Explore creative opportunities across London

The Royal Society of British Artists Open Call 2026 is Now Open!

The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) invites artists worldwide, aged 18 and over, to submit artwork for the RBA Annual Exhibition 2026 at Mall Galleries.

Eligibility:

Any artist aged 18 or over may enter, from anywhere in the world.

Artists may enter a maximum of six artworks each.

Works should be no larger than 2.4m along the longest dimension.

All works must be an original creation by the artist

Acceptable media: Painting, sculpture, drawing and original prints.

What you get:

Selected artists will have their work exhibited at Mall Galleries, London, with potential for sales and commissions. There are £20,000 worth of incredible prizes and awards on offer, including The Huaicun Zhang Award of £10,000 for a work (or works) of exceptional quality.

Deadline 09 January 2026

Constellations ° Residency

UP Projects is partnering with the Royal Parks to offer a new, 6-month residency opportunity for an artist to be based at Greenwich Park, starting in January 2026.

The selected artist will receive free studio space at St Mary’s Lodge located within Greenwich Park as well as a fee of £22,000. The residency has been designed to support an artist to develop their socially engaged practice through creative community engagement.

Developed as part of UP Projects’ Constellations learning and development programme and forming part of the legacy of the Greenwich Park Revealed project, this Constellations ° Residency aims to foster meaningful connections between the park and its visitors through artistic exploration and collaboration.

The residency will suit an early to mid-career artist with a socially engaged practice, an understanding of and sensitivity to the barriers faced by the park’s underserved communities, and an understanding of the social and cultural value of urban green spaces.

We are welcoming expressions of interest through a six-week open call, launching on Tuesday 23 September 2025 and closing at midnight on Sunday 2 November 2025.

To find out more and apply, download the full extensive open call document. You can also download a plain text version of the open call document.

Should you have any questions relating to this residency opportunity please address them via email to constellations@upprojects.com.

Answers to all questions will be shared on this page during the course of the open call process.

The Hopper Prize Artist Grants

The Hopper Prize invites submissions from artists worldwide for grants of $4,500 (2 available) and $1,000 (4 available). Open to all media.

Who can apply:
Visual artists aged 18 and over, working in any medium, from anywhere in the world.

What you get:
2 artists will each receive $4,500 and 4 artists will each receive $1,000 in unrestricted grants.

Deadline 11 November 2025

Artist Call Out - Sculpture Art Trail

Trunks across the Thames is Thames Hospice’s very first art trail stomping through Slough & Windsor during the Summer of 2026. We are looking for talented artists to create show-stopping designs and transform these jumbo canvasses into vibrant works of art!

We are looking for artists to make our trail a truly, beautiful success. Whether you are established or looking to make your mark in the art world, we would love to hear from you and discover how you would create a show stopping design on one of our elephant sculptures. If your design is selected, you will receive an honorarium of £1,000 upon completion of your artwork.

Your design on one of the 30-35 large elephants will be seen by thousands across the local community and from further afield visiting the trail, alongside 50 small elephants designed by schools and community groups.

The trail will provide a powerful platform where you will be celebrated on our website, a tailored sculpture plaque, interactive trail app, printed map, across extensive media coverage and social media content.

Play a pivotal role in bringing both Slough and Windsor to life, creating an unforgettable atmosphere, a vibrant tapestry of art and community, and promoting health and wellbeing. Allow your art to engage with a diverse demographic, generating excitement, powerful conversations and lasting memories.

Artists will have the exciting opportunity to meet and work alongside other artists in our creative hub, as well as network with local organisations.

Call Out: Designer for Migration Museum in a Box Project

The Migration Museum is seeking an experienced designer or design team to help us bring to life the Migration Museum in a Box – a fully portable, self-contained museum output that combines storytelling, storage, and display in a single, transportable unit.

Housed within a bespoke suitcase/trunk, this moveable display will serve as both a functional display tool for outreach, education and engagement sessions with a wide range of different audiences, as well as acting as a symbol of migration itself.

We are looking for a designer or design team to develop and oversee fabrication of the Museum in a Box. This will involve two core components:

A suitcase-based interactive display that can be carried and set up by one person
A miniature architectural model representing the future Migration Museum, to sit on top of the suitcase in a separate box/bag
This project is perfect for a designer or design team who love/s storytelling through objects, and wants to help shape how thousands of people will encounter and share migration stories.

