a Professional Development Programme

newplatform.art is a not-for-profit organisation supporting early career artists through paid-for display and a professional development programme. It enables businesses to create a sustainable future for the next generation of artists. The purpose of the np.a Professional Development Programme (np.aPDP) is to equip those at the early stages of their career with practical guidance and mentoring on how to make their practices sustain them financially, as well as creatively. We engage professionals from all aspects of creative and corporate life to deliver practical guidance to early career artists, from seminars, workshops and group mentoring, to individual pairings with established artists.

The World Reimagined

Calling on UK based visual artists working in the mediums of paint, photography, drawing, mosaic, sculpture and collage. We invite you to become part of a national conversation to transform understanding of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impacts. The World Reimagined is a ground-breaking, mass participation art education project to transform how we understand the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impact. The World Reimagined will see trails of large globe sculptures in cities across the UK in the Summer of 2022, created by artists to bring to life the impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The trails will be the centre of a broader education and engagement programme, with hundreds of schools, community groups, sporting and cultural institutions taking part across the country.

The Football Art Prize

The Football Art Prize is a new open call opportunity for artists. To coincide with 2022 World cup year Touchstones Rochdale, with generous support from Arts Council England, have created The Football Art Prize to celebrate art and football. Artists over the age of 18 working in all two dimensional mediums including photography and moving image will be eligible. The show gives artists the opportunity to showcase their work in a regional touring exhibition opening at Touchstones Rochdale in March 2022 and touring to Sheffield and Sunderland.

Bath Society of Artists

The Competition is open to all UK artists, over the age of 18 years old on 16th July 2021. This year’s exhibition will open on Saturday 2nd October to Saturday 20th November 2021. You have until 5.00 pm on Tuesday 31st August 2021 to enter!

Figurative Art Now

The Federation of British Artists is the home of figurative art. In our 60th year we are bringing together the best of figurative art by staging a new vibrant, online, selling exhibition and art prize, Figurative Art Now. We want to see the broadest range of work that has any form of figuration. At a time when representational and figurative painting is enjoying a welcome return to popularity and as society re-emerges into the light after the global pandemic, this exhibition will lift the spirits and give the public an opportunity to appreciate and buy new works in a wide range of mediums. All works will be for sale on online to our extensive audiences of buyers of figurative art.

Grizedale Residency

This new opportunity based at Grizedale Forest is an annual intensive six week long residency that fosters experimentation and innovation in response to the natural environment. A Royal Society of Sculptors member will be paired with an early-career sculptor (2nd/ 3rd year student or post graduate from universities based in the North West) to explore how creative ideas can evolve and how new ideas and innovative thinking can cross generations of artistic practice. The residency will run from 30 July – 11 September 2021 inclusively.

Royal Society of Portrait Painters

The Royal Society of Portrait Painters invites artists from all over the world to submit portraits for our Annual Exhibition. The final exhibition is selected by leading portrait painters and being selected is a mark of distinction. Selected artists will have their work exhibited in a prestigious showcase at The Mall Galleries in Central London at which a number of works will sell and a number of commissions will be placed. There is also the chance to win a number of prizes and awards totalling over £23,000. The Society welcomes paintings, drawings and original prints from artists over 18, from the UK and beyond to be shown alongside members of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters at their Annual Exhibition.

Camilla Dowse, 'Yellow Door in Chelsea', shortlisted 2017

The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition

Now in its 34rd year, The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition is the largest and most prestigious prize for contemporary watercolour painting in the UK. Whether it be through abstract or figurative, contemporary or traditional, the competition aims to celebrate and redefine the beauty and diversity of watercolour and water-based media. Open to all UK-based artists, the competition offers a generous range of prizes.

RWA Open Exhibition

The Royal West of England Academy holds an Annual Open Exhibition, now in its 168th year. As the name suggests, anyone can enter their work for this mixed discipline show – previous years have included painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, film, sculpture and illustration, and attracted entries from artists across the UK and beyond. A selection panel assesses every entry and last year 657 works by 451 artists made it into the final exhibition. All work is for sale and the exhibition attracts art-lovers and art-buyers from far and wide.

Jade Chorkularb, One day I will stop crying

Wells Art Contemporary – Installation Proposals

The Wells Art Contemporary Open will be held at the magnificent Wells Cathedral between July 20th and August 11th 2019. For the first time we are offering a remarkable opportunity for proposals for fine art interventions, installed in up to 8 specific sites within the Cathedral. Individual or collaborative proposals can be made.

Lumen Art Prize

The Lumen Prize for Art and Technology celebrates the very best art created with technology through a global competition, exhibitions and events worldwide run by Lumen Art Projects. Our annual juried competition draws entries from artists globally and has given away more than US$80,000 in prize money since its launch in 2012. Lumen Art Projects, a not-for-profit based in the UK, is dedicated to providing opportunities for artists who engage with technology globally through links with cultural venues, festivals and institutions globally.

