- who can enter
- what you can enter
- how to enter
It also covers what, in my opinion are two serious mistakes.
The deadline for entries is 12 noon on Friday 6 October to submit your artwork / form / fees ONLINE only.
Call for Entries - ROI Annual Exhibition 2023
You can find the official and FULL Call for Entries here on
There's not been a lot of marketing of this Call for Entries by either the ROI or Mall Galleries - I only spotted it this week!
Below is a Summary of the different aspects of the Call for Entry
- plus MY COMMENTARY.
(UPDATE: I should add that I emailed the President of the ROI before I published and he's written back to say that the ROI Council will consider the points made for the future.)
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| View of the East Gallery at the ROI Annual Exhibition 2022 |
WHO can Enter
Artists are invited to submit work for exhibition alongside members of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters at the ROI Annual Exhibition 2023. ROI Exhibition Page
- 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 about the need to register for VAT to get your artwork through Customs and into the UK! (See the last bullet point under Sales in the Call for Entries re the need to register for VAT). You might also find my page about International Art Shipping: How to ship / export art to other countries useful.
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| View of North Gallery - ROI Annual Exhibition 2022 |
WHAT you can enter
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. ROI Exhibition Page
Acceptable media: Oils. Acrylic and water-soluble oil paint is acceptable if framed as an oil, so as not to spoil the general appearance of the exhibition.
The ROI have a problem with the wording of the Call for Entries (and website). I explicitly noted the problem with the Call for Entries and the two statements above last year. I warn about issues once and, if not addressed, the following year I spell out why it needs to be addressed - which is what I'm doing this year.
The two statements above are ambiguous, contradictory and misleading which means they are very unlikely to be compliant with The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code)
A Call for Entries is a direct marketing communication. I'm not sure many art societies are aware of this, but it applies to ALL marketing communications on the Internet, print publications, advertisements and promotional material - including websites. Compliance is also NOT optional!
The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) is the rule book for non-broadcast advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing communications (marketing communications). (CAP Code)
In my opinion, the ROI really MUST review the use of the word 'exclusively' on the ROI website (and Mall Galleries website). All that needs to happen is either:
- EITHER: delete the word "exclusively" and have another think about how to describe the ROI and acceptable media
- OR: delete non-oil paints from eligible media since it's impossible to be "exclusively in oil paint" - and then accept other paints e.g. acrylic which are NOT oil paints! ( i.e. a frame does not change a media!!)
- AND make sure all communications comply with the CAP Code in every respect.
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- in the ROI Annual Exhibitions 2014-2019 |
The number of works exhibited each year typically varies between 270 and just over 300.
I RECOMMEND that artists submit artworks in oil paint only via the Open Entry.
- Age: All artwork must have been completed within the last three years
- Previous Exhibitions: Artwork must not have been previously shown at Mall Galleries.
- Presentation:
- Paintings should be completely dry at the time of delivery
- 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.
- Works that are poorly presented or differ significantly from the photograph entered will not be exhibited.
- Exhibition Theme:
- This year’s mini theme is ‘Urban Life’, which can be interpreted widely.
- Artists are encouraged to contribute a work on the theme, however it is not compulsory.
- Number of artwork submitted: A maximum of six works may be submitted
- Number / size of artwork selected:
- A maximum of three works may be selected.
- The combined measurement of works accepted will not exceed 8 feet maximum per artist.
- For Sale:
- Work must be for sale, unless portraits.
- The minimum sale price is £500.
- All prices must allow for the deduction of commission @45% plus VAT %20% on the commission sum and the cost of the frame and shipping (there and back if unsold).
I'm very concerned that the minimum price has been raised to £500 for a number of reasons. I can only assume this is the product of some misplaced notion that eliminating very affordable art will increase sales and income. This is wrong. If anything the emphasis should be on making artwork more affordable.
Key Pricing Points - based on analysis of actual data:
- there is very good evidence that, even within current economic constraints, impulse buys are still occurring within the £300-£500 price range. Indeed in most shows at the Mall Galleries about 20-25% of work in this price range sells
- there is ample recent evidence that the inclination to purchase above £1,500 dies off fast - see NEAC 2023 Annual Exhibition METRICS which is a show in which many reputable NEAC members sold absolutely nothing. This blog post contained a very big message which all art societies should be very mindful of.
- below £500 is the price range for small oil paintings - typically submitted by open entrants - which takes up little space when hung together.
