Major UK Art Competitions

Major Art Competitions in the UK 2022

Post Pandemic - and the demise of several art competitions 

- this page now needs a radical overhaul. 


See my blog post Count the number of art competitions that no longer exist.... for an explanation. 

I've been waiting for a resurrection - but I think we could be waiting a long timE.

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ARCHIVE


LINK to or BOOKMARK THIS PAGE to find updates in one place!

  • Overview of the basics for each competition - listed by year below (I've been running this page since 2010 and it gets updated on a rolling basis - but sometimes I forget. Use the labels in the side column to find the latest post if I have! THE ARCHIVE is at the bottom of the page)
  • Prizes: List divided into major (£10,000+) and minor art competitions on basis of main cash prize
  • Calls for entries - for UK (and international artists for some competitions)
  • Deadlines - look out for the red dates highlighted
  • Selected Artists - with websites embedded in names
  • Exhibition reviews - with images
  • PLUS 
    • links to tips about entering art competitions 
    • notes about VAT for international artists entering UK art competitions
    • AN ARCHIVE of posts relating to exhibitions in previous years (Going back to 2010 if you want to look at what sort of art got selected in the past)
the biggest art competition in the world


How to enter & terms and conditions


This page provides the absolute essentials. Below are ways in which you can find out more information about each competition.
  • Calls for Entries: I do a ‘Call for Entries’ post about most competitions that provides a systematic overview plus hints and tips. The aim is to provide simple answers to simple questions about who can submit, what can you submit, how to enter etc. Links to the call for entry pages of organisers may disappear after the competition is over, you can always be sure that you can check out key details about what has been said in the past about eligibility and criteria in my regular Call for Entries blog posts.
  • Selected Artists: I often do listings of selected artists with a link to their website embedded in their names - which often generate a lot of traffic for artists website. Make sure I can find your website if you get selected!
  • Exhibition Reviews: Reviews of exhibitions I've seen are also listed below. These include photographs of the artwork selected for the juried exhibition where possible. These can be helpful to those thinking about submitting an entry to future art competitions - or so I'm told! :)

If you have a query leave a comment at the bottom of this post.  
(If you don't want the comment published just say so - as all comments are moderated)

TIPS for artists entering exhibitions

You may find these TIPS helpful
and for those needing help with framing...

TIPS for organisers of art competitions

You may find these past blog posts helpful

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Major UK Art Competitions

UPDATED CONTINUOUSLY

My aim is to keep moving art competitions which are over down the page
to the archive at the bottom of the page
- but I may not have caught up with all the housekeeping!


Listings for art competitions are split into two categories based on the prize money on offer.
  • MAJOR art prize in the UK: To get in this category, there needs to be 
    • at least one prize which equates to or exceeds £10,000
    • and/or attracts international artists because something very prestigious is on offer
  • MINOR competitions: where the prize money is not as great but the name can be prestigious or an online platform can offer profile opportunities + getting selected can be good for the CV!
  • PLUS I specify
    • what the prizes are and 
    • whether or not the competition is open to only UK artists or international artists.

INTEGRITY / COMPLIANCE CHECK: 
As a MAJOR incentive for organisers and judges to be fair to artists submitting entries,
I also highlight any competitions which have:
  • NOT been playing by their own rules recently and/or 
  • NOT complied with how the competition was advertised
  • and I call them out when they aren't fair to artists!

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MAJOR UK ART COMPETITIONS in 2021

(i.e. 1st Prize £10,000 min. and/or on television)

These are ones where applications must be submitted in 2020

Deadlines for UK Art Competitions '2021'


Bold deadline dates are published deadlines. Otherwise the location under a month is ONLY ESTIMATED (based on the previous year)

February 2020
  • Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2021 - 7 February 2020

Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2021


Filmed in 2020 and broadcast in 2021 i.e. Call for Entries closes in 2020 and filming takes place in April 2020; programme airs on Sky Arts in January 2021 (hence the title)
  • Website: Information/Enter: https://www.skyartsartistoftheyear.tv/portrait/
  • Prizes: £10,000 commission from a major British institution + £500 of art materials from Cass Art
  • Open to: Any artist - amateur or professional or hobbyist, who is aged 16+, enjoys good health and has been resident in the UK for at least a year (as at 16.10.19) and holds a valid passport - can enter the competition 
    • UK includes: UK, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Gibraltar or Falkland Islands for one year or longer on 16th October 2019; 
    • you MUST have your parent's written permission (and a chaperone) if aged under 18 on 16th October 2019
  • Call for Entries: Terms and Conditions

