62nd Essex Open Art Exhibition 2026

Saturday 26 September – Sunday 20 December 2026

Beecroft Art Gallery, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6EW

Terms and Conditions of Entry

The Essex Open is open to artists aged 16 years and over who live, work, or study in Essex and the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.

Works must be delivered to Beecroft Art Gallery between 11.00am on Wednesday 29 July 2026 and 4.30pm on Wednesday 2 September 2026.

Late submissions cannot be accepted.

Entry Fees

1 work: £10, 2 works: £15, 3 works: £20Entry fees are non-refundable.

Eligible Media

Painting, Mixed Media, Drawing, Printmaking, Photography, Sculpture (including ceramics)

Presentation Requirements

• Watercolours and drawings must be suitably mounted and ready for display.

• Framed works, including metal frames, must be fitted with appropriate fixings for display.

• Works cannot exceed 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width.

• Diptychs and triptychs are permitted and will be treated as a single work for submission purposes and viewed by the selector as such.

• All works must be capable of being safely handled by two people.

As the exhibition is displayed on the first floor of the gallery, artists should carefully consider access and handling requirements when submitting larger or heavier works.

Labelling Requirements

All works must be clearly and securely labelled with:

• Artist's name, title of work, price, contact email address and telephone number

All entrants must provide a valid email address for correspondence and should confirm their email address with gallery staff when submitting work. If an entrant does not have an email address, an alternative email contact must be supplied.

Submission Limits

• A maximum of three works per artist may be submitted.• Group entries or collaboratively created works cannot be submitted.

Selection Process

Selection will take place on Friday 4 September 2026.All submitted works will be reviewed by an independent selector. The selector's decision is final. Artists will be notified of the outcome by email. Successful entrants will receive an invitation to the Private View, which will take place on Friday 25 September 2026.

Selected works must remain on display for the full duration of the exhibition and may not be removed before the exhibition closes.

Sales

A commission of 30% (inclusive of VAT) will be retained on all sales. Artists should take this commission into account when pricing their work. All works selected for exhibition which are available for purchase must be priced at a minimum of £150. Prices cannot be changed once the submission has been processed.

Payments for sold works will be processed after the exhibition through Southend City Council's payment system.

To receive payment, artists must provide an invoice, a valid bank account, a recent bank statement showing the account holder's name and account number, an active email address

Payments can only be made to bank accounts that match the artist's current address. If this is not possible, the work may still be exhibited but must be listed as Not for Sale in the exhibition catalogue.

Insurance and Liability

While every reasonable effort will be made to ensure the safe handling and display of all works, Beecroft Art Gallery and Southend City Council accept no responsibility for loss of, or damage to, any artwork submitted.

Collection of Unsuccessful Works

Unsuccessful works will be available for collection from Wednesday 9 September 2026 onwards. Collection dates and times will be confirmed with artists following the selection process. Works not collected within one month of the stated collection date may be disposed of at the Curator's discretion.

Right to Refuse Entry

Gallery staff reserve the right to refuse or remove any work that does not comply with these terms and conditions.Where a work is withdrawn from the exhibition process before it has been viewed by the selector due to non-compliance with the entry requirements, the entry fee for that work will be refunded.