All competitions · Open call / exhibition
Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2026 - Open Call
Royal Society of Portrait Painters / Federation of British Artists (Mall Galleries) · London, United Kingdom
Annual open-submission portrait exhibition at Mall Galleries, London. Paintings, drawings and prints from artists aged 18+ worldwide; up to four works; prize fund over £40,000 including the £20,000 William Lock Portrait Prize.
Your eligibility
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Who can enter
- Location
- Open worldwide
- Age
- 18 and over
- Career stage
- Any
- Mediums
- Painting, Drawing, Printmaking
- Theme
- portrait
- Work made
- Within the last 3 years
- Size limits
- Maximum 2.4m along the longest edge
- Submission
- Online submission
- Also
- Artists aged 18 or over worldwide; portraits from life sittings; not previously exhibited in London; max 4 works submitted, up to 3 selected.
About
The Royal Society of Portrait Painters (RP) invites artists to submit portraits in painting, drawing or original print (including digital/iPad prints; sculpture and photography excluded) for its Annual Exhibition at Mall Galleries, London. Works should be based on a life study or sitting, with photographs permissible only as secondary reference, completed within the last three years, not previously exhibited in London, and no more than 2.4m along the longest edge. Up to four works may be submitted, of which up to three may be selected.
For the 2026 edition, submissions ran online from 3 November 2025 to 3 February 2026 via the Open Exhibition Submission System, with pre-selection notified on 11 February, receiving day on 28 February and the exhibition held 7 to 19 May 2026. Entry costs £22 per work (£14.50 for artists aged 35 or under). The prize fund exceeds £40,000, led by the £20,000 William Lock Portrait Prize, with further awards of £5,000, £3,000 and £2,000. The call recurs annually, usually opening in November.