All competitions · Open call / exhibition
Royal Watercolour Society Open 2027
Royal Watercolour Society · London, United Kingdom
Annual open competition for works in water-based media on paper by non-member artists aged 18+, exhibited at the RWS Gallery and Bankside Gallery, London, 16 April - 3 May 2027. Submissions close 8 December 2026.
Your eligibility
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Who can enter
- Location
- Open worldwide
- Age
- 18 and over
- Career stage
- Any
- Mediums
- Painting
- Work made
- Within the last 4 years
- Size limits
- Framed works must not exceed 200 x 200cm (2026 guidelines)
- Submission
- Online, then physical if shortlisted
- Also
- Open to all artists except elected RWS Members; aged 18+ (2026 rule); water-based media on paper only; up to six works; completed within four years of deadline (2026 rule). Fee, age and work rules taken from 2026 guidelines; 2027 guidelines not read.
About
The RWS Open is the Royal Watercolour Society's annual competition for artists who are not elected RWS Members. Work in any water-based medium on a paper support is eligible, including watercolour, gouache, acrylic, ink and mixed media with a water-based main component; no prints, reproductions or photographs.
Under the 2026 guidelines artists aged 18+ could submit up to six paintings completed within the last four years, framed no larger than 200 x 200cm. Entry is digital via the ArtOpps platform for 2027.
Selected works are exhibited across two venues, the RWS Gallery and Bankside Gallery, with a range of cash and sponsored prizes (in 2026 including the £1,000 David Gluck Memorial Award, £500 David Benson Memorial Award, young artist and new graduate awards and materials prizes).