RBA Annual Exhibition 2027 Open Call

The RBA Annual Exhibition 2027 open call is run by the Royal Society of British Artists, one of the oldest art societies in the United Kingdom. Each year the society shows its members' work alongside work chosen from an open submission, at Mall Galleries in central London. The 2027 exhibition runs from 25 February to 6 March 2027, and the open call accepts painting, sculpture, drawing and original prints from artists anywhere in the world.

For artists outside the society, the open submission is the way in. A selection panel chooses works from the entries, and the chosen works hang next to those of the members in a well-visited gallery close to Trafalgar Square. Every exhibited work is offered for sale.

The RBA Annual Exhibition also carries more than £15,000 in prizes, led by a £10,000 Award for Excellence, plus a dedicated award for artists aged 35 or under. Entry costs £22 per work, or £14.50 for younger artists.

Who Can Apply to the RBA Annual Exhibition 2027 Open Call?

The open call is for artists aged 18 or over, from anywhere in the world. You do not need to be a member of the society or to live in the United Kingdom, although artists without UK residence have an extra VAT step if selected (see Important Rules).

It is particularly relevant to:

• Painters in oil, acrylic, watercolour and mixed media
• Sculptors working at a domestic or gallery scale
• Draughtspeople
• Printmakers producing original prints

Photography is not accepted.

What Can You Submit?

Each artist can enter up to six works, and up to four of them can be selected. The works must meet these conditions:

• Original work by the artist, in painting, sculpture, drawing or original printmaking
• Not exhibited in London before
• No more than 2.4 m along the longest side
• Offered for sale, at a price that includes the gallery's commission

Minimum Prices

All work must be for sale, with minimum prices of £300 for original works, £180 for framed prints and £120 for unframed prints.

Application Fees

Entry costs £22 per work, or £14.50 per work for artists aged 35 or under. Fees are not refundable. The fee includes free admission to the exhibition, which normally costs £7.

What Do Selected Artists Receive?

• A place in the exhibition at Mall Galleries, London, alongside the society's members
• Sales: every work is for sale; the gallery's commission is 45% plus VAT on the sale price
• Awards worth over £15,000 in total, including:
• • Huaicun Zhang Award for Excellence: £10,000
  • de Laszlo Foundation Award: £2,000 for an artist aged 35 or under, plus four Highly Commended awards of £300
  • John Lynn Commemorative Award for a Young Artist: £500
  • Ronald Benham Memorial Award: £500 for traditionally painted work celebrating the natural world
  • MONTOOLI Award: £300 for an outstanding portrait painting
  • Stuart Southall Print Prize: £250, and the Nathan David Award for Sculpture: £150
  • Art material awards from Michael Harding, Daler-Rowney and Winsor & Newton, a framing award, a feature in The Artist magazine and a greetings card publication

Submission Requirements

Submissions are made online only, through the Mall Galleries Open Exhibition Submission System.

For each work, prepare:

• One image showing the whole work, in JPEG or PNG, under 5 MB
• Up to two optional extra images (details, other angles or the frame)
• Title, medium, size in centimetres, year of completion and price

If selected, works must be framed or stretched strongly enough to take 12 mm mirror-plate screws. Use plain framing: metal frames, clip frames and unprotected glass edges are not accepted, and all fittings such as D-rings and wire must be removed. Works are delivered unwrapped with the labels provided.

Important Rules

• Artists pay for delivery and collection; uncollected works go into storage at the artist's expense.
• The gallery's liability for loss or damage is limited to the submitted price minus commission.
• The submitted price is the final selling price, including commission and, for VAT-registered artists, VAT.
• Artists without UK residence must register with HMRC for a UK VAT number if selected; this can take up to four weeks.
• Price changes after submission need written agreement from Mall Galleries.

When Will Applicants Be Notified?

Results are published in the submission system at 12 noon on 15 January 2027. Log in to see whether your works were selected and to download the delivery forms and labels.

Things to Consider

• Enter more than one work. You can submit six and have up to four selected, so a small group of related pieces gives the panel a better view of your practice.
• Price realistically. The 45% commission plus VAT comes out of the price you set, so calculate what you will actually receive.
• Plan delivery early. Receiving day is a single Saturday in February; if you live abroad, arrange a courier and your VAT registration in good time.
• Use the under-35 rate. Younger artists pay less and are eligible for the £2,000 de Laszlo Foundation Award.
• Visiting instead? Our RBA Annual Exhibition 2027 visitor guide has opening hours and ticket prices.
• Check the framing rules before you photograph a framed work, so what you enter is what arrives.

Apply to the Open Call

Ready to enter?

Enter the RBA Annual Exhibition 2027

The full terms, the list of couriers and the submission system are on the Mall Galleries website.

Looking for more open calls? Browse all competitions and opportunities on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: October 9, 2026