Royal Society of British Artists
Artists are invited to submit work for exhibition alongside members of the Royal Society of British Artists at the RBA Annual Exhibition 2027
The Royal Society of British Artists invites artists of all backgrounds to submit works in various media, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, and drawing, for the RBA Annual Exhibition 2027.
The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a prestigious art society founded in 1823 as an alternative to the Royal Academy; it champions skill, draughtsmanship and traditional techniques, featuring both members and emerging artists in its annual exhibition at Mall Galleries.
The RBA Annual Exhibition offers major cash awards, art materials and framing prizes, media features, and more, to recognise and reward talented artists from anywhere in the world. This includes The Huaicun Zhang Award for Excellence, an award of £10,000 for a work (or works) of exceptional quality.
Successful applicants can expect:
• To have their selected work included in the RBA Annual Exhibition at Mall Galleries, in the gallery, and online
• Eligibility to win prizes and awards, worth over £15,000
• An invitation to the Private View
• The chance to sell their work
• To be part of a network of exhibiting artists dating back to 1823 when the Society was founded
‘With such a wealth of talent and support, the future looks exceptionally bright for the Royal Society of British Artists. Join us in celebrating the power of art and creativity!’ - Michael Harrison, RBA President
Submissions are ONLINE ONLY and open from 7 September 2026 to 8 January 2027
Prizes & Awards
The RBA offers significant prizes and awards:
The Huaicun Zhang Award for Excellence 2027
An award of £10,000 will be offered for a work (or works) of exceptional quality. The selection committee reserves the right to split the award as is deemed appropriate for works in the exhibition.
The de Laszlo Foundation Award
£2,000 awarded to an artist aged 35 or under for the best work from life, plus four Highly Commended awards of £300 each
The Michael Harding Awards
Two prizes of £500 worth of art materials
The Daler-Rowney Award
£500 of art materials from Daler-Rowney for an outstanding work
The John Lynn Commemorative Award for a Young Artist £500
Ronald Benham Memorial Award
An annual memorial prize of £500 in the name of Ronald Benham RBA NEAC, to be awarded to an artist for work painted in a traditional manner in celebration of the natural world
The Winsor & Newton Award
Art materials to the value of £500 for an outstanding painting
Frinton Frames Award
£300 of picture framing at Frinton Frames
The MONTOOLI Award
A prize of £300 for an outstanding portrait painting in the exhibition. The name of the award is derived from a Bengali word which means, "A paintbrush from the creative heart”.
The Peter Kelly Commemorative Prize £300
The Gordon Hulson Memorial Prize
£250 for draughtsmanship, variety and exploration
The Ronald Morgan Memorial Award £250
The Stuart Southall Print Prize £250
The President's Award
Ten free submissions to exhibitions by the Federation of British Artists at Mall Galleries for a non-member exhibitor
Nathan David Award for Sculpture £150
Painters Online Award
The winner will be featured in The Artist magazine. Sponsored by Painters Online, the home of Leisure Painter and The Artist.
The Dry Red Press Award
The winning work will be published as a greetings card
Key Dates
Submissions open: Monday 7 September 2026, 12 noon
Submissions close: Friday 8 January 2027, 12 noon
Notification of selection: Friday 15 January, 12 noon
Receiving Day (if selected): Saturday 13 February, 10am to 5pm
Exhibition opens: Thursday 25 February, 10am to 5pm daily
Private View (invite only): Thursday 25 February, 5pm to 9pm, official opening at 6pm
Exhibition closes: Saturday 6 March, 5pm
Collection of unsold work: Thursday 11 March, 10am to 5pm
How to Submit
A single-stage online judging of all submitted works will take place, after which selected works should be delivered to Mall Galleries, London, for inclusion in the exhibition:
• Register or log in to our Open Exhibition Submission System (OESS) to submit between Monday 7 September 2026 and Friday 8 January 2027
Upload your image/s in JPEG or PNG format and under 5MB. One image per submission must be submitted, showing the complete work. An optional two additional images per work may be submitted, showing details, multiple angles, or framing, etc., however this is not compulsory.
