Open Calls for Artists - August & September 2026
The Royal Society of British Artists shares this monthly roundup of exhibition opportunities, awards and open calls for artists, compiled by Parker Harris via Artopps. We didn't want you to miss the art deadlines coming up over the next month…
Follow the links below for full details on each opportunity.
FREE WORKSHOP
Image: The Ingram Prize 2025, Photo by Phil Adams
Thursday 3 September, 5pm (and later on recording)
Get Your Work Seen
If you'd love more people to see and buy your work, but you're not sure who your audience is, or where to find them,... Join our free masterclass. We'll share tips from 35 years in the art world to help you get noticed by the right people.
In 1 hour, you'll learn where gallerists, curators and collectors look for artists, and what to post online. You'll leave knowing what's worth doing, so you spend less time marketing, more time in the studio.
ART OPPORTUNITIES
Image: The Ingram Prize 2025, Photo by Phil Adams
Deadline: Tuesday 25 August 2026, 5pm
The Ingram Prize
The Ingram Prize is calling for entries, open to artists within 5 years of graduation from a UK-based art school.
This annual purchase prize and exhibition is free to enter and you can submit up to two works in any media, with no size limit.
Three winners will see their work acquired by The Ingram Collection, and one prizewinner will be offered a solo exhibition in 2027 at Lightbox Gallery, Woking. Shortlisted artists will show their work at Unit 1 Gallery ǀ Workshop in London.
photo by Rene Lazovy
Deadline: Thursday 27 August 2026, 5pm
The Discerning Eye
Less than one week left to enter this year's Discerning Eye exhibition.
If you want the chance to exhibit at London's Mall Galleries, and win from over £9,000 in prizes, this is your moment to apply!
The Discerning Eye is open to small-scale works in any medium, no larger than 50cm in any direction. Artists from across the UK are encouraged to enter.
Don't miss your moment to feature in one of London's most beloved shows.
Image: The Soho Open at GPS Gallery Soho
Deadline: Thursday 3 September 2026, 5pm
The Soho Open
The Soho Open is calling for artists across the UK to exhibit at Great Pulteney Street Gallery in London's Soho district.
Work in all media is welcome , from painting, drawing and textiles to sculptural and experimental works.
Shortlisted artists will take part in a vibrant group show, plus have the chance to win from 3 solo presentations in the gallery, and £1,000 in cash prizes.
Don't miss this opportunity to show your work in central London!
Image: Painting by Stephen Appleby-Barr
Deadline: Tuesday 29 September 2026, 5pm
The Queer Britain Art Award
Now in its fifth and biggest year, this international open call celebrates the connection between art and LGBTQ+ culture and community.
Open to artists aged 18 and over at any career stage, working in 2D or 3D media: from painting and photography to performance and moving image.
Up to 80 works will be shown in a London exhibition this December, with £3,000 in prizes to be won.
Photo by Skyfire Imaging
Deadline: Wednesday 30 September 2026, 5pm
The Guildford House Open
The Guildford House Open is open for entries from artists across the UK, in all styles, subjects and media.
Up to 100 works will be selected for the exhibition, with the winning artist receiving £1,000 cash prize and a solo exhibition.
This is a great opportunity to show and sell your work just outside of London, and get your art in front of a distinguished panel of artists and educators.
Image: Westminster Cathedral
Deadline: Thursday 1 October 2026, 5pm
The Faith Art Prize
The Faith Art Prize is an open call and exhibition for sacred and devotional art across all disciplines and techniques. You can enter from anywhere in the world, and in all styles, subjects and media.
Up to 100 shortlisted works will be exhibited at Westminster Cathedral, London, opening 13 November.
£30,000 in prizes are on offer, including a £25,000 First Prize and a £5,000 People's Choice Award.
Image: The John Ruskin Prize 2025
Deadline: Tuesday 17 November 2026, 5pm
The John Ruskin Prize
Open to works in all media and styles, by artists, designers and makers around the world, the John Ruskin Prize is an exciting exhibition at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London.
This year's theme, Not for Present Delight, invites entrants to consider what it means to make art with an awareness of consequence, at a moment defined by environmental urgency and social inequality.
Up to 80 artists will be shortlisted for the exhibition and have the chance to win prizes totalling £9,500.
Image: Earth Photo on tour at The Rodd, Herefordshire
Deadline: Wednesday 3 February 2027, 5pm
Earth Photo
Earth Photo is an open call for photographers and filmmakers worldwide.
Enter images that capture the world around us, in any lens-based media, from documentary photography to more experimental or contemporary techniques.
Shortlisted images will be shown in an exhibition opening at London's Royal Geographical Society before touring to venues across the UK
Awards include a top prize of £1,000, one-to-one mentoring, magazine features, and more. And this year, it's free to enter.
EXHIBITIONS
Instil Some Joy
Until Sunday 6 September 2026
The Hogarth Art Prize
Shortlisted works from the inaugural H ogarth Art Prize will be on show at Hogarth's House, Chiswick, from 28 July to 6 September 2026.
Spanning painting, drawing, photography, printmaking and mixed media, the exhibition brings together some of the most compelling wall-based work by UK artists working today.
The exhibition is free to visit and will also be available to see online.
The Rodd, Herefordshire
Until Sunday 4 October 2026
Sidney Nolan Open
The Sidney Nolan Open brings together 60 artworks by 54 artists at The Rodd, Sidney Nolan's former Home, in Herefordshire.
Spanning painting, sculpture, print, photography, digital and installation, the works explore human emotion, identity and our relationship with the landscape.
The exhibition is free to visit and runs across the gallery, historic outbuildings and gardens, with many works available for sale.
Besties
Until Saturday 3 October 2026
People Watching, Rebecca Holton
Rebecca Holton's new solo exhibition is now open at Guildford House Gallery, bringing together paintings that capture people in the quiet, unguarded moments of everyday life: friends in cafes, strangers on platforms, commuters lost in thought.
A multi-award-winning artist with an eye for what others overlook, Rebecca Holton turns the ordinary into something worth taking a second look at.
People Watching runs from 4 July to 3 October 2026, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm. All works are also available to browse and buy online.
The Millenium Gallery, Sheffield
Until Sunday 13 September 2026
The Football Art Prize
The Football Art Prize exhibition opened at Sheffield's Millennium Gallery on 11 June, the opening day of the FIFA World Cup, and now runs until 13 September 2026.
Over 60 works, selected from around 900 international entries, span painting, print, textiles, photography, and mixed media. They make a case for football as one of the richest subjects in contemporary art.
Next, the exhibition will travel to the National Football Museum in Manchester, from November 2026 to February 2027.
More from Parker Harris
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