Frequently Asked Questions AOE 172
About the 172 Annual Open Exhibition
Important Dates
What is the cost of entry?
How many works can I submit?
Where does my money go?
What is ‘Varnishing Day’?
How to submit work
Artwork submission form
Can I enter AI work?
Submitting Images
Documenting and Photographing your work
Uploading an Image
Dimensions and Measurements
If your submission is a painting on canvas:
If your submission is a sculpture:
If your submission is a print:
Editions
Number of Editions
Exhibited Edition
Editions available
Selected Artwork
Delivering Work to the RWA
How to safely package your work
Labelling your work
Dropping off in person
Transportation
Sales
Edition Sales
Pricing
Refunds
What happens after the exhibition finishes
Sold Work
Collection
Late fees
About the 172 Annual Open Exhibition
The Royal West of England Academy holds an Annual Open Exhibition, now in its 172nd year. Anyone can enter their work for this mixed discipline show. We welcome all kinds of artwork and expect to include painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, film, sculpture and architecture by artists ranging from leading professionals to emerging talent, from across the UK and beyond.
There is a selection panel made up of invited experts and Academicians. The first round of voting is conducted online. The works selected move to the final round of voting. The selectors convene together to make their final selection.
To ensure impartiality, your application is stripped of all identifying information during selection and the work is chosen solely on its merit. This is why it is essential that you provide high quality images in your application. There is more information to support with documenting your work below.
A select number of prizes will be awarded, with full information available on the RWA website.
Important Dates
• Submissions open: 10 April 2025
• Entry Deadline: 16 June 2025
• Results Live: 21 July 2025
• Hand-In days: 16 August, 17 August, 18 August 2025
• Varnishing Day: 5 September 2025
• Private View: 5 September 2025 – more details will be sent to selected artists regarding timings and guests. Spaces are quite limited and require booking in advance.
• Exhibition Open to Public: 6 September 2025
• Exhibition Closes to Public: 4 January 2026
• Collection of unsold work: 10 January, 11 January, 12 January 2026
What is the cost of entry?
There are tiered entry costs with RWA Friends and RWA Artist Network members. The Artist Network submissions are currently closed. If you are interested in joining the Friends of the RWA, you can find out more information here: Friends Membership
Regular admission is £22 per work submitted.
Students and RWA Friends pay £16.50 per work submitted.
Artist Network members pay £11.00 per work submitted.
Please note that if you submit as a student, you will be asked to provide proof of enrolment.
How many works can I submit?
You may submit a maximum of 3 works.
Where does my money go?
The RWA is an entirely independent charity (1070163), unusual in that it has no regular public subsidy, dependent on ticket and other earned income. Your submission fees to the Annual Open go directly to supporting the RWA and allow us to continue to produce world class exhibitions and meaningful community outreach with our goal of providing an accessible art space for all
What is ‘Varnishing Day’?
Varnishing Day is an historic event when artists exhibiting in previous annual opens would gather to literally varnish their work prior to the exhibition!
We now use it as a moment for all exhibiting artists to congregate and meet in advance of the official exhibition opening. It is also when new Academicians, elected the previous year, are formally awarded their certificates. are awarded with their certificates. It is not obligatory to attend.
Unfortunately, guests are unable to attend varnishing day with you.
You will be able to prebook for yourself and a guest for the Private View only. Due to health and Safety regulations, we must be very strict about the pre-booking policy.
How to submit work
To apply, please visit https://www.artgalleria.com/portal/AOE172 and create a profile.
You can revisit and edit your application by inputting your email. You will be sent a link which will open your portal so that you can continue to work on your application.
If you are unable to access a computer, please contact us at 0117 906 7601 and we will help to facilitate your application
Can I enter AI work?
We do accept work that is AI generated but feel that it is increasingly important to declare its use – just as one would with any other media. For it to be accepted, you will have to make sure that you have indicated that Artificial Intelligence was used in your artwork application form.
