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The Gwen May Recent Graduate Award
The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) is offering a student membership of two years plus £1000 from the Gwen May Trust to two recent printmaking graduates. Membership to the society includes the opportunity to participate in RE exhibitions for two years both nationally and internationally. Any printmaking graduate who has graduated in 2025 can apply, there will be two winners.
Eligibility: Graduates of 2025.
What You Get: £1,000 and 2 years student membership to the RE including exhibition opportunities.
Deadline 09 January 2026
Open Call for Artists "NO LIMITS: to Create Without Boundaries"
NICOLA Arts invites visual artists, photographers, and creatives of all disciplines to take part in our upcoming exhibition “NO LIMITS” — a celebration of artistic freedom, individuality, and cultural diversity.
This open-themed show is designed to provide a platform for emerging and established artists to share their voice, connect with audiences, and sell their work in the heart of Central London.
Eligibility: All mediums are welcome: painting, sculpture, photography, digital art, mixed media, installation, collage — there are no limits to your creativity.
What You Get: A curated group exhibition in Holborn (Central London), 3 months of public display and sales opportunity, opening event with live music & press photography, promotion on NICOLA Arts’ social media and partner networks, professional photos and videos of your work.
Deadline 17 November 2025
Mega Mega Mega Curator
Havering London is seeking a curator for Mega Mega Mega - an ambitious exhibition project preserving and celebrating Romford's contributions to London's electronic music and club culture heritage from the 80s-2000s.
The successful candidate will be responsible for realising their curatorial vision, designing a community engagement strategy, commercial aspects of the project and with the leadership of the Havering London team you will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of a permanent archival collection.
Eligibility: Professional and/or lived experience in club culture - including working in the clubbing industry, promoting parties, as a musician, DJ, or as an active participant in the scene. Demonstrable curatorial experience with a strong portfolio of successful exhibitions, projects or events. Knowledge of London's club culture and electronic music history including Romford’s contributions. Experience in engaging public audiences. Strong project management skills with ability to meet deadlines and budgets. Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities.
What You Get:
10-month paid curatorial role (£7,500 fee | £250 per day, 3 days per month)
A chance to platform untold stories from Romford's vibrant rave and club scene
Create an immersive exhibition experience with a permanent archival collection
Work with local communities, commission new work, and engage with authentic voices from the era
Deadline 09 November 2025
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026
Entries are now open for the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award. The annual painting competition returns to the National Portrait Gallery for 2026, celebrating the best in contemporary portraiture. One of the most important platforms for portrait painters today, the competition showcases the variety of approaches to portraiture and encourages artists to focus upon, and develop, the theme of portraiture in their work.
Who can apply:
The competition is open to all artists, age 18 or over, from around the world.
What you get:
Selected artists will be exhibited in the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, from 25 June – 7 October 2026.
Selected artists will be considered for the following prizes:
First Prize: £35,000
Second Prize: £12,000
Third Prize: £10,000
All artists chosen to exhibit in 2026 and 2027’s Portrait Award exhibitions will be considered for the bi-annual Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Artist Commission (value £14,000), to be announced in 2027.
All selected artists aged between 18 and 30 will automatically be considered for the Young Artist Award (value £9,000).
Entry fee: £40 (Artists in receipt of Universal Credit or Pension Credit can enter this year’s competition for free, and a 50% discount is in place for artists who receive Disability Benefits, who are students, or who are between the ages of 18 and 25.)
Deadline 06 January 2026
The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours Open Call 2026 | Now Open!
The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI) invites artists to submit artwork for the RI Annual Exhibition 2026 at Mall Galleries.
Eligibility:
Any artist aged 18 or over may enter, from anywhere in the world.
Artists may enter a maximum of six artworks each.
Works should be no larger than 2.4m along the longest dimension.
All works must be an original creation by the artist
Acceptable media: Watercolour or water-soluble mediums including watercolour, watercolour pencil, acrylic, ink or gouache.
What you get:
Selected artists will have their work exhibited at Mall Galleries, London, with potential for sales and commissions. There are £10,000 worth of incredible prizes and awards on offer, including The Winsor & Newton Award of £3,000!
Deadline 23 January 2026
Stomping Ground 2026 Commission Callout
Stomping Ground is a commissioning group comprised of Citymoves, Creative Crawley, FABRIC, FESTIVAL.ORG, Pagrav Dance Company, Strike A Light, The Place and Tramway. We are looking to commission a short dance solo or duet tourable to primary schools, festivals and other public spaces around the country.