We need a designer to…

Design the aesthetic, layout, and user experience of both the suitcase and the miniature model (A 2D model of the permanent home will be provided as reference)
Ensure both elements can be adapted as and when needed to reflect the Migration Museum’s new branding (our draft brand guidelines are still being finalised and will be shared with shortlisted designers)
Create interactive components that can withstand regular use by a wide range of audiences
Produce technical drawings and files required for fabrication, as well as a 3D render of the permanent home for digital use
Liaise with selected fabricators to deliver the final product within budget
Budget

Designer Fee: Up to £3,000
Fabrication Budget: Up to £3,500
Please click here to download a full brief

How to apply

Please send us a proposal of no more than 3 pages, including text and visuals, outlining:

Your idea for the Museum in a Box
How it meets the brief and design objectives
Why you’re a good fit for this project
You may also include examples of relevant work or a portfolio.

LONDON WRITERS AWARDS

Originally launched in 2018, the London Writers Awards aims to increase the number of writers from under-represented communities being taken up by agents and publishers. It has supported 120 writers and become the most successful writer development scheme in the UK, with 50 writers agented and over 62 book deals. In 2025, a new iteration of the London Writers Awards returned thanks to a generous philanthropic donation by Sam and Rosie Berwick.

The London Writers Awards focuses on three genres of prose writing: literary fiction (including short stories), commercial fiction (for e.g.: crime, science fiction, romance), and YA/Children’s fiction (including middle grade and Young Adult fiction but excluding picture books). Each year, there are 24 spaces on the programme: 12 for literary fiction, 6 for commercial fiction, and 6 for YA/children’s fiction.

The London Writers Awards are free to participate in. Bursaries are available for writers on a low-income. There is an Access Fund for disabled writers.

Who are the awards for?

The Awards are for London-based prose writers from a background currently underrepresented in publishing. We consider these backgrounds to be:

– Black, Asian, or Global Majority*
– D/deaf and Disabled
– LGBTQIA+
– Working Class Upbringing
– On a Low Income**

*Global Majority defined as Black, Indigenous and people of colour.

**Writers whose income is through benefits or paid on/ below the London Living Wage hourly rate, and whose savings do not exceed the amount needed to pay for three months of living costs (rent, gas, electricity, food etc.).

Writers are  selected through  a free and open application process. The  programme  is for writers who  are committed to developing their work, their craft and their career. 

What happens on the programme?

The programme is delivered online and in person at accessible venues. Awardees become part of a critical feedback group meeting twice a month. Critical feedback groups are a proven way to take writing forward, and participants receive feedback on their work at least four times. The first seven sessions are facilitated by an experienced writer.

There are five craft masterclasses run by professional authors, and three career masterclasses run by industry speakers and experts. The career masterclasses help Awardees to build industry and business knowledge, and gain practical skills.

Awardees take part in two Writers’ Labs. The first Writers’ Lab is an opportunity for writers get to know their peers; ask questions about the programme; be introduced to the critical feedback model through their group facilitator; meet and hear from the Judges and alumni of the programme.

The second Writers’ Lab is where writers network with invited editors, publishers and agents.

All Awardees receive 1-2-1 professional development sessions with members of the Spread the Word team to support their development, progress and wellbeing whilst on the programme. Towards the end of the programme a booklet featuring the Awardees’ projects will be distributed to over 300 agents and editors.

Lewisham Arthouse Graduate Studio Award

The Lewisham Arthouse Graduate Award is an exciting opportunity providing recent graduates from universities colleges and alternative art education programmes with a free studio space, a mentorship programme and production support for one year.

The Graduate Award was started in 2010, to help artists who have recently left art school and were faced with an increasingly expensive and difficult task of continuing to make art. As an artist led cooperative, we understand the challenges of sustaining an art practice in London and decided collectively to dedicate one of our studios permanently as a free space for a recent graduate and to fund the project ourselves.

We also want to provide more than just a physical space and invite the award holders to become part of our community with peer learning, skill sharing and use of our resources. At the end of the year, the awardee is invited to share the outcomes of their time in Lewisham Arthouse through a public event, such as an exhibition, a workshop, performance, symposium or gig.