  • Deadline for Entries: 7th February 2020
  • No. of Entries: Only one entry can be submitted per person
  • Digital Entry: Yes
  • Notification: on or shortly following 24th February 2020 
  • Filming: Battersea Arts Centre between 24th March – 2nd April 2020 (see The PAOTY Trek to Battersea Arts Centre and Feedback from Battersea Arts Centre PAOTY 2020 Heats re the filming in 2019)
    • Heat 1 – Tuesday 24th March 2020 
    • Heat 2 – Wednesday 25th March 2020 
    • Heat 3 - Thursday 26th March 2020 
    • Heat 4 – Friday 27th March 2020 
    • Heat 5 – Monday 30th March 2020 
    • Heat 6 – Tuesday 31st March 2020 
    • Heat 7 - Wednesday 1st April 2020 
    • Heat 8 - Thursday 2nd April 2020 
    • Semi-Final 2020: Semi-Finals - Tuesday 21st April 2020 at Battersea Arts Centre
    • Final 2020: Thursday 21st May 2020 at (somewhere other than the National Portrait Gallery - because that's closed!)
  • Commission Prize for winner of £10k


Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 

NOTE: call for entries opens in 2020

  • Commission Prize for winner of £10k
  • Call for Entries closes in 2021 and filming of the Heats takes place in June / July 2021


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MAJOR UK ART COMPETITIONS in 2020

(i.e. 1st Prize £10,000 min. and/or on television)


Deadlines for UK Art Competitions '2020'


Bold deadline dates are published deadlines. Otherwise the location under a month is ONLY ESTIMATED (based on the previous year)

December 2019
January 2020
  • RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition 2020 - Monday 13 January 2020, 11.59pm
February 2020
  • Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2021 - 7 February 2020
  • Wildlife Artist of the Year 2019
March 2020
  • Jacksons Art Painting Prize 2020 - 4th March 2020
  • John Moores Painting Prize 2020 - 24 March 2020 (biennial)
April 2020
  • RHS Botanical Art 2021 
  • Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2020 - 17 April 2020
June 2020
  • Sunday Times Watercolour Competition - usually mid June
August 2020
  • ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2020


BP Portrait Award 2020 (First Prize £35,000)

  • Official Website: https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/bp-portrait-award-2020/exhibition/ Register for competition and more information
  • Prizes: First Prize: A cash award of £35,000, plus, at the judges’ discretion, a commission worth £5,000, to be agreed between the National Portrait Gallery and the artist.
    • Second Prize: £12,000
    • Third Prize: £10,000
    • BP Young Artist Award: £9,000 (eligible artists are aged between 18 and 30)
    • BP Travel Award 2016: £8,000
  • Open to: International Artists (and has a very significant international entry each year) aged 18 and over
  • Call for Entries: Opened October 2019
  • Deadline for Entries: Entry forms and payment of entry fees must be completed by 11 December 2019
  • No. of Entries: 1 completed AFTER 1 January 2019
  • Digital Entry: YES (First Round)
  • Submit Portrait: February 2020
  • Shortlist: 
  • Selected artists (and statistics): 
  • Exhibition: 
    • Venue: National Portrait Gallery 
    • (followed by a tour ???? NPG Scotland has said No due to BP sponsorship)
    • Dates: a five week exhibition ONLY between May and June. (before the NPG closes for three years) 
RECOMMENDED READING:

Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2020

Filmed in 2019 and broadcast in 2020

One of the tables in the Semi Final
The big boom camera which provides the overhead shots
  • Selected / Shortlisted artists: see each episode review post for names of participating artists and those selected for the semi-final and final

