What are open-call exhibitions and how do they work?

An open-call exhibition is a show that any artist can apply to be in: the organiser publishes a brief, artists submit work for consideration, a selector chooses what makes the cut, and the chosen pieces go on the wall. It is the most open route into a gallery there is, which is exactly why so many people find it confusing the first time.

Unlike a curated show, where a gallery hand-picks the artists in advance, an open call throws the doors open and then narrows down. That single difference shapes everything else about how it works, from the fee you pay to the odds of getting in.

What does “open call” actually mean?

Open call means the opportunity is advertised publicly and anyone who meets the stated criteria can apply. The phrase comes from theatre and film auditions, and the spirit is the same: rather than approaching people it already knows, the organiser puts out a general invitation and waits to see who responds.

In practice the call is a written brief published on a gallery’s website, a listings site, or an artist newsletter. It sets out the theme, who can enter, what you can submit, the deadline, the fee, and how selection will work. Some calls are wide open to any medium; others are tightly themed, restricted to a region, or aimed at a particular career stage. The brief is the contract, so it is worth reading every line before you spend anything.

How does the selection process work?

Selection is the heart of an open call, and it is almost always done by a named selector or a small panel. After the deadline, the organiser gathers every submission, usually as digital images plus a short caption listing title, medium, dimensions, and price. The selector reviews them, often without knowing who made each piece, and shortlists the work that best fits the theme and the space.

The selector is not judging whether you are a good artist. They are judging whether a particular piece earns a place in one particular room.

That distinction matters. A rejection rarely means your work is weak; it often means it did not sit well alongside everything else, or there simply was not room. Strong submissions get turned down all the time because a show can only hold so much. Many open calls notify everyone by email, and a good organiser will tell you the result whether you are in or not.

What does it cost, and what do you get?

Most open calls charge a modest submission fee, commonly a few pounds per work, with a discount for entering several. That fee covers the real cost of running the call: admin, the selector’s time, marketing, and the private view. It is normal and reasonable. What is not normal is a heavy charge demanded only after you are selected, sometimes dressed up as a “hanging fee” or a guarantee of inclusion. That pattern is closer to a vanity gallery than a genuine open exhibition, and it is worth treating with caution.

If you are selected, you typically get your work shown for the run of the exhibition, a place at the private view, and a listing in any catalogue or online gallery. Sales usually go through the organiser, who takes a commission, much as a commercial gallery would. Some open calls also award prizes, which can mean cash, a future solo show, or simply the credibility of having won.

Where do open-call exhibitions happen?

Open calls run everywhere, from the grandest institutions to the smallest artist-run rooms. At the established end, Bankside Gallery on London’s South Bank hosts the long-running open exhibitions of the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, where members and selected non-members show side by side. These large opens receive thousands of entries and carry real prestige.

At the grassroots end, artist-run spaces such as Bloc Projects in Sheffield use open calls to find fresh, unrepresented voices and to keep their programme connected to the wider scene. Studio organisations like Bow Arts in east London run opens that double as a way of supporting the artists in their community. The scale and the stakes differ enormously, but the mechanism is identical: a public brief, a fair submission, a considered selection.

Are open calls worth entering?

For most artists, yes, with realistic expectations. An open call is one of the few ways to get work in front of a curator without an introduction, and a single acceptance can lead to a sale, a contact, or a line on your CV that opens the next door. The fees are usually small, the process is transparent, and the rejection, when it comes, is rarely personal.

The trick is to read each brief carefully, submit work that genuinely answers the theme, and treat every entry as practice in presenting your work well. Over time, the artists who do best with open calls are not necessarily the most talented in the room. They are the ones who learned to read the brief, photograph their work properly, and keep showing up.