In 2023 we were awarded an Arts Council England grant to enable an exciting new phase of development. We can now offer, amongst other things - an extended mentorship programme, a stipend and a production budget for the final project.

The grant has also enabled us to expand the programme and offer use of our public spaces and funding for projects initiated by the graduates who were shortlisted.

To date, we have welcomed 16 graduates to our community with many others contributing via events and performances.

The City Listens Back

Exhibition Dates: November 13 – 16, 2025
Location: PURIST Gallery, London
What if the city could hear you? We’re curating works where tech meets organism — code like mycelium, rivers as data pipes, bodies as antennas. If your practice listens to urban ecologies, we want to see it.

Eligibility: UK-based and international artists aged 18 years or above, for a London exhibition. We encourage works across installation, moving image, sound, performance, sculpture, painting, photography, text, and web/interactive.

What you get:

Curated group show in London (Nov 2025)
Strong applicants are often invited into future PAI_32 projects and features
Deadline 12 October 2025

London Photo Show

By entering your prints in the London Photo Show, you get your own space within the exhibition at the gallery that is visited by thousands of people.

Eligibility: Anyone

What you get: We will take care of hanging your work. Your work will be exhibited for the duration of the show and you are invited to the opening party with your friends and family. The exhibition will host around 30 photographers in a fantastic gallery next to Hoxton station.

Entry fee: £355

The New Emergence Art Prize 2025

The New Emergence Art Prize 2025 is open to artists worldwide, has no set theme and welcomes all media. We want to champion emerging artists with meaningful recognition.

Eligibility:

Artists worldwide, no restrictions

What you get:

£1,000 Main Award
NG Art Creative Residency: Emerging Artist Award (2 week residency in Provence, France)
The Staedtler Award (£350+ worth of Staedtler products)
The Daler-Rowney Prize (£250 worth of Daler-Rowney materials)
The New Emergence Art Founder’s Prize (£150)
The GreatArt Prize (£75 worth of GreatArt materials)
Entry fees: £15 for 1 artwork; £25 for 2 artworks; £30 for 3 artworks.

Deadline 19 October 2025

Organiser: New Emergence Art
Locations: International, Online

Apply for the Royal Academy Schools Post-Graduate Programme

The RA Schools provides a postgraduate education in contemporary art practice. Committed to wide access to art education; we charge no fees. We seek candidates who demonstrate merit and the potential for growth. We provide the practical and intellectual territory for art making underpinned with generous and productive criticality. The school’s place within the Royal Academy of Arts provides exceptional conditions to flourish.

Eligibility:

This is a post-graduate programme. We do not accept applications from students with an existing Masters degree in Fine Art / MFA degree.
This restriction also includes any equivalent Level 7 qualification in any area of Fine Art or Contemporary Art Practice.
There is no upper age limit for candidates. The current age range of artists in the RA Schools is from early 20s to late 40s.
What you get:

A three year post-graduate programme. There are between 10-17 places per year.
There are no course fees. Successful applicants are typically provided with an annual bursary of no less than £4,000 per academic year.
We also contribute to the costs of some consumable materials through our Workshops.
Deadline 20 October 2025

Organiser: the Royal Academy of Arts
Locations: United Kingdom

Royal Institute of Oil Painters

Artists are invited to submit work for exhibition alongside members of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters at the ROI Annual Exhibition 2025

The Royal Institute of Oil Painters was founded in 1882 and is the only major British art society that promotes and exhibits work of the highest standard exclusively in oil paint.

The ROI Annual Exhibition features work by many exciting emerging painters alongside the work of more established names.

Works on a Theme: HOME

This year’s special theme is ‘HOME’ – for which The ROI Themed Painting Prize is on offer to the best interpretation. However the theme is optional, one aspect of a larger exhibition, to which oil paintings of all subjects are welcome.

Successful applicants can expect:

• To have their selected work included in the ROI Annual Exhibition at Mall Galleries, in the gallery, and online

• Eligibility to win prizes and awards

• An invitation to the Private View

• The chance to sell their work

• To be part of a network of exhibiting artists dating back to 1882 when the ROI was founded

• The possibility of election to membership (for more information about becoming a member, please visit the ROI website)

Submissions are ONLINE ONLY and open until Friday 10 October 2025

Please note that, as of this year, all work by submitting artists must be for sale.