Learning Points re the 2020 competition




Sky Arts - Landscape Artist of the Year 2020

The 2019 Semi Final - Cromarty Firth Oil Platforms/Derricks
    We do not cast for characters – instead, our expert judges select participants based purely on the quality of their submission artwork. The success of the show depends on the standard of the art produced, so from the outset the programme is a genuine celebration of good art and an intelligent, fascinating examination of the artistic process. Sky website
    • Website: Information/Enter: http://www.skyartsartistoftheyear.tv/landscape
      •
    • Prizes: £10,000 commission from a national organisation to paint a particular place + £500 of art materials from Cass Arts
    • Open to: Any artist - amateur or professional or hobbyist, who is aged 16+, enjoys good health and has been resident in the UK for at least a year (as at 16.10.19) and holds a valid passport - can enter the competition 
      • UK includes: UK, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Gibraltar or Falkland Islands for one year or longer on 16th October 2019; 
      • you MUST have your parent's written permission (and a chaperone) if aged under 18 on 16th October 2019
    • Call for Entries: 
    • Deadline for Entries: 12pm midday 17th April 2020
      •
    • No. of Entries: Only one entry can be submitted per person - the size of the landscape entry must not exceed 48"x36" (1220 x 914 mm) - produced in any material excluding photography, video, sculpture and all forms of digital media. Collage and mixed media are allowed.
    • Digital Entry: Yes 
      •
    • Heats:  Venues and dates to be announced - you MUST be available for filming between 3rd June 2020 and 15th July 2020.
      • Heats One and Two: on Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th June 2020
      • Heats Three and Four: on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th June 2020
      • Heats Five and Six: on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June 2020
      • Semi Final: Wednesday 15th July 2020 
      • Final: Thursday 3rd September 2020
    • Broadcast: televised in the Autumn (October 2019)
      •
    • Episode Reviews: (Episodes are not in the order they were filmed)
    • Prizewinners: 
    If You are chosen as the Winner, You must be available between 3rd September 2020 and 30th November 2020 to attend the Winner’s Prize Location and produce the Winner’s Prize Artwork on exact dates to be determined by the Producer. 
    • Exhibition Venue: 
      •
    • Exhibition Review: 
      •
    • Other posts:


    John Moores Painting Prize 2020


    • Biennial - call for entries opens in February 2020


    Art Competitions which have ceased to exist

    • The Columbia Threadneedle Prize for Figurative & Representation Art - This has been disbanded
    • Lynn Painter-Stainers - no call for entries and no response to enquiries about it
    • The National Open Art Competition - ceased to exist in 2018



    MINOR ART COMPETITIONS IN 2020

    (smaller financial prizes)

    RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition 2020

    • Website: Information/Enter: https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/competition/
    • Prizes: small cash prizes of less than £1,000
    • Open to: 
      • UK: Yes
      • International Artists: Yes
    • Call for Entries: October 2017
    • Deadline for Entries:  Monday 13 January 2020, 11.59pm
    • No. of Entries: 
    • Digital Entry: YES
    • Exhibition: 
      • Venue: Bankside Gallery
      • Dates:  March 2020
    • Selected Artists:
    • Shortlisted artists: 
    Notes: There's a strong emphasis on "contemporary artwork'.  

    Jacksons Art Painting Prize

    • Website: Information/Enter: https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/competition/
    • Prizes: £10,000 in total
      • Overall Winner £5,000
      • People's Choice Award: £1,000
      • Emerging Artist Award: £1,000
      • Category Winners: £500 x 6
    • Open to: 
      • UK: Yes
      • International Artists: Yes
    • Call for Entries: November 2019
    • Deadline for Entries:  4th March 2020
    • No. of Entries: up to 5 paintings
    • Digital Entry: YES
    • Exhibition: 
      • Venue: Bankside Gallery
      • Dates:  March 2020
    • Selected Artists:
    • Shortlisted artists: 
    Note: I'm a judge this year.

    MAJOR UK ART COMPETITIONS in 2019

    (i.e. 1st Prize £10,000 min. and/or on television)


    BP Portrait Award 2019 (First Prize £30,000)

    • Official Website: Register for competition and Information (December 2018) https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/bp-portrait-award-2019/
    • Prizes: First Prize: A cash award of £30,000, plus, at the judges’ discretion, a commission worth £5,000, to be agreed between the National Portrait Gallery and the artist.
      • Second Prize: £12,000
      • Third Prize: £10,000
      • BP Young Artist Award: £9,000 (eligible artists are aged between 18 and 30)
      • BP Travel Award 2016: £8,000
    • Open to: International Artists (and has a very significant international entry each year) aged 18 and over
    • Call for Entries:  Opens December 2018
    • Deadline for Entries: Entry forms and payment of entry fees must be completed by 21 January 2019
    • No. of Entries: 1 completed AFTER 1 January 2019
    • Digital Entry: YES (First Round)
    • Submit Portrait: February 2019
    • Shortlist: 40th BP Portrait Award (2019) Shortlist + Press Release
    • Selected artists (and statistics): Selected Artists and statistics - BP Portrait Award 2019
    • Exhibition: 
      • Venue: National Portrait Gallery (followed by a tour to two other locations)
      • Dates: 13 June to 20 October 2019

    Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2019 (First Prize £15,000)

    NOTE: APPEARS TO HAVE CLOSED DOWN FOR 2020

    to encourage the very best creative representational painting and promote the skill of draftsmanship..... Only original, two-dimensional works in any painting or drawing media, that have been completed in the last three years, and that have not been previously exhibited, are eligible.
      • UK: Living artists over the age of 18, who are resident in the British Isles - irrespective of whether or not they are a British citizen. 
      • International Artists: NO if residing abroad; Also UK artists residing abroad are ineligible
    • Call for Entries: Making A Mark: Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2019 - Call for Entries
    • Deadline for Entries: 5pm on Monday 3 December 2018 (CLOSED)
    • No. of Entries: up to 4 works
    • Digital Entry:  YES - digital and online for all entries
    A record 2,194 entries were received for the 2018 Prize. Of these 92 drawings and paintings (4.2% of the submission) by 83 artists were selected for the exhibition.

    Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2019


    Paintings completed by the winner - from submission to commission
    • Filming of Heats: Wallace Collection on 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, and 12th April 2018. (Open to the public)
    • Selected / Shortlisted artists: see each episode review post for names of participating artists and those selected for the semi-final and final

    Learning Points re the 2019 competition


    • Exhibition: 
    • Exhibition Review:

    Sky Arts - Landscape Artist of the Year 2019


    pen/brush and ink paintings made by Fujiko Rose for//in the Landscape Artist of the Year competition
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      MINOR ART COMPETITIONS IN 2019
      (smaller financial prizes)

    RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition 2019

    • Website: Information/Enter: https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/competition/
    • Prizes: small cash prizes of less than £1,000
    • Open to: 
      • UK: Yes
      • International Artists: Yes
    • Call for Entries: October 2017
    • Deadline for Entries:  Mid January 2019
    • No. of Entries: 
    • Digital Entry: YES
    • Exhibition: 
      • Venue: Bankside Gallery
      • Dates:  March 2018
    • Selected Artists:
    • Shortlisted artists: 
    • Notes: There's a strong emphasis on "contemporary artwork'.  See the website and my summary of the 2017 Call for Entries for more information

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    MAJOR UK ART COMPETITIONS in 2018

    (i.e. 1st Prize £10,000 min. and/or on television)


    Deadlines for UK Art Competitions '2018' or '2019'


    September 2018
    • ING Discerning Eye - 8 September 2018
    December 2018
    • Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2019
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      BP Portrait Award 2018 (First Prize £30,000)



      Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2018

      The semi-finalists at the Gallery for the exhibition

      Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2018

      One of the palettes used by one of the artists in the Heats in 2017

      The Columbia Threadneedle Prize for Figurative & Representation Art 2018


      View of the Threadneedle Prize 2016 Exhibition
      This competition is going to be run every other year. The next competition will be in 2018. see
      Columbia Threadneedle Prize returns

      Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2018 (First Prize £15,000)


      to encourage the very best creative representational painting and promote the skill of draftsmanship..... Only original, two-dimensional works in any painting or drawing media, that have been completed in the last three years, and that have not been previously exhibited, are eligible.
        • UK: Living artists over the age of 18, who are resident in the British Isles - irrespective of whether or not they are a British citizen. 
        • International Artists: NO if residing abroad; Also UK artists residing abroad are ineligible
      • Call for Entries: Making A Mark: Lynn Painter Stainers 2018 - Call for Entries
      • Deadline for Entries: 
      • No. of Entries: up to 4 works
      • Digital Entry:  YES - digital and online for all entries
      A record 2,194 entries were received for the 2018 Prize. Of these 92 drawings and paintings (4.2% of the submission) by 83 artists were selected for the exhibition.

      John Moores Painting Prize 2018 (£25,000)


      "[The John Moores Painting Prize is] the Oscar of the British painting world" Sir Norman Rosenthal, curator and former exhibitions secretary at the Royal Academy


      The Royal Academy of Arts - Summer Exhibition 2018 (250th Anniversary Year)

      View of one of the galleries in the 2017 exhibition


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        MINOR ART COMPETITIONS IN 2018
        (smaller financial prizes)

      RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition 2019

      • Website: Information/Enter: https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/competition/
      • Prizes: small cash prizes of less than £1,000
      • Open to: 
        • UK: Yes
        • International Artists: Yes
      • Call for Entries: October 2017
      • Deadline for Entries:  Mid January 2019
      • No. of Entries: 
      • Digital Entry: YES
      • Exhibition: 
        • Venue: Bankside Gallery
        • Dates:  March 2018
      • Selected Artists:
      • Shortlisted artists: 
      • Prizewinners:
      • Exhibition Review:
      • Previous blog posts: 
      • Notes: There's a strong emphasis on "contemporary artwork'.  See the website and my summary of the 2017 Call for Entries for more information

        The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2018 

        Inevitably, a reduction in the top price will mean allegations that the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition is being devalued. Once the top prize drops below £10,000 it no longer ranks alongside some of the top painting prizes around the world - and drops out of the Premier Division.
        • Website: 
        • Prizes: 
          • a First Prize of £6,000 
          • a second prize of £3,000 
          • a third prize of £1,000
          • Jackson’s Young Artist Award worth £500 
          • St Cuthberts Mill Prize for an outstanding work on paper.
        • Open to: 
          • UK: YES - all artists born or currently resident in the UK making paintings using water-based media 
          • International Artists: NO - unless currently officially resident in the UK
        • Call for Entries: Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2018 - Call for Entries
        • Deadline for Entries:  5pm, 25 June 2018 [CLOSED]
        • No. of Entries: second round shortlist is limited to 250 paintings
        • Digital Entry: YES 
        • Exhibition: 
          • Venue: Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1 - expected to be c.100 paintings 
          • Dates: 17 – 23 September 2018 (10am-5pm)
        Realistically the exhibition has not reached 100 paintings for quite some time. It's oscillated between mid 70s and low 90s in recent years.
        • Selected Artists: 
        • Prizewinners: prizewinners will be announced in advance of the exhibition opening - in the Culture section of the Sunday Times magazine in late August.
        • Exhibition Review:
        • Previous exhibitions:  archive of links to all previous blogs posts at the end of the Call for Entries and Selected Artists blog posts for 2017

        The 4th Derwent Art Prize 2018

        We would really love to see lots of entries in coloured pencil as well as water-soluble, pastel, graphite or charcoal pencils

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        MAJOR UK ART COMPETITIONS in 2017

        (i.e. 1st Prize £10,000 min. and/or on television)

        Major exhibitions (prize = £10,000+) are listed first 
        - in order of the date of their exhibition. 
        then Minor exhibitions (prestige rather than cash!) below 
        Deadlines for entry are highlighted in red


        Deadlines for UK Art Competitions in 2017


        September 2017
        • ING Discerning Eye 2017 (based on 2016) - September 2017 (?)
        • The Columbia Threadneedle Prize for Figurative & Representation Art 2018 - 22 September 2017, 12 noon

        November 2017

        • John Moores Painting Prize 2018 - 13 November 2017

        December 2017

        • Lynn Painter-Stainers 2018 (based on 2016)
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        BP Portrait Award 2017 (First Prize £30,000)


        BP Portrait Award winner 2017 Ben Sullivan with wife Ginnie and daughter Edie
        on Awards Night at the National Portrait Gallery
        • Official Website: Register for competition and Information: 
        • Prizes: First Prize: A cash award of £30,000, plus, at the judges’ discretion, a commission worth £5,000, to be agreed between the National Portrait Gallery and the artist.
          • Second Prize: £10,000
          • Third Prize: £8,000
          • BP Young Artist Award: £7,000 (eligible artists are aged between 18 and 30)
          • BP Travel Award 2016: £6,000
        • Open to: International Artists (and has a very significant international entry each year)
        • Call for Entries:  Making A Mark: £30,000 BP Portrait Award 2017 - How to enter and how to get selected This includes links at the end to all past blog posts about the competition in previous years and a wealth of images of portraits that have been selected
        • Deadline for Entries: Entry forms and payment of entry fees must be completed by 23.59 on Thursday 26 January 2017. Note the deadline is earlier! [CLOSED]
        • No. of Entries: 1 completed AFTER 1 January 2016
        • Digital Entry: YES (First Round)
        Giving the awards a last polish

          The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2018 (First prize: £10,000)

          View of 2016 Sunday Times Watercolour Prizewinners
          ...the largest and most prestigious prize for contemporary watercolour painting in the UK. This is the one that most watercolour painters want to be selected for as a mark of credibility on their CV.