Eligibility: UK-based artists, be applying for a work with a strong and distinctive movement element - we welcome applications from dance artists as well as artists from other disciplines who use movement in their practice, have previous experience of making and touring high quality work in different contexts, not apply with a work that has been submitted to Stomping Ground before unless it’s had further development since applying and not currently be in education (unless at PhD level)
What you get: The selected piece will receive a £20,000 commission, up to 2 weeks of studio space in kind at The Place, guidance on producing outdoor work for children, and performance opportunities with the commissioning partners. The piece will be co-produced by The Place as part of The Playground 2026, and go on a 5-week tour around schools and family festivals. The Stomping Ground partners may offer presentation opportunities which will be negotiated with the commissioned artists, and which will be subject to additional touring fees. Artists are not expected to raise additional match funding.
Deadline 29 November 2025
Curatorial Research Fellowship 2026
In partnership, the Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT), the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), and the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts (AFA), collectively announce the second visiting Curatorial Research Fellowship.
The Fellowship will be based in the V&A’s Photography Section at South Kensington in London lasting 3-6 months. We look forward to receiving proposals for research relating to the V&A’s photography collections as well as details about existing curatorial interests of the applicants.
Who can apply: This Fellowship is for Indian citizens who are domiciled in India. We invite proposals from mid-career cultural producers between the ages of 25 and 45 years including artists, scholars, writers/editors and curators, working independently or affiliated to art institutions.
What you get: The Fellowship will enable the recipient to conduct research at the Museum, as well as assist in the Photography Section’s ongoing projects.
Deadline 10 November 2025
Repair, Reuse, Recycle business grants
This fund is for businesses, social enterprises or CICs who want to:
cut down on waste
grow food locally
use less packaging or plastics
help people fix or reuse things
create solutions to make better use of waste
How much money can you apply for?
There are up to nine grants of £3,000 each.
There is also wrap around support provided, valued at £350 for each grantee. This includes business advice on measuring and communicating your impact.
Who can apply?
The Repair, Reuse, Recycle grants are open to:
sole traders, including designers and creatives
small or medium businesses (SMEs)
social enterprises, including CICs
What do you need to apply?
a clear plan for your project
a budget outline, showing how you will spend the money
proof that your organisation is based in Lewisham
a bank account (not a personal one)
documents like insurance and safety policies
If your company is new and does not have a bank account, you can use a service like Accountable to manage the money.
When can you apply? for the Repair, Reuse, Recycle Fund:
applications open: Monday 20 October 2025
applications deadline: 8 December 2025
successful grant recipients announced: 29 December 2025
grant agreements signed: by January 2026
funding awarded: by February 2026
How are projects chosen?
We look for projects that:
save energy and cut carbon
benefit a lot of people
help people who need it most
work well with other groups
have a good plan and budget
Need help or have questions?
Comment on this page, or contact climate@lewisham.gov.uk if you need any assistance.
Community Energy Fund
This fund is for local organisations (schools, community groups, charities and faith organisations) who want to run projects that:
save energy in homes or buildings
use clean energy like solar panels
cut energy use from transport
teach others how to save energy and inspire action on climate change
How much money can you apply for?
There are three funding streams for this round of the Community Energy Fund as well as a open call for Innovation and Collaboration proposals where the council will look co-develop projects :
Stream A - Planning grants valued up to £10,000 to help plan your project
Stream B - Project grants valued up to £25,000 or one-third of your total costs
Training, engagement and capacity building grants, valued up to £5,000
Who can apply?
To apply to the Community Energy Fund you must be a group or organisation based in Lewisham. Individuals cannot apply. If you have an idea, you can work with a group that is eligible.
Groups that can apply can include:
a charity
a school
a community group
a faith group
a social enterprise
a residents’ association
What do you need to apply?
a clear plan for your project
a budget outline, showing how you will spend the money
proof that your organisation is based in Lewisham
a bank account (not a personal one)
documents like insurance and safety policies
If your group is new and does not have a bank account, you can use a service like Accountable to manage the money.
When can you apply?
For the Community Energy Fund, there are two rounds of applications:
Phase 1:
Applications open: Monday 6 October 2025
Applications deadline: 8 December 2025
Outcome of grant recipients: January 2026
Projects delivered: as outlined in grant agreement
Phase 2 (only if money is still available)
Opens: 12 January 2026
Deadline: 16 February 2026
Outcome: March 2026
Projects delivered: As outlined in grant agreement
How are projects chosen?
We look for projects that:
benefit lots of people
save energy and cut carbon
help people who need it most
work well with other groups
have a good plan and budget
Need help or have questions?
Comment on this page, or contact climate@lewisham.gov.uk if you need any assistance.
The Royal Society of British Artists Open Call 2026 is Now Open!