Turn Your Art into Income: Odd Wall Open Call

Artists are invited to submit work for exclusive prints, with all marketing, production, and delivery managed on their behalf. This zero-cost opportunity offers a straightforward way to generate passive income, with monthly earnings paid directly to the artist.

Who can apply: Open to everyone

What you get:

Free participation with no costs, professional printing and optional framing of your work, marketing and representation through Odd Wall’s channels, full customer support and delivery, plus 50% commission on every sale paid monthly.

Deadline 31 October 2025

Organiser: Odd Wall, based in London, available worldwide

The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2026

Artists are invited to submit work in pastel and other dry media for the Pastel Society’s 127th Annual Exhibition, proudly sponsored by Caran d’Ache.

This call welcomes artists working with pastel, pencil, charcoal, crayon, chalk and beyond. The exhibition seeks bold, inventive and expressive work that challenges preconceptions about pastel and dry media, and celebrates their creative potential today.

At the heart of the show is the direct touch of dry media. As the Society notes, “the joy of dry media is its ability to transmit feeling through the hand directly onto paper. The touch is evident and powerful.”

Who can apply:

Artists aged 18 or over, anywhere in the world. Work must be recent (within two years), under 2.4m, and not previously shown at Mall Galleries.

Acceptable media:

All types of pastel including soft pastel, hard pastel, oil pastel, ink pastel, water-based pastel, conté crayons or sticks, sanguine, and other dry mediums that are similar in their application including charcoal, chalk, and pencil. Mixed media and three-dimensional works are welcome where pastel or another dry media is the primary medium.

What you get:

• Inclusion in the exhibition at Mall Galleries and online

• The opportunity to win prizes and awards

• An invitation to the Private View

• The chance to sell work to new collectors

• Being part of a network of exhibiting artists dating back to 1898

• The possibility of election to membership

Deadline 14 November 2025

Organiser: Mall Galleries and The Pastel Society, London
Locations: United Kingdom

ArtWorks Open Prize Award Show

Fine artists working in 2D and 3D media are invited to submit work for the ArtWorks Open Prize Award Show. This annual platform supports emerging and mid-career UK artists, awarding cash prizes, exhibitions, and residencies. With Joseph and Piper as selectors, the 2025 show will likely showcase diverse, socially engaged art that foregrounds identity, dialogue, and impact.

As leading figures in contemporary Black British art, with early roots in movements such as the BLK Art Group and the Institute of International Visual Arts, they bring decades of critical engagement and visual innovation. Their curatorial approach suggests a focus on cultural identity, political critique, multimedia complexity, and social justice.

Who can apply:

All fine artists working in 2D and 3D media; emerging and mid-career UK-based artists

What you get:

Cash prizes, exhibitions, and residencies
The opportunity to have your work selected by Joseph and Piper, influential voices in contemporary Black British art
Inclusion in a high-profile annual show that foregrounds identity, dialogue, and social engagement
Fee:

£12 for one work; £24 for two works; £33 for three works; £40 for four works

Royal Institute of Oil Painters Open Call Now Open

The Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) invites artists worldwide, aged 18 and over, to submit artwork for the ROI Annual Exhibition 2025 at Mall Galleries.

Submission deadline: Friday 10 October 2025 at 12 noon.

This year’s special theme is ‘HOME’ – with the ROI Themed Painting Prize awarded for the best interpretation. However, the theme is optional and represents just one aspect of a broader exhibition, which welcomes oil paintings on all subjects.

Eligibility:

Artists worldwide may enter a maximum of six artworks each.
The combined total of the longest dimensions of accepted paintings must not exceed 8 feet per artist.
Works must have been completed within the last three years and not previously exhibited at Mall Galleries.
Works must be created in oils. The ROI promotes and exhibits work of the highest standard in oil paint.
Water-soluble oil paint is acceptable if framed as an oil painting, to maintain the overall appearance of the exhibition.
What you get:
Take part in the ROI Annual Exhibition 2025 at Mall Galleries (27 Nov – 13 Dec 2025) With a total prize fund exceeding £10,000.

Mural Fund Small Grants

The Abbey Harris Mural Fund makes grants to artists to create semi-permanent or permanent public murals or site specific works on walls, in any medium, in the United Kingdom.

Eligibility: Mural painters

What you get: Funding of up to £7000 is available for an artist or organisation producing a public mural in the UK

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