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            MINOR COMPETITIONS in 2018

            (smaller financial prizes)


            Royal Horticultural Society Botanical Art Show 2018

            RHS Botanical Art Show 2016 in the RHS Lindley Hall in City of Westminster

            ING Discerning Eye 2018

            View of one of the six curated exhibitions in the ING Discerning Eye 2016 Exhibition
            The ING Discerning Eye Exhibition is a show of small works independently selected by six prominent figures from different areas of the art world
            • Website: 
              • Information/Enter: http://www.discerningeye.org/exhibition/intro/intro.php
              • Organisers website: Parker Harris
            • Prizes: A number of significant smaller cash prizes
              • ING Purchase Prize £5,000 
              • DE Founder's Purchase Prize £2,500
              • DE Chairman's Purchase Prize £1,000
              • The Meynell Fenton Prize £1000
              • The Humphreys Purchase Prize - £750
              • The Wright Purchase Prize £500
              • St Cuthberts Mill Award £250
              • Regional Prizes £250 x 6
            • Open to: 
              • UK: YES - ONLY artists who were born or are currently resident in the UK.
              • International Artists: - NO - unless currently resident in the UK
            • Call for Entries: Call for Entries: ING Discerning Eye 2018
            • Deadline for Entries:  8 September 2018  (earlier if using regional collection points)
            • No. of Entries: limited only by six selectors: two artists, two art collectors and two art critics
            • Digital Entry: registration only
            • Exhibition: 
              • Venue: Mall Galleries
              • Dates:  15 - 25 November 2018
              • a very large exhibition with c.600 small artworks
            • Selected Artists:
            • Shortlisted artists: 
            • Prizewinners:
            • Exhibition Review:
            • Previous blog posts: You can find a list of previous blog posts about the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition - going back to 2007 at the end of the embedded link.

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            ARCHIVE: Major UK Art & Photography Competitions 2017

            The following competitions have finished i.e. deadline for entries has passes


            The Royal Academy of Arts - Summer Exhibition 2017


            View of one of the main galleries in the 2016 Summer Exhibition


              Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2017

              • Website: Information/Enter: 
              • Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2017
              • 2016 competition https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/sky-arts-landscape-artist-of-the-year-2016
              • Prizes: £10,000 commission from the National Trust + £500 of art materials from Cass Art 
              • Open to: 
              • UK: Yes - You must be available for filming between 1st June 2017 and 20th July 2017 
              • International Artists: 
              • Call for Entries: to be published early in 2017 
              • Terms and Conditions
              • Deadline for Entries: 12pm (midday) on Friday, 28th April 2017 
              • No. of Entries: Only one entry can be submitted per person 
              • Digital Entry: Yes 
              • Exhibition: 
              • Venue: 
              • Dates: 
              • Selected Artists: 
              • Shortlisted artists: 
              • Prizewinners: 
              • Exhibition Review: 
              • Other posts:

              David Shepherd's Wildlife Artist of the Year 2017 (First prize £10,000)


              View of 2016 Wildlife Artist of the Year competition

              This is the 10th anniversary year for a competition that attracts entries from all over the world.
              • Website: Information/Enter: http://www.davidshepherd.org/way/
              • Prizes: 
                • Overall Winner £10,000 cash prize & title ‘Wildlife Artist of the Year 2017’ 
                • Overall Runner-Up £1,000 cash prize. 
                • Remaining Category Winners £500 each
              • Open to: 
                • UK:  YES - open to both amateur and professional artists over the age of 17
                • International Artists: YES - no residence requirement 
              • Call for Entries: Making A Mark: 2017 Wildlife Artist of the Year - Call for Entries
              • Deadline for Entries: February 20th 2017 [CLOSED]
              • No. of Entries: up to 5 pieces of artwork
              • Digital Entry: Yes - but entries by post also accepted
              • Exhibition: 
                • Venue: Mall Galleries
                • Dates: June 27 - July 2
              • Selected Artists:
              • Prizewinners:
              • Exhibition Review:

              Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2017 (First Prize £15,000)


              to encourage the very best creative representational painting and promote the skill of draftsmanship..... Only original, two-dimensional works in any painting or drawing media, that have been completed in the last three years, and that have not been previously exhibited, are eligible.
                • UK: Living artists over the age of 18, who are resident in the British Isles - irrespective of whether or not they are a British citizen. 
                • International Artists: NO if residing abroad; Also UK artists residing abroad are ineligible
              • Call for Entries: Making A Mark: Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2017: Call for Entries
              • Deadline for Entries: Monday 19th December 2016 at 5pm (17:00 GMT).
              • No. of Entries: up to 4 works
              • Digital Entry:  YES - digital and online for all entries
              • Exhibition 
              • Selected Artists:
              • Prizewinners: Christopher Green wins Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2017