Submitting Images
It is important that you submit high quality images as this is what the selection panel relies on to make their decisions. This year, we will be publishing a publication with images of all selected artworks. In order to have your piece included it must meet the minimum image quality of 300 dpi.
There is a section below to help you with documentation photography of artwork!
Documenting and Photographing your work
Documenting your work can often feel very daunting. In this section you can find an abundance of resources that can help. We have also created a video that can be found here with a few handy tips to make documentation a bit easier and more successful.
o https://www.aapgh.org/blog/photography-tips
o https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/photograph-artwork
Uploading an Image
When submitting an image of your work it must be a JPEG file (300 dpi, up to 50MB) and titled in the following format:
§ ARTIST SURNAME_ARTIST FIRSTNAME_TITLE_YEAR.jpg
If multiple images of the same work are being submitted, please add the number of the submitted image and the total number of images
E.g. ARTIST SURNAME_ARTIST FIRSTNAME_TITLE_YEAR_1 of 3.jpg
Dimensions and Measurements
We ask for quite a few different dimensions in the application process. Not all of them may be applicable to your artwork.
Below is an explanation of what we are looking for:
In the section below we are looking for the height, width and depth of the piece that you would be exhibiting (in centimetres), please include the frame in your calculations!
Below are a few examples with images of how a submission could look. You may need to zoom in to see all of the detail in the submission forms.
If your submission is a painting on canvas:
If you are exhibiting the work by hanging the stretched canvas directly (no frame) then there is no need to provide us with multiple dimensions.
If your submission is a sculpture:
If your submission is a print:
For this submission – please ensure that you give us the dimensions of your work exhibited (Framed) but also the dimensions of the print if unframed. The unframed size is what buyers will receive if they decide to purchase an unframed edition. You may also want to change the price for unframed works as you don’t need to recoup the cost of framing the work.
Editions
Editioning is a way of recording a limited series of work and ensuring that each version has a record in the same medium as the original.
If your work is one of a kind, there is no need to edition it.
If you are working in photography or printmaking, editions are quite common. Generally, artists will create a finite number of image reproductions plus one Artist Print (AP). The AP is usually kept back for your own archive and records.
Here is a more detailed explanation of what we are asking for in each Edition section
Number of Editions
This is the TOTAL number of editions you have made or will make of this piece. If you’ve decided that you will make 10 prints of your work in all then this is where you would put that number.
Exhibited Edition
This is where you put the number of the edition you will be showing. To continue the above example, if this piece is the third edition you’ve produced you would put 3
Editions available
This is the number of editions you have left in your series and how many you are willing to sell through the RWA. If you’ve already sold number 1 and 2 in your series and are exhibiting number 3, you would put 6 editions available. The reason for this is that we consider the work you are showing as the exhibited edition and any other editions to be additional. That’s why we have them in a different section of the label:
Below is an example of a wall label for the Annual Open.
If you have any questions, please do reach out at exhibition@rwa.org.uk
Selected Artwork
Results will be announced on the 21st of July 2025. You will receive an email informing you of the panel’s decision so please make sure to check in your junk folder!
Each piece of art that is selected for the exhibition has been carefully reviewed and considered by a group of industry professionals. It’s for this reason that we cannot accept any alternative works as substitution to the piece selected for exhibition. This may also apply if the piece has in major ways changed from the submitted images. If you’re unsure, please contact exhibition@rwa.org.uk and we are happy to look at your situation.
Delivering Work to the RWA
Here are some links to help you learn how to safely package your work for transport.
How to safely package your work
https://www.artbusinessinfo.com/ship-art.html
https://www.shopify.com/uk/blog/how-to-ship-art-prints
https://www.gelato.com/uk/blog/shipping-artwork-internationally
Labelling your work
You will receive a PDF with your submission via email. If your work is selected, please make sure to print that pdf on thick paper or cardstock. Attach the card to a piece of string and ensure that it is secured to your work. The string needs to be able to reach the front of the artwork. It will not be on display but it really helps us to ensure that we keep record of the work that comes into the building so please do make sure to attach it well!