Sandra Crisp, Remote City (SKYGARDENS_TOWERS)

THE LONDON GROUP OPEN

A unique opportunity for visual artists to raise their profile by exhibiting alongside members of the UK's longest-running artists' co-operative.

Parra, International Print Biennale Poster, IPB 2016. Image: Anna Arca

INTERNATIONAL PRINT BIENNALE PRINT AWARDS

Showcasing the broad spectrum of contemporary printmaking across the globe, the IPB Print Awards welcome work created through both traditional and contemporary print processes, including 2D, 3D, video, installation and site-specific work.

Jessica Harrison, 54 Pins, 44 Followers, 2017. Commissioned for Jerwood Makers Open 2017, supported by Jerwood Charitable Foundation. Image: Anna Arca

JERWOOD MAKERS OPEN

An exceptional supported opportunity for makers and collaborators across all disciplines. Five awards, each worth £7,500, will be awarded to artists who need the opportunity, time, curatorial advice and logistical back up to develop their ideas and further their practice.

JERWOOD OPEN FOREST

A call for bold, broad-thinking proposals that explore the potential of forests as sites for art. The Commission is worth £30,000 and proposals can be for work in any discipline or medium, temporary or permanent, site-specific or for touring to more than one location.

Lydia Ourahmane, 'All the way up to the Heavens and down to the depths of Hell', 2017. Photo courtesy of the artist.

JERWOOD VISUAL ARTS ARTIST BURSARIES

An opportunity for visual artists who are within ten years of graduating or establishing their practice. Twelve bursaries, each worth £1,000, are available to artists seeking to experiment as well as define and determine their own developmental needs.

Patrick Blower, Sketchbook Page, SKETCH Open 2017

SKETCH

An open sketchbook drawing prize which champions the importance and diversity of drawing by exploring the role of the sketchbook in contemporary fine art practice.

Nicholas Archer, In Shadows, Lynn Painter-Stainers 2018

THE LYNN PAINTER-STAINERS PRIZE

The Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize was created in 2005 by the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers and the Lynn Foundation to encourage the very best creative representational painting and promote the skill of draughtsmanship. With prize money of £35,000, the Prize is one of the most prestigious awards to artists throughout the UK.

Flow Photo

Photographers, both amateur and professional, are invited to submit up to four photographs or films for the inaugural edition of Flow Photo. The national photography competition and exhibition, developed by Future Water Association and supported by the Canal & River Trust, aims to raise awareness and encourage debate about water and waterways in all aspects as seen through the photographer and film-maker’s lens.

Women Make Sculpture

The inaugural Women Make Sculpture: theCoLAB Commission will award a female sculptor £15,000 towards the research, development and making of work(s) to be exhibited at one of three possible outdoor sites on the University College London (UCL)’s Bloomsbury Campus from mid-October 2019. The brief is open as to material, narrative and theme but the work must demonstrate an interest in making and materials or be inspired by the context for the work. The award is open to professional women artists of any age working primarily in three dimensions, who are living and working in the UK

THERMAE BATH SPA COMMISSION

Thermae Bath Spa is offering a £7,500 commission to produce 9 works which will be installed in the busy restaurant in June 2019. Thermae welcomes approximately 285,000 visitors through the building per year. Thermae are looking for work that is inspired by the natural thermal waters and promotes holistic wellbeing.

THE WESTMORLAND LANDSCAPE PRIZE

The Westmorland Landscape Prize is a national call to artists who are inspired by our landscape. Conceived and developed by Westmorland, the Prize aims to document, celebrate and interrogate our relationship with the landscape. The selection panel will be looking for works which reach beyond the aesthetic, stimulating thinking and debate about the way in which we exist alongside, as part of, or sometimes in spite of our landscape.

Dominic Tschudin

Pangaea Sculptors’ Centre

Hippodrome 120 Sculpture Commission As part of the celebrations for their 120th year, Birmingham Hippodrome is working in partnership with PSC to commission a temporary, site-specific sculpture for a void space in their four-storey foyer, around which the building’s primary public staircase ascends. Footfall in the foyer exceeds half a million visitors each year.

RSS Thread Residency

Thread is a residency program and cultural center that allows local and international artists to live and work in Sinthian, a rural village in Tambacounda, the southeastern region of Senegal. It houses two artists’ dwellings, as well as ample indoor and outdoor studio space. The team behind Thread speaks to its collaborative nature. This is a project about connection and linkage. Between two distinct points, persons, places, or perspectives. To be like thread by forming connections that run through us, and not around us. Together we are using art to develop connections between rural Senegal and other parts of the globe. This residency is an opportunity for artists to focus on their own work while being artistically flexible in adapting to the unique creative environment at Thread. It is entirely possible to work alone in a studio based manner but great flexibility is needed with regard to materials. Collaborations with the local community can happen but usually evolve in an organic manner. Artists are not expected to create a certain kind of project or have a certain kind of impact.

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