              ARCHIVE: MINOR COMPETITIONS in 2017 

              (smaller financial prizes)


              RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition 2017



              View of the 2016 RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition
              The judges are looking for pieces that push at the boundaries of watercolour, promote water-based media at its most accomplished and ask audiences to see the medium in a new and contemporary light....  This is the UK's only major watercolour competition open to international artists.
              • Website: Information/Enter: http://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/competition/
              • Prizes: a range of prizes comparable to open exhibitions of other national art societies 
                • David Gluck Memorial Award: £750 Cash Prize 
                • David Gluck & RWS Award: £250 Cash Prize 
                • Royal Watercolour Society Award: £500 Cash Prize 
                • Royal Watercolour Society Exhibitions Award: Exhibit in RWS Spring and Autumn Exhibitions 
                • RWS Publicity Prize: Your selected work on exhibition printed publicity material
              • Open to: 
                • UK: YES - open to all artists except RWS Members.
                • International Artists: YES
              • Call for Entries - published. 
              • Exhibition: RWS Contemporary Watercolour Exhibition 2017
                • Venue: Bankside Gallery (South Bank)
                • Dates: 3-15 March 2017
              • Deadline for Entries: 12 midday on Monday 16 January 2017.
              • No. of Entries: a maximum of 6 paintings
              • Digital Entry: YES
                • Selected Artists - 
                • Exhibition Review - 

                The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2018 (First prize: £10,000)

                View of 2016 Sunday Times Watercolour Prizewinners
                ...the largest and most prestigious prize for contemporary watercolour painting in the UK. This is the one that most watercolour painters want to be selected for as a mark of credibility on their CV.
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                ARCHIVE: Major UK Art & Photography Competitions 2016

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                The following competitions have finished

                ING Discerning Eye 2016


                Cover of the Information leaflet

                The Columbia Threadneedle Prize for Figurative & Representation Art 2016

                Salt in Tea by Lewis Hazelwood-Horner

                BP Portrait Award 2016 (First Prize £30,000)

                View of the BP Portrait Award Exhibition 2015 and the winning double portrait

                RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition 2016


                Reference:
                Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2016 - Prizewinners at the Mall Galleries exhibition

                The Royal Academy of Arts - Summer Exhibition 2016

                Entries will be capped at 12,000, which is in line with the maximum number of entries received in recent years. Ensure you register and purchase your Entry Form early to avoid disappointment.

                John Moores Painting Prize 2016


                Jerwood Drawing Prize 2016

                The selected exhibition will consist of works that in the opinion of the Selection Panel qualify as drawings.
                • Conditions of Entry: the Rules & Guidelines
                • Deadline for Entries:  5pm on Monday 27 June 2016  CLOSED
                • Selected Artists: 
                • Prizewinners: 

                The 3rd Derwent Art Prize 2016

                We would really love to see lots of entries in coloured pencil as well as water-soluble, pastel, graphite or charcoal pencils



                The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2016


                Reference re. 2015

                Past Exhibitions: an archive of images from past exhibitions 

                  Other Opportunities

                  You can also find a much wider range of professional opportunities for visual artists, selected by artists for quality and fairness listed by ArtQuest (a programme of University of the Arts London (UAL) and a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England)

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                  2015

                  ARCHIVE: Major UK Art & Photography Competitions 2015

                  In the absence of any information relating to 2015 (or 2014) competitions, artists are recommended to look at my blog posts below relating to the previous year which indicate:
                  • an overview of the call for entries, prizes, dates and deadlines in 2013
                  • links to the websites of selected artists
                  • reviews of exhibitions and images of the work which was selected last year - which may or may not be a guide to what will be selected this year. It's usually more of a guide to the type of work which is unlikely to be selected.

                  BP Portrait Award 2015


                  BP Travel Award 2013 Exhibition and 2014 Award:

                  (the competition, award and exhibition run parallel with the BP Portrait Award) 

                  Reference: 

                  RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition 2015


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                  ING Discerning Eye 2015

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                  Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2015 (First Prize £15,000)

                  to encourage the very best creative representational painting and promote the skill of draftsmanship..... Only original, two-dimensional works in any painting or drawing media, that have been completed in the last three years, and that have not been previously exhibited, are eligible.
                    Note: Links to my blog posts about previous years can be found at the end of my blog posts relating to 2015 


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                    The Royal Academy of Arts - Summer Exhibition 2015

                    Entries will be capped at 12,000, which is in line with the maximum number of entries received in recent years. Ensure you register and purchase your Entry Form early to avoid disappointment.

