MAKING A MARK: CALL FOR ENTRIES: Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition 2022

Thursday, August 18, 2022

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition 2022

The Royal Institute of Oil Painters invite entries to the OPEN Annual Exhibition at the Mall Galleries in November 2022. The deadline for entries is Friday 9th September 2022 so you've still got time to be get organised and get your entry in.

This year’s theme is ‘Changing Times’, which can be interpreted widely.

The last Private View of the ROI I went to - in 2018

I always like to give people a point of reference for entries in terms of images of the last exhibition

So I've spent this morning looking for my photos of last years exhibition - only to realise that the ROI has been really, really unlucky in that its annual exhibition is held late in the year and got caught by pandemic scares / lockdowns in both 2020 and 2021. I was being very cautious well before lockdowns, so I've not seen an ROI Exhibition since 2019!

However there is a video tour of the 2021 exhibition - which was hung - and the catalogue is available on Issuu

and a video of the 2020 exhibition - which is an hour and half long - see below

Peter Graham ROI talks about eighty of the works in this year’s show, including paintings by long-established ROI members as well as pieces by non-member artists selected from open submission.

Call for Entries - ROI Annual Exhibition 2022

You can find the official and FULL Call for Entries here on

Below is as a summary ONLY.

Interestingly I note the new website indicates on its home page that

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.
However I note that the Call for Entries still states "Acrylic and water-soluble oil paint is acceptable if framed as an oil, so as not to spoil the general appearance of the exhibition." so I think maybe somebody needs to review the use of the word 'exclusively' on the ROI website.

Who can enter

The competition is open to all artists over the age of 18.
It is also open to international entries - you don't even have to be live or work in the UK. However International Artists need to make sure they read the Mall galleries/FBA Notice notice about the need to register for VAT to get your artwork through Customs and into the UK! You might also find my page about International Art Shipping: How to ship / export art to other countries useful.

What sort of artwork can you enter

Eligible media includes: oil. Acrylic paint or water based oils are eligible if framed like an oil painting. Below is a table I constructed from reviewing the works selected for hanging in previous exhibitions. Over 90% of artwork has been in oil in the last six hing exhibitions between 2014-2019.

Number and percentage of works - by medium - in the ROI Annual Exhibitions 2014-2019

Size: The combined measurement of works accepted will not exceed 8 feet maximum per artist
Age: Work must have been completed within the last three years
Previous Exhibitions: it must not have been previously shown at Mall Galleries.
In terms of presentation there are some very specific guidelines

Wide mounts between painting and frame, as in watercolours, are not acceptable.
Glazed work is not encouraged.
Unframed work can be accepted if on a well-presented box canvas.

For sale: Work MUST be for sale

the minimum sale price is £300.
Note that any prices must allow for the deduction of commission @45% plus VAT %20% on the commission sum - so for a work priced at £500 you will receive £230 after the deduction of commission (£225) plus VAT on commission (£45). The price also needs to cover the cost of the frame and shipping (there and back if unsold).

This year’s theme is ‘Changing Times’, which can be interpreted widely. Artists are encouraged to contribute a work on the theme, however it is not compulsory. If a work is on the theme, please elaborate on how in the artwork description box.

How to enter

All work must be submitted online - and pre-selection also takes place online.

If you make it through the pre-selection from digital images, you're then invited to take/send your artwork to the Mall Galleries for final selection for hanging in the exhibition - in front of a panel of ROI members.

This is the process you need to follow:

Generate an image of your artwork - minus frame. Make sure it is at least 300dpi resolution in JPEG format and is an exact copy of your artwork (i.e. don't use software to make it look better than it is - otherwise you'll spend money on shipping artwork which won't get hung!)
You can submit up to six works @£20 per entry - however it's more sensible to submit less if you're new to this exhibition and not applying for membership. That's because it's uncommon to get more than two paintings hung from the open entry if you're 'not known / not previously exhibited'
Artists are encouraged to contribute a work on the theme, however it is not compulsory. If a work is on the theme, please elaborate on how in the artwork description box.
Upload images of work at www.mallgalleries.oess1.uk before Friday 9 September, 12 noon and complete the entry form and payment of entry fees
Check www.mallgalleries.oess1.uk on Friday 23 September to see if your work has been pre-selected
If your artwork is selected for the final 'in front of the panel' selection, then you need to deliver your work on Saturday 15 October, 10am to 5pm, to Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD.
Check on Tuesday 18 October to see if your work has been selected
If unaccepted, collect your work (or arrange for it to be collected) on Thursday 20 October, 10am to 5pm

The exhibition will open Thursday 24 November, 10am to 5pm and will close - at 5pm on Saturday 10 December 2022.

There will also be an online exhibition of images hung in the exhibition on the Mall Galleries website and people can buy artwork online.

All unsold work must be collected on Thursday 15 December, 10am to 5pm

Awards and Prizes in 2022

CASH Prizes in 2022

The Phyllis Roberts Award – An award of £2,000 for an artist aged 30 or under
The Tony Merrick Memorial Prize – An award of £250 in memory of the late Tony Merrick ROI (1948-2018)
The ROI Emerging Artist Prize – A prize of £250 and the opportunity to spend a day with one of the Institute’s members, for an artist aged 30 or under at the time of submission
The ROI Themed Painting Prize – £500 for the standout painting within the themed exhibition
The Small Painting Prize – An award of £250, open to members and non-members, for the best small painting on display (maximum dimension of 12 inches / 30.5 cm, excluding frame)
The Alan Gourley Memorial Award – An annual prize of £1,000, awarded for a painting of outstanding merit
The Stanley Grimm Prize – Two awards totalling £700 (first prize £400, second prize £300), to the painters whose works receive the most votes from visitors to the exhibition
The Menena Joy Schwabe Memorial Award – An award of £250 for an outstanding oil painter

Young Artist Awards

Winsor & Newton Young Artist Awards (for artists aged 30 or under)

First Prize: £1,000 Winsor & Newton Fine Art Materials
Second Prize: £600 Winsor & Newton Fine Art Materials
Third Prize: £400 Winsor & Newton Fine Art Materials

Art Materials Prizes

Winsor & Newton Non-member Award – £150 worth of Winsor & Newton Fine Art Materials
Frank Herring Easel Award – An award of a versatile easel

Publicity / Media Awards

The Artist Magazine Award – The winning artist will be featured in a forthcoming issue of The Artist magazine, print and digital editions
The Dry Red Press Award – The winning work will be published as a greeting card by Dry Red Press in their ‘Prize Winners’ range

Medals

The Le Clerc Fowle Medal – In memory of Anne Le Clerc Fowle, presented annually for an outstanding group of paintings

Previous Exhibitions

You can find links to my previous reviews of exhibitions below.

MAKING A MARK

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