- pricing all artwork above £500 means all artists will submit larger paintings - which likely means fewer will be selected for hanging from the open entry. It does NOT guarantee more sales/income.
- overpriced small paintings do not sell - which is typically why open entries have done better than members' paintings in the below £500 price bracket in the past.
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| The Small Works Wall at the ROI Annual Exhibition 2022 - it won't exist in the same way or have as many red spots in 2023 |
Below are two comments from my review of the 2018 ROI exhibition - see Review: ROI Annual Exhibition 2018 + commentary on pricing - which is also a blog post which members and prospective entrants might wish to read. It's as true today as it was then.
I think we give far too little kudos to those artists who sell well - and exhibitions too.and
Frankly if people aspire to be full-time artists and want to exhibit on a regular basis then they need to pay attention to and learn from the habits and practices of those who sell well. Exhibiting without selling is a luxury reserved for those with independent means.
In very simple terms:
- nearly 75% of the sales relate to small and small/medium works which are selling for under £2,000 - with most selling for less than £1,000
- three painters have sold three or more works - Lucy McKie, Linda Alexander and David Pilgrim - with a value of a third of total sales to date.
- there are too many works on the walls which stand absolutely no chance of selling - because they are priced too high for the middle England, middle income, middle class audience that the Mall Galleries attracts who will buy art for between £300 and £1,500 - but above that sales are not frequent unless the artist makes sure they submit their best work and then makes sure their collectors come to the show to buy (as opposed to selling to them direct before the show!!!). Specifically........
- 32 works - 10% of the show - are priced between £5,000 and £47,000 - and NOT A SINGLE ONE HAS SOLD!
To me raising the minimum price right now is a WRONG decision (this is a toned down version of what I originally wrote!)
I'll be very happy to be proved wrong about the raising of the minimum price. HOWEVER, the evidence I've monitored over years - including following the last economic crisis in 2008 - means I predict this change in minimum price will result in fewer sales (numerically and in total value) at the ROI Exhibition in 2023.
If you've got this far, the next part is about how to enter! :)
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| View of West Gallery - ROI Annual Exhibition 2022 |
How to enter
Artists need to be aware that their artwork will not be seen by the Selectors prior to selection. Presentation via digital image is critical.
All work must be submitted online - and pre-selection also takes place online.
A single-stage virtual judging of all submitted works will take place, after which selected works should be delivered to Mall Galleries, London, for inclusion in the exhibition.
The deadline for entries is 12 noon on Friday 6 October 2023 to submit your artwork / form / fees ONLINE only.
This is the process you need to follow:
This is the process you need to follow:
- Generate an image of your artwork - minus frame. Images must be in JPEG format and under 5MB. Make sure it is high resolution 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 work for standard entries and £14 per work for artists aged 35 or under.
- 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 very unlikely that more than two paintings by one artist from the open entry if you're 'not known / not previously exhibited'
- Note: always submit your best work - you're trying to create a good impression!
- Upload images of work at mallgalleries22.oess1.uk before 12 noon on Friday 6 October 2023 and complete the entry form and payment of entry fees
- Check www.mallgalleries.oess1.uk on Friday 20 October to see if your work has been pre-selected
- deliver your work on Saturday 18 November, 10am to 5pm, to Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD.
- Works should be delivered unwrapped with the relevant form and labels, which are downloadable from the OESS upon notification of selection.
ROI Annual Exhibition 2023
- Venue: Mall Galleries
- Dates: Wednesday 29 November to Saturday 16 December
- Hours: 10am to 5pm daily
There will also be an online exhibition of images hung in the exhibition on the Mall Galleries website and people can buy artwork online.
ROI on Making A Mark - REFERENCE:
I've been reviewing ROI Annual Exhibitions since 2008 - and counting sales for some years. Below you can find my past posts about the annual exhibitions of the Royal Institute
2022
- Review: Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition 2022
- Prizewinners at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition 2022
- The Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition 2022 & Events
- CALL FOR ENTRIES: Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition 2022
2020 and 2021
- the ROI experienced the worst luck possible of having both its 2020 and 2021 exhibitions in the Galleries clobbered by the pandemic.
2019
2018
- 126th Annual Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters AND
- Review: ROI Annual Exhibition 2018 + commentary on pricing
2017
- ROI Exhibition: Young Oil Painter Awards and
- Review: Annual Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters 2015
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