                    ________________________________

                    David Shepherd's Wildlife Artist of the Year 2015 (First prize £10,000)

                    2015 Wildlife Artist of the Year: http://www.davidshepherd.org/way/
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                    The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2015

                    Reference re. 2014:
                    There was no exhibition in 2015 due to various changes behind the scenes. The aim is to give The Threadneedle Prize even greater visibility and the plan is to tour a selection of the 2016 exhibition to Europe. More details will follow

                    • The Threadneedle Prize website: http://www.threadneedleprize.com 
                    • Prizes: (£20,000 plus solo show)
                    • Call for Entries: Online submission opens on 13 July 2015, 12 noon
                    • What to submit 
                    • How to submit
                    • Deadline for Entries - 
                    • Selected Artists: 
                    • Prizewinners:
                    • Exhibition: 3 to 20 February 2016 at the Mall Galleries 

                       Threadneedle Winner 2015: Tina Jenkins' Solo Show 30  March to 11 April 2015 10am to 5pm (closes 1pm on final day)

                      Jerwood Drawing Prize 2015 

                      • The Jerwood Drawing Prize 2015  website
                      • Call for Entries: Parker Harris - see my blog post Jerwood Drawing Prize: Call for Entries
                      • Deadline for Entries - 5pm on 26 June 2015
                      • Selected Artists: to be announced Friday 17 July 2015 
                      • Prizewinners: to be announced
                      • Exhibition:  Jerwood Space, London from 16 September – 25 October 2015 

                      Derwent Art Prize 2015

                      There will NOT be a Derwent Art Prize competition in 2015. In future the competition will run every other year. The Call For Entries will be published in January 2016 and the exhibition will be later in the year. 



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                      2014

                      ARCHIVE: Major UK Art & Photography Competitions 2014

                      The Woon Foundation Painting and Sculpture Art Prize 2015

                      • Call for Entries 
                      • First Prize is a bursary of £20,000
                      • Deadline for Entries -  12 noon on Monday 30th March 2015
                        • Generally a very uninformative website which says a lot about the benefits and very little about the criteria, terms and conditions and deadline. It suggests this is a competition run by people who are not used to running art competitions or fail to understand the information artists want to scan to work out whether it's worth pursuing. 

                        The John Ruskin Prize

                        The Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2014

                        The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2014 £10,000

                        Jerwood Drawing Prize 2014 First Prize £6,000

                        The Derwent Art Prize 2014 First Prize £6,000

                              Threadneedle Prize for Painters and Sculptors 2014 First prize £30,000?

                                Clare McCormack and Lisa Wright - Joint Winners of the Threadneedle Prize 2013

                                ING Discerning Eye 2014 (plus The Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary)

                                  Northern Art Prize 2014

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                                    2013

                                    ARCHIVE: Major UK Art & Photography Competitions 2013



                                    BRIEF summaries of entry arrangements and deadlines are detailed below 
                                    - with links to more information. 

                                    For a more detailed overview for each competition see my schedule of all the Major Art Competitions in the UK in 2013 (posted on this blog in January each year) All competitions are listed in order of the date of the deadline for entries
                                      • Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2013 Only original, two-dimensional works in any painting or drawing media, that have been completed in the last three years, and that have not been previously exhibited, are eligible.
                                      • The Woon Foundation Painting and Sculpture Art Prize
                                        • Call for Entries - 1st September 2012
                                        • Deadline for Entries - Noon, 30 January 2013 CLOSED
                                                Major Art Competitions outside the UK 2013
                                                In 2013, I intend to highlight the major International Art Competitions which are hosted in other countries.  All suggestions as to which competitions should be featured are welcome - please leave a comment.

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                                                  2012
                                                  ARCHIVE: Major UK Art & Photography Competitions 2012

                                                    • Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year (First Prize £10,000)
                                                          • The 2012 Saatchi Gallery / Sunday Telegraph Art Prize for Schools (First Prize £10,000)
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                                                              2011
                                                              ARCHIVE: UK Art Competitions 2011


                                                              • Lynn Painter-Stainers 2011: CANCELLED
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                                                              2010
                                                              ARCHIVE: UK Art Competitions 2010


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