Open Call EXHIBITIOn 2026
We're back!
We’re delighted to announce our Open Call 2026! We're inviting artists from across the UK to submit work for a two-week group exhibition in August at Sixteen Gallery, with one artist being awarded a solo exhibition in 2027.
Following the success of last year’s (our first ever) open call exhibition — which received over 700 submissions — we’re excited to once again open our doors to emerging and established artists alike.
We will again be inviting an exciting panel of judges from within the local creative community to select works to put together an exhibition celebrating a wide range of contemporary practices. Offering selected artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work within a supportive gallery setting, and one overall winner to win a free week at the gallery next year.
Submissions will be open 30 May — 30 June.
About the open call
Our Open Call is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and affordable, welcoming submissions from artists at all stages of their practice.
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Open to artists based anywhere in the UK
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All mediums considered – drawing, painting, textiles, sculpture, ceramics, photography, print and more..
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All exhibited works will be available for sale
Like many national opportunities, our open call aims to provide a route for artists to exhibit their work publicly and reach new audiences
We’re interested in work that reflects the diversity and creativity of contemporary practice today. There is no set theme! We encourage submissions that feel current, resolved, and representative of your work, whether you are emerging or more established.
SELECTION AND PRIZE
Works will be selected digitally by our wonderful panel of judges and will be exhibited in a two-week group show at Sixteen Gallery in Cheltenham. The exhibition will take place 14 - 26 August, the highlight of our summer at Sixteen Gallery.
During the exhibition, our judges will select in-person, one winning artist to be awarded with their own exhibition at the gallery in 2027. This is an artists opportunity to take on our lovely gallery space for a show, maybe for the first or 101st time. It can give artists an invaluable chance to learn about curating, hanging, promoting and hosting their own exhibition, and the ability to focus on the work and the show without worrying about the cost of the space.
Submission Details
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You may submit up to three artworks for your £1 entry fee
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We don't believe in charging artists for rejection! Our entry fee is just to cover our admin. Only the artists selected for the exhibition will pay a hanging fee of £20.
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Any selected members of the Sixteen Gallery Collective do not pay the hanging fee. Thinking of becoming a member? Find out more here.
Low-cost entry aims to keep the opportunity open and accessible to everyone. You may of course pay for more entries if you'd like to.
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Submissions must be completed in one session — you won’t be able to return and edit them later. Please review your submission carefully before proceeding to payment, as you won’t be able to make any changes afterward. This will be reiterated on your submissions page, so don't worry!
Selected artists will take part in a two-week exhibition at our gallery in Cheltenham.
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All works will be exhibited physically
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All works will be available for sale (we take a 30% commission on any sales)
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The gallery will actively promote the exhibition and will provide promotional assets for selected artists to get involved in spreading the word.
This is an opportunity to:
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Exhibit your work in a professional gallery setting
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Reach new collectors and audiences
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Be part of a curated group show
THE Exhibition
Submit Your Work
We look forward to seeing your work and discovering new artists from across the UK.
Please note your submission must be done in one go, you will not be able to return to it.
👉 Begin your submission by following this link.
Keep your eyes peeled, we will be revealing this years panel of judges very soon! If you want to know more about our panel from last year, click here
The judges
KEY DATES
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Submissions Open: 30 May
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Submissions Close: 30 June
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Selected artists announced: 10 July
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Exhibition: 14 - 26 August
FAQ
Follow the link to our submissions page. Follow the instructions to upload an artwork (or three), enter the information about it and click save! Review your entries before proceeding to the £1 payment. Please note your submission must be done in one go, you will not be able to return to it once you go to the payment.
You can view the submissions page anytime so you can understand the process, get started when you are ready.
👉 Begin your submission by following this link.
There is no theme. We just ask that work is current or made within the last 3 years.
Entries can be in any medium! We welcome painting, pastels, printmaking, photography, textiles, sculpure and anything else you can think of.
Our Open Call costs just £1 to enter.
You can submit up to three artworks for your £1 entry fee.
You do not have to enter three - you can just enter one piece if you prefer.
If you’d like to submit more than three artworks, you’re welcome to repeat the process by starting a new entry. Each additional entry requires a separate £1 fee.
We charge an entry fee of £1. This gives you the option to submit upto 3 artworks. We keep this cost purposely low, it just covers our admin.
If your work is selected, there is a £20 hanging fee for the exhibition. We charge this to help keep these opportunities running, but we don't like artists paying for rejections!
Our panel of judges will make their selections from digital submissions. The winner of the week at Sixteen Gallery in 2027 will be selected at the exhibition from the real life work.
We have invited an exciting panel of judges from within the local creative community to select work for the exhibition. Keep your eyes peeled for who's involved coming soon.
All 2D work must be framed or finished and must have two D-rings attached (approximately 4.5cm from the top) in order to be accepted and hung. You can find out more about hanging at Sixteen Gallery here. Please be mindful when framing, we would like to avoid overly large or obtrusive frames that might impact others' work.
3D must come with any assembly instructions or notes on how to display.
The exhibition will take place 14 - 26 August at Sixteen Gallery in Cheltenham.
Please note work will need to be delivered to the gallery at the following times:
Wednesday 13 August 6 – 8pm
Thursday 14 August 8 – 11am
Collection of any unsold work from the exhibition will be on Wednesday 26 August 12 – 5pm.
All work should be for sale during the exhibition. We take a 30% commission on sales, so we encourage artists to factor this into their pricing.
Our home is the beautiful regency town of Cheltenham. Known for our horse racing and festivals (literature, jazz, science, music and more) we have a lot to offer from our creative community.
Sixteen Gallery sits in Montpellier, one of the loveliest areas of the town centre, complete with historic caryatids, the oldest covered arcade in Europe, excellent coffee and some of the best art galleries.
We're not quite in London (or Stroud) 😉 but we have a truly exciting community of artists around our town of whom we are extremely proud to have so many involved with us at the gallery.
The Sixteen Gallery Collective is open to creatives and makers across the UK (and beyond!) offering a contemporary approach to the artist collective. Emerging from the gallery itself, creating opportunities to build community and show work; it extends into a digital platform that provides artists with space to curate portfolios, highlight exhibitions and connect with visitors and fellow makers. Want to become a member? Find out more and register your interest here.