Royal Society of Marine Artists

Artists are invited to submit work for exhibition alongside members of the Royal Society of Marine Artists at the RSMA Annual Exhibition 2024.

The Royal Society of Marine Artists seeks submissions of art inspired by the sea and marine environment, including harbours and shorelines, traditional craft and contemporary shipping, creeks, beaches, wildlife - in short anything that involves tidal water.

The RSMA Annual Exhibition is widely recognised as a showcase for the best in contemporary marine art, with selected work from the open entry hung alongside the work of members.

There are over ten prizes and awards to win - watch this space for details!

Submissions are ONLINE ONLY and open on Monday 29 April 2024

We recommend that artists submit well in advance of the deadline to allow time for assistance with their application if required.

A single-stage virtual judging of all submitted works will take place, after which selected works should be delivered to Mall Galleries, London, for inclusion in the exhibition:

- Upload your work to our Open Exhibition Submission System (OESS) between Monday 29 April and Friday 26 July 2024

Note: Images must be in JPEG or PNG format and under 5MB. The judges will make their decision based on these images, therefore please submit good quality photographs. 

- Log in to the OESS from 12 noon on Friday 9 August to see if your work has been selected

- If selected, deliver your work on Saturday 7 September, 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.

Submissions open: Monday 29 April 2024, 12 noon

Submissions close: Friday 26 July, 12 noon

Notification of selection: Friday 9 August, 12 noon

Receiving Day (if selected): Saturday 7 September, 10am to 5pm

Private View (invite only): Wednesday 18 September, 2pm to 8pm, official opening at 6pm

Exhibition opens: Thursday 19 September, 10am to 5pm daily

Exhibition closes: Saturday 28 September, 5pm

Collection of unsold work: Thursday 3 October, 10am to 5pm

Eligibility

• Any artist over 18 may submit, in the UK, EU, and outside the EU.
• Subject matter must be essentially marine in nature, relating in some way to tidal waters of the world; topographical, historical, still life, and figure painting are all welcomed. Works relating to non-tidal rivers, inland lakes and waterways etc are not permissible. 
• Acceptable media: Oil, acrylic, watercolour, original prints of any media (excluding photography), mixed media, textiles, drawings, pastels, or sculpture.
• Maximum of six works submitted, maximum of four works selected.
• Works should be no larger than 2.4m along the longest dimension.
• Works may be from a limited edition not exceeding fifty.
• Artists are strongly urged to submit new work not previously exhibited.

Entry Fee

• There is a non-refundable submission fee of £20 per work for standard entries and £14 per work for artists aged 35 or under. The entry fee includes free admission to the exhibition, normally £5.

Presentation, Delivery & Collection

• Frames or stretchers should be sufficiently substantial to withstand mirror plating with 12mm size 6 screws.
• No hooks are required and there should be no projections whatsoever from the back of the works. This is to prevent damage to other works.
• The Society advises the use of plain, simple framing in a light or medium colour. Frames and mounts of an unusual colour, size or design may prejudice the chance of acceptance. The following are inadmissible: metal frames, unprotected glass edges and clip frames. 
• Packaging from delivered works cannot be retained and must be taken away at the point of delivery. We are unable to wrap works or provide wrapping materials for any works being returned.
• Any uncollected works may 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.
• Artists are responsible for the full costs of delivery and collection.
• Artists sending work from abroad should use a picture carrier. Many artists use Picture Post Art as they offer a packing and delivery service for our exhibitions (we do not accept any liability for their services). Picture Post Art - Tel: 07833 450788 / Email: info@picturepostcompany.co.uk

Selection

• The Selection Committee is formed of artist members of the Society.
• Selectors' decisions are final and we are unable to offer feedback.
• If selected works arrive damaged, with unacceptable framing, size discrepancies from the original submission, or not as shown online, these will be rejected. All rejected artworks will need to be collected from Mall Galleries by the artist at their expense.

Sales

• All work must be for sale.
• Minimum price: £600, except for prints - framed £325, unframed £200 (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 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 the works should be included in the price submitted.
• Once work has been submitted, any sale made by the gallery before or during the course of the exhibition shall take precedence and supersede one made privately. Any private sale will incur the normal commission.
• The price provided is the selling price and is the price that the work must be sold at. This price can only be changed by prior written agreement between the gallery and the artist of the relevant work. The gallery reserves the right to query the price of works.
• International Artists: Artists who are not resident in the UK but are resident in the EU or elsewhere are welcome to submit work. If your work is sold at the exhibition you have a responsibility to register and account for UK VAT with H.M. Revenue & Customs. Artists without a UK residence (known as 'NETPs' - non-established taxable persons) can find further details on 'NETP' status and how to register for VAT at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk (HM Revenue & Customs Reference: Notice 700/1, Mar 2014) under the heading 'Should I be registered for VAT?' Please note: the registration process can take up to 4 weeks. Please address any questions you may have to the VAT Helpline on tel. no. 0300 200 3700 or Outside UK: +44 2920 501 261.

Intellectual Property Rights

• All works must be an original creation by the artist.
• 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.
• The gallery has the right to reproduce works in connection with the exhibition.

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. 

Liability & Indemnity

• The gallery is not responsible for any loss of, or any damage to, works entrusted to them. All goods are at 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.