The judges will make their decision based on these images, so please ensure that photographs are accurate and show work at its best.
Also required is the title, medium, size (cm), year of completion, and price per work, plus there is the option to add an artwork description.
• Log in to the OESS from 12 noon on Friday 15 January to see if your work has been selected
• If selected, deliver your work on Saturday 13 February, 10am to 5pm, to Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD
Works should be delivered unwrapped with the relevant form and labels, which are downloadable upon notification of selection.
Important Information for Artists
Eligibility
Who may enter?
Any artist aged 18 or over may enter, from anywhere in the world.
How many works may I enter?
Artists may enter a maximum of six works each, from which up to four works per artist may be selected.
What type of work is eligible?
Work must not have been exhibited previously in London.
Works should not be 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 (excluding photography).
Submission Fee
How much does it cost to enter?
There is a non-refundable submission fee of £22 per work, or £14.50 per work for artists aged 35 or under.
The submission fee includes free admission to the exhibition for all entrants (normally £7).
Submission fees support the not-for-profit programme at Mall Galleries. The gallery is home to visual arts charity, the Federation of British Artists (Registered Charity Number 200048).
We have partnered with the Visual Artists Association to offer a Free Artist Resource Pack to all entrants. This includes 'The Artist's Guide to Selling Art on Instagram’ (PDF) and 'Instagram for Art Careers’ (Video Masterclass). Entrants will receive instructions to download the Artist Resource Pack upon notification of selection.
Presentation
How should I present my work?
Frames or stretchers should be sufficiently substantial to withstand mirror plating with 12mm (size 6) screws.
Artists are advised to use plain, simple framing.
Metal frames, unprotected glass edges and clip frames are inadmissible.
Please remove all fittings and fixings from the back of works, for example D-rings and picture wire. This is to prevent damage to other works, and because we will mirror-plate works for hanging.
Delivery & Collection
Works should be delivered and collected on the specified receiving and collection days via the gallery's rear entrance at Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD.
If you are unable to deliver or collect your work, you may send another person on your behalf – this may include an art courier (see below).
Artists are responsible for the costs of delivery and collection.
Delivery
Works should be delivered unwrapped with the relevant form and labels, which are downloadable upon notification of selection.
All packaging must be taken away at the point of delivery.
Collection
We are unable to wrap works or provide wrapping for works being returned.
Any uncollected works will be removed from the gallery after the collection day and stored by an independent courier company at the artist's expense.
If works are not collected within 12 months of the collection day, the gallery will be entitled to destroy, sell, or otherwise dispose of the works without consent, prior notification, or compensation to the artist.
Art Couriers
Below is a list of art couriers by region:
• London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Bristol
Art Moves of Chelsea
artmoveschelsea@aol.com
020 7352 7492
• Scotland, the North of England and Birmingham
Picture Post Art
info@picturepostcompany.co.uk
07833 450788
Picture Post Art receive artwork for delivery to UK galleries: “handing in” unwrapped and storing packaging free of charge for reuse if required.
• Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset
3 Lanes Transport
info@3lanes.com
01736 799298 / 07970 948324
• Leicester, Loughborough, Coventry, Birmingham and Nottingham
JD Art Transport
jdarttransport@gmail.com
07825 339787
• Norfolk and Suffolk
A S Elvin Transport Ltd
bernadette@elvingroup.co.uk
01502 677025
• Nationwide
Aardvark Art Services
info@aardvarkartservices.com
01253 794673
• Wales
Mid Wales Freight
enquiries@midwalesfreight.co.uk
07866 731400 / 01974 282500
International Artists
Many international artists use Picture Post Art to transport their work to and from Mall Galleries.
Picture Post Art arrange for the shipping of work from the artist's country to the UK, help artists to correctly fill out paperwork from customs, and store packaging for reuse if required.