The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) invites artists worldwide, aged 18 and over, to submit artwork for the RBA Annual Exhibition 2026 at Mall Galleries.
Eligibility:
Any artist aged 18 or over may enter, from anywhere in the world.
Artists may enter a maximum of six artworks each.
Works should be no larger than 2.4m along the longest dimension.
All works must be an original creation by the artist
Acceptable media: Painting, sculpture, drawing and original prints.
What you get:
Selected artists will have their work exhibited at Mall Galleries, London, with potential for sales and commissions. There are £20,000 worth of incredible prizes and awards on offer, including The Huaicun Zhang Award of £10,000 for a work (or works) of exceptional quality.
Deadline 09 January 2026
Constellations ° Residency
UP Projects is partnering with the Royal Parks to offer a new, 6-month residency opportunity for an artist to be based at Greenwich Park, starting in January 2026.
The selected artist will receive free studio space at St Mary’s Lodge located within Greenwich Park as well as a fee of £22,000. The residency has been designed to support an artist to develop their socially engaged practice through creative community engagement.
Developed as part of UP Projects’ Constellations learning and development programme and forming part of the legacy of the Greenwich Park Revealed project, this Constellations ° Residency aims to foster meaningful connections between the park and its visitors through artistic exploration and collaboration.
The residency will suit an early to mid-career artist with a socially engaged practice, an understanding of and sensitivity to the barriers faced by the park’s underserved communities, and an understanding of the social and cultural value of urban green spaces.
We are welcoming expressions of interest through a six-week open call, launching on Tuesday 23 September 2025 and closing at midnight on Sunday 2 November 2025.
To find out more and apply, download the full extensive open call document. You can also download a plain text version of the open call document.
Should you have any questions relating to this residency opportunity please address them via email to constellations@upprojects.com.
Answers to all questions will be shared on this page during the course of the open call process.
The Hopper Prize Artist Grants
The Hopper Prize invites submissions from artists worldwide for grants of $4,500 (2 available) and $1,000 (4 available). Open to all media.
Who can apply:
Visual artists aged 18 and over, working in any medium, from anywhere in the world.
What you get:
2 artists will each receive $4,500 and 4 artists will each receive $1,000 in unrestricted grants.
Deadline 11 November 2025
The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2026
Artists are invited to submit work in pastel and other dry media for the Pastel Society’s 127th Annual Exhibition, proudly sponsored by Caran d’Ache.
This call welcomes artists working with pastel, pencil, charcoal, crayon, chalk and beyond. The exhibition seeks bold, inventive and expressive work that challenges preconceptions about pastel and dry media, and celebrates their creative potential today.
At the heart of the show is the direct touch of dry media. As the Society notes, “the joy of dry media is its ability to transmit feeling through the hand directly onto paper. The touch is evident and powerful.”
Who can apply:
Artists aged 18 or over, anywhere in the world. Work must be recent (within two years), under 2.4m, and not previously shown at Mall Galleries.
Acceptable media:
All types of pastel including soft pastel, hard pastel, oil pastel, ink pastel, water-based pastel, conté crayons or sticks, sanguine, and other dry mediums that are similar in their application including charcoal, chalk, and pencil. Mixed media and three-dimensional works are welcome where pastel or another dry media is the primary medium.
What you get:
• Inclusion in the exhibition at Mall Galleries and online
• The opportunity to win prizes and awards
• An invitation to the Private View
• The chance to sell work to new collectors
• Being part of a network of exhibiting artists dating back to 1898
• The possibility of election to membership
Deadline 14 November 2025
Organiser: Mall Galleries and The Pastel Society, London
Locations: United Kingdom
ArtWorks Open Prize Award Show
Fine artists working in 2D and 3D media are invited to submit work for the ArtWorks Open Prize Award Show. This annual platform supports emerging and mid-career UK artists, awarding cash prizes, exhibitions, and residencies. With Joseph and Piper as selectors, the 2025 show will likely showcase diverse, socially engaged art that foregrounds identity, dialogue, and impact.
As leading figures in contemporary Black British art, with early roots in movements such as the BLK Art Group and the Institute of International Visual Arts, they bring decades of critical engagement and visual innovation. Their curatorial approach suggests a focus on cultural identity, political critique, multimedia complexity, and social justice.
Who can apply:
All fine artists working in 2D and 3D media; emerging and mid-career UK-based artists
What you get:
Cash prizes, exhibitions, and residencies
The opportunity to have your work selected by Joseph and Piper, influential voices in contemporary Black British art
Inclusion in a high-profile annual show that foregrounds identity, dialogue, and social engagement
Fee:
£12 for one work; £24 for two works; £33 for three works; £40 for four works
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