Featured Opportunities

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The British School at Rome, in partnership with the Bridget Riley Art Foundation, invites applications from exceptional early to mid-career artists working in painting, drawing, or sculpture for a six-month residency from September 2026 to March 2027.

Open to UK or Commonwealth nationals or residents, the residency offers artists time, space, and inspiration to develop their practice within a vibrant international community in the heart of Rome. Residents receive board and accommodation in a purpose-designed studio, full staff support, access to the BSR Library and archives, Italian lessons, and a rich programme of workshops, site visits, and public events.

The residency provides opportunities to collaborate with local artists, showcase work through open studios, and engage deeply with Italy’s artistic and cultural heritage. This extraordinary setting allows artists to explore new ideas in an environment that combines professional development with cultural immersion.

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Annual award for 100 emerging artists and cultural practitioners working in contexts where cultural expression is under pressure. €5,000 trust-based grant per recipient to invest freely in artistic and cultural practice development. Open to individuals in initial 1-5 years of professional career (excluding study years) from, living, and working in eligible countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Middle East, and Eastern Europe (OECD DAC listed countries).

Applicants must have established innovative artistic/cultural practice addressing pressing social/political issues in their local context, and received little to no institutional recognition/support. Work must contribute to free expression and safe spaces in civil society, participation and structural equity, or environmental sustainability.

Applications via online platform only, requiring work samples, CV, reference letter, and 3-minute pitch video/audio answering “What drives you as an artist?”. Trust-based funding allows recipients complete autonomy in how they use the grant. Broad disciplinary understanding of arts and culture; experimental, innovative, interdisciplinary practices encouraged. Results announced mid-July 2026. One-time award only; previous recipients cannot reapply.

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Open call for photography or film work responding to Lee Miller’s documentation of community and the wider world, currently exhibiting at Tate Britain. Seeking submissions responding to themes of community identity, resistance, surrealism, and activism. Open to women, trans+ and non-binary artists aged 16-25 who are part of Tate Collective (free to join).

Submissions can be existing works or newly created pieces. Film submissions must be maximum 3 minutes in length. One entry per person. Submissions require 100-150 word description of work and how it responds to the brief. Applicants must provide name, email, DOB, and Tate Collective membership number.

Selected works will be shown on digital display at Late at Tate Britain on 13th February 2026, on the Tate website, and on other Tate approved partner platforms including social media. Tate granted non-exclusive permission to use material for promotional purposes; copyright remains with artist.

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This international portrait painting competition is open to all artists aged 18 and over as of 1st January 2025, limited to one entry per artist. Works must be predominantly painted in oil, tempera, or acrylic on stretcher or board (preferably framed and unglazed), completed within the last two years (after 1 January 2024), based on a sitting or study from life with the human figure predominating. Self-portraits and group portraits are permitted.

The first round of judging is digital; selected artists will then need to deliver physical works to a London judging venue (29 January – 4 February 2026). Prizes include: First Prize £35,000, Second Prize £12,000, Third Prize £10,000, Young Artist Award £9,000 (for artists aged 30 or under as of 1 January 2025), and the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Artist Commission £14,000 (announced in 2027 for artists exhibiting in 2026 and 2027). The exhibition runs at the National Portrait Gallery from 25 June to 7 October 2026, with an Awards Ceremony on 23 June 2026.

Free to enter for artists receiving Universal Credit or Pension Credit; 50% discount for artists receiving Disability Benefits, students, or those aged 18-25.

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The V&A Illustration Awards, established in 1972, is the UK’s most prestigious biennial illustration competition reflecting the contemporary UK illustration scene. The Awards welcome published work by UK residents or those resident anywhere in the world working for UK clients. Categories include Adult Fiction, Adult Factual, Illustration for Children, Advertising and Commercial, and Emerging Illustrator (for UK resident unpublished artists over 18, or those who studied on UK college courses in 2024 and/or 2025).

Entrants can upload up to eight image files for each entry, or supply a link to/upload a one-minute video submission and five image files. Five category winners each receive £3,500 and five runners-up receive £1,000. The overall winner, the Moira Gemmill Illustrator of the Year, receives an additional £5,500 and their work becomes part of the V&A’s collections. Winners and runners-up will be announced in summer 2026, with their work displayed in a dedicated curated display within the V&A.

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This 18-month cross-regional programme invites up to ten visual arts organisations from the East and West Midlands to become Commissioning Partners. Open to organisations of all sizes (artist-led initiatives, community arts organisations, galleries, festivals, digital platforms) based in or programming across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, or Worcestershire. Each organisation will commission one Global Majority, Disabled, d/Deaf, or Neurodivergent mid-career artist from the neighbouring region to create a new digital artwork (moving image, interactive, sound, virtual, web-based, or other forms).

Selected organisations receive £8,000 commissioning support for artist fees, production, and presentation, plus access to shared artist access and travel budgets, mentoring and skill development for artists, Organisational Development Day, documentation and editorial coverage via Corridor8, 2.5 technician days, and ongoing visibility. Partners contribute £2,000 and actively engage in professional development and evaluation.

Applications accepted in written (max 800 words), audio (max 6 minutes), or video (max 6 minutes) format, including organisation overview, mission, audiences, reasons for involvement, approach to collaboration and inclusion, and facilities/experience. Outcomes will be notified by 27 January 2026 (5pm).

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Open call for submissions to the third issue of Outhouse Magazine, an independent publication showcasing new, diverse voices. Seeking essays and think pieces related to politics, art, culture, and society, plus creative writing (all genres) that engages with the theme “URBAN DREAMSCAPES.”

The theme explores big cities – dreams, freedom, opportunities, joys, hopes, beauty, but also loneliness, inequality, claustrophobic apartments, abandoned dreams, and the complex relationship between people and metropolises. What pushes us to leave, what pulls us to stay, and the price we pay. Only finalized works accepted (no pitches).

Submission limits: essays and fiction maximum 1,500 words; poetry up to 3 poems per submission. Format: Word or Google document. The magazine is distributed through various independent bookshops including Lala Books, Burley Fisher Books, Peckham Books, Review Bookshop, and available online.