Picture Post Art
info@picturepostcompany.co.uk
+ 44 7833 450788
Please note that we do not accept liability for the services of any art courier.
Selection
How are works selected for exhibition?
The works for exhibition are selected by a committee formed of members of the Society.
If selected works arrive damaged, with unacceptable framing, size discrepancies from the original submission, or not as shown online, these will be withdrawn and will need to be collected from Mall Galleries by the artist at their expense.
May I ask for feedback?
The decision of the Selection Committee is final and we are unable to offer feedback.
Sales
Does my work have to be for sale?
All work must be for sale.
Once work has been submitted, any sale made by the gallery before or during the course of the exhibition up to and including the collection day shall take precedence and supersede one made privately. Any private sale made in this period will incur the normal commission.
How should I price my work?
There is a minimum price per work of £300, except for prints – framed £180, unframed £120. (Buyers will not be charged for postage and packaging of unframed prints, so please ensure the price of unframed prints allows for this).
Unless otherwise advised, the gallery will charge a commission on the total price paid for works, including commissioned works, before, during, or as a result of the exhibition.
The price submitted should be the selling price, which should include commission, and is the price at which the work will be sold.
The price of works must include commission of 45% +VAT (please note that where foundry fees apply, foundry costs will be deducted before commission is calculated). If an artist is registered for VAT, then the VAT due on the selling price of works should be included in the price submitted.
Mall Galleries reserves the right to query the price of works.
May I change the price of my work once submitted?
The price of works may only be changed by written agreement between the artist and Mall Galleries.
How will I know if my work has sold?
You will be notified by Mall Galleries if your work sells.
I am an international artist, do I need to register for a UK VAT number?
Artists who are not resident in the UK but are resident in the EU or elsewhere are welcome to submit work.
Artists without a UK residence are classified as NETPs (Non-Established Taxable Persons) and must register with HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs) for a UK VAT number in order for their work to be included in the exhibition. If selected for the exhibition, you must supply us with your UK VAT number (or proof of application) before the Receiving Day, otherwise your work may be withdrawn. We will be unable to issue payment for any sales of work by artists classified as NETPs until a UK VAT number is supplied.
More information about UK VAT registration can be found under Section 9 at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-7001-should-i-be-registered-for-vat/vat-notice-7001-should-i-be-registered-for-vat
If you have any questions, please contact HMRC directly on their VAT Helpline on Telephone 0300 200 3701, or, if calling from abroad, +44 2920 501 261.
To note: the registration process can take up to 4 weeks so please allow enough time to register.
Personal Data
The gallery will hold personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). However, the gallery may provide third parties with an artist's contact details in the course of administering exhibitions, commissions and prizes.
The gallery has the right to reproduce works in connection with the exhibition.
The copyright and all other intellectual property rights will remain with the artist. If any rights are owned by a third party, that third party will remain the owner.
Liability
The gallery is not responsible for any loss of, or any damage to, works entrusted to them. All goods are at the artist owner's risk absolutely and the gallery and/or their agents exclude all liability to the maximum extent permitted by law. The galleries are used for various purposes and so artists are advised to insure their works against all risks.
The gallery endeavours to take good care of works sent for exhibition, but in the event of a work sent being lost, destroyed or damaged, the gallery's liability (if any) shall not exceed the value of the work as stated at the time of submission (less 45% plus VAT) or any altered price subsequently.
In the event of any dispute regarding loss or damage, the dispute shall be referred for final arbitration to an independent expert valuer to be chosen by agreement between the parties, provided that the arbitrator's award shall not exceed the gallery's maximum liability as above.
Artists shall indemnify and keep indemnified the gallery against any actions between the artist and any third party.
Help
If you require support with your application, please contact:
Supported by
Grateful thanks to Huaicun Zhang and Xianyan Chen, whose continued patronage enriches our Society beyond measure