Call for Entries: Royal Watercolour Society Open Competition 2011

The Royal Watercolour Society has issued its Call for Entries for the Royal Watercolour Society Open Competition 2011 which is its major Annual Open Competition. It has previously been known as the 21st Century Watercolours competition or 21C.

The aim of the Royal Watercolour Society’s Open Competition is to encourage innovation in the use of water-based media on paper and to stimulate fresh approaches to what are considered to be watercolour’s traditional strengths. Successful submissions will be exhibited at Bankside Gallery, London, from 18th February - 10th March 2011.

Works in the 21st Century Watercolour Exhibition 2009
photo copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Who can submit watercolour artwork?

• The competition is open to non-members of the Royal Watercolour Society.

What to submit

• The aim of the competition is to encourage innovation in the use of water-based media on paper and to stimulate fresh approaches to what are considered to be watercolour’s traditional strengths.  
• Work in all water-based media on paper is eligible, though acrylic or gouache should not be impasto
• The works should have been painted within four years of submission 
• The work must be the original work of the artist named on the entry form. The work must be for sale and copyright must be vested in the named artist. [I recommend that any artist who is unclear about the meaning of original work and copyright see Art competitions and copyright - the AWS Gold Medal debate 08.09.08. and AWS gold medal controversy - the final word 17.08.10]
• There is no restriction on style or subject matter.
• Artists are invited to submit up to three framed, glazed water-based paintings on paper.

You can review my blog posts about previous exhibitions below.  These include gallery shots of works in the exhibition and links to the websites of prizewinning artists.

• 2009:  Exhibition review: "21st Century Watercolour" at the Bankside Gallery
• 2008:  21st century watercolour - RWS 2008 painting competition 
• 2007:  21st Century Watercolours at Bankside Gallery

Prizes

• Numerous prizes worth in excess of £10,000 have been kindly donated by various individuals and organisations.

Entry Costs

• The fee for each work submitted is £12.
• Submission is free to full-time students of recognised art schools and Watercolour Artist Friends on completion of the relevant section of the entry form

How to submit

• EITHER download an Entry Form and Information for Artists leaflet from the link on this page (or the website page about the competition)
• Notice to Artists:  click here to download the Notice to Artists which provides more information
• Entry Form:  click here to download the Entry Form  
• OR send a SAE to Bankside Gallery, 48 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH
• Labels are sent to on receipt of your entry form and payment. Each work must be labelled prior to submission on the front and back.
• You can submit EITHER direct to the gallery (see dates below) or via Regional Collection Points (dates and times and places detailed on the Notice to Artists).  Note that the dates for collection from regional collection points in England and Scotland start from 22nd January and not all dates are at the weekend.
• Works must be handed in unwrapped and labelled at Bankside Gallery on Saturday 12th February or Sunday 13th February, 11am and 6pm.
• Work will not be received before or after the send in days and cannot be accepted by post. Please ensure that you have arranged for the collection, packing and return of your work.

Sales

• All sales and payment for exhibited work will be handled by Bankside Gallery.
• A commission of 40% plus VAT will be charged.
• Selling prices quoted on the form must include commission, VAT + framing costs.

Important Dates

These are the important dates to remember.

• Deadline for entry form/fee payment:  Wednesday 12th January 2011 
• Send in work (to the gallery): Saturday 12th February (11am-6pm) and Sunday 12th February (11am - 6pm)
• Judging: 14th February
• Collection of unaccepted work: Tuesday 15th February (11am - 7pm)
• Exhibition dates: 18th February – 10th March 2011
• Collection of unsold works: Friday 11th March (11am-7pm)

Please note that the days for collecting unaccepted or unsold works are weekdays and you need to make sure either you or somebody else can collect from the Bankside Gallery on the days in question.  However the gallery is open until 7pm for people coming in after work.  Uncollected works are taken to Art Moves and a storage fee charged.

If you've got a query please ask the Bankside Gallery if they can help (020 7928 7521).  The email address relating to the competition is on the Notice to Artists.

Alternatively you can try posting as a comment below and see if anybody with experience of the competition can answer. 

Good luck - and I hope to see your entry on the wall when I go to visit the exhibition in February next year!  

Do let me know if you are successful and get a work or works accepted.