Dropping off in person
For in person drop off, we have specific ‘Hand In Days’. This year they will be on the 16th, 17th and 18th of August 2025.
You will need to a book in a drop off slot through a link we will send out a bit closer to the date. Keeping to that time slot really helps us make sure that the day is organised!
We encourage artists to use street parking. If you have a large work, you may prebook the drop-off parking on the forecourt by emailing exhibition@rwa.org.uk when you book your timeslot. It’s very important to stress we try to operate with a ten minute maximum stay policy, due to the volume of traffic.
Blue badge parking is also available by pre-booking. Please email exhibition@rwa.org.uk to do so.
Transportation
This year all artists will be required to deliver their work in person, or via courier or post, at their own risk. The RWA is no longer able to facilitate a transportation run to or from London, Exeter or Penzance. However, the two companies who have undertaken those runs in the past are still available, should you choose to book with them direct:
Please make sure that you wrap your work safely as the RWA cannot be responsible for any damage that occurs in transit. [KJ1]
Sales
The Annual Open is a selling exhibition. Our team works hard to promote and sell the artwork to support working contemporary artists. We do take a 35% +VAT commission on sales, which helps us to cover the considerable cost of presenting the exhibition and maintaining the historic galleries in which your work is displayed as well as continuing to support our larger program and ambitions.[KJ2] You can read more about where your money goes here.
We aim to notify artists of sales on the third Thursday of each month. UK law allows a 14-day cooling off period on online purchases, so we have found it’s best to wait until that is complete before confirming the sale.
The reason that there may be a delay in notifying you after a sale is because we want to ensure that the money has been processed, and refunds can no longer be issued. If you ever have any questions about pricing, commissions or sales, please do not hesitate to be in touch with exhibition@rwa.org.uk. We endeavour to be completely transparent when it comes to selling artists work.
Edition Sales
We can sell editions for artists – and they tend to be very popular!
These are shipped directly from the Artist to the Collector. You can provide a different price for unframed editions – we would recommend that you make sure to factor in a percentage for the packing and shipping. The RWA takes a 35% + VAT commission on these sales as well.
Pricing
Pricing your work can sometimes be intimidating. Here are some resource guides that can help!
o https://www.artworkarchive.com/blog/how-to-price-consistently-for-art-sales-success
o https://artquest.org.uk/how-to-articles/pricing-your-work/
o https://www.magazine.artconnect.com/resources/how-to-price-your-art
It is important to note that prices cannot be changed once the exhibition opens.
Refunds
We are unable to issue refunds once an application is submitted. We are also unable to issue a refund if your work is not accepted into the exhibition. Please check out the above section on ‘Where does my money go’ to see how your submission directly supports the charitable work of the RWA.
What happens after the exhibition finishes
Sold Work
Sold work will be available for collection from 13th January 2025
The work will be soft packed for collection by the RWA team. We are unable to arrange shipment of work, but if a buyer is interested in having their purchased piece sent to them, please email exhibition@rwa.org.uk and we will do all that we can to facilitate.
Collection
You must collect your work during the hand back dates from the RWA. These will be on 10 – 12 January 2025. Because of the volume of work, we are not able to package your work. There will be space for you to wrap your artwork, but please ensure that you bring your own packaging material.
Late fees
Unfortunately, the RWA does not have adequate space to store any work after the hand-in days. In years past, we have had many artists leave their work behind for weeks before collection. This seriously impacts the work we can do and causes the work to be put at risk as it is carted between rooms for storage.
Because of this, we have decided to implement a late collection fee of £15 per work, per week for every artwork left in our care beyond the end of day on the 12th of January 2026. This year, we will be strictly enforcing this policy in the hopes that every exhibiting artist makes suitable arrangements to collect their work on time.
We are sympathetic to extenuating circumstances but ask that you email with exhibition@rwa.org.uk as far in advance as possible to try to work out the best solution for collection. It is at the discretion of the RWA to implement the late.