One way to bust artist’s block and keep yourself busy making art is to submit your work to the many juried events and exhibitions in the UK and beyond! A selection of competitions are listed below, many of them awarding substantial prizes for work in 2-D (painting, drawing, print-making, etc.), 3-D (sculpture, installation, etc.), film/video, photography, etc. Most charge a small fee to enter (which often covers administration costs), and should your work be selected, the rewards vary from cash to commissioned work along with the chance to join an exhibition and be included in critical write-ups.
Let me know if you think there are some opportunities that could be added to this list!
Also, click the link to read more practical info about applying to open calls.
Selected London-based art prizes, commissions, etc. (by deadline date)
| Project/event name (click link for more info) | Apply deadline | Event dates |
| Jerwood Project Space | open | bi-monthly |
| Bloomberg New Contemporaries* | Jan 2020 | Jul; Nov |
| Royal Society of Painters Open Portrait Prize | Jan 2020 | May |
| Ashurst Emerging Art Prize* | Jan 2020** | Jul-Sept |
| Jerwood Open Forest | 1 Feb 2016 | Nov/Dec (exhibit), (commission) |
| Derwent Art Prize for Drawing | Feb 2020 | Spring/Summer |
| BP Portrait Award | Feb 2020 | Jun-Sep |
| Frieze Artist Award | Feb 2020 | October |
| RA Summer Exhibition | Feb 2020 | Summer |
| Jerwood Makers Open | Feb 2020 | July/August |
| Jerwood Painting Fellowships | Spring | biennially |
| Jerwood/FVU Awards | Spring | Mar-May following |
| Contemporary British Painting Prize | April 2020 | Aug-Oct |
| TBW Drawing Prize (formerly Jerwood Drawing Prize) | Jun/Jul 2020 | Sept-Oct |
| May/Jun 2020 | Dec | |
| Griffin Art Prize* and residency | July 2019 | Nov/Dec |
| Passion For Freedom festival | July 2020 | October |
| National Open Art prize | currently suspended | Winter |
| London Open triennial at Whitechapel | Nov 2021 | Summer 2022 |
| John Moores Painting prize at Liverpool Biennial | Autumn 2019 | Spring 2020 |
| Columbia Threadneedle Prize | Oct 2019 | Jan 2020 (London) |
| Lynn Painter-Stainer Prize | Dec 2019 | Mar 2020 |
| Jerwood Photoworks (biennial) | Nov 2018? | Jan 2020 |
| Frieze Foundation Projects | TBC | October |
| Hyundai Commission series at Tate | invite only | Yearly |
* NOTE: These events/open calls are for emerging artists such as those under a certain age, final year BFA/BA/MFA/MA students and/or recent graduates only.
** For the Ashurst Art Prize, early entries received can get feedback from their experts
Also keep an eye on these websites…
There are a number of art-related websites, too, where other opportunities are listed on a regular basis, including residencies, projects, collaborations, exhibitions, events, talks, and more.
And let’s not forget the art fairs…
| Biennials | Links | Dates |
| Documenta – Kassel, Germany | http://www.biennialfoundation.org/biennials/documenta/ | 5 yrs |
| Manifesta – European cities | http://manifesta.org/ | even years |
| Nour Festival – London, UK | https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/subsites/nour.aspx | odd years |
| Qalandiya International Biennial – Palestine | http://www.qalandiyainternational.org/ | even years |
| Sharjah Biennale – Dubai, UAE | http://www.sharjahart.org/ | odd years |
| Shubbak Festival – London, UK | http://www.shubbak.co.uk/ | odd years |
| Venice Biennale – Venice, Italy | http://www.labiennale.org/en/Home.html | odd years |
| Annuals | Links | Dates |
| Affordable Art Fair – Battersea, London | http://affordableartfair.com/battersea/ | Mar |
| Art Basel – Basel Germany; Miami; Hong Kong | https://www.artbasel.com/ |
Jun; Dec; Mar |
| Frieze – London, UK | http://friezelondon.com/ | Oct |
| London Art Fair – London, UK | http://www.londonartfair.co.uk/ | Jan |
| Other Art Fair – London, UK | http://www.theotherartfair.com/ | Apr |
| Parallax – London, UK | http://parallaxaf.co/ | Feb |
| SOFA – Chicago, IL | http://www.sofaexpo.com/ | Nov |
