Information for artists

Summary guidance for exhibitors

Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) exhibition
The Guild will be holding a second major exhibition in 2026 at the RBSA with the theme ‘Defence of the Realm’.

IMPORTANT
These guidelines must be read alongside all the other more detailed information, including submission and hanging fees, which is available to download using the links below.

Click here to download information for Exhibitors.

Click here for the entry form (or copy and paste the link below in your browser).
https://forms.gle/gPi4LfiH6ZmzDcyRA

Key dates:

• Submission is online only and runs from 8th to 22nd June.
• Set-up and hanging for the exhibition will be on Sunday 13th of September and any accepted works need to be delivered to RBSA Galleries between 12:00 am and 2:00 pm on that day.
• The exhibition will run from Tuesday 15th to Saturday 26th of September, with the Chairman and other senior members of the Guild present on the first day to discuss with visitors the paintings on display.
• Dismantling of the exhibition will be on Sunday 27th September.

Please note the following:

• Entries should be sent to rbsa@gava.org.uk between 8th and 22nd June.
• Titles should be written as you wish them to appear in the catalogue.
• Descriptions can be up to 36 characters.
• Minimum prices have been introduced to provide some consistency across the exhibition.
• Selected works will need mirror plates fitted for hanging.
• Participation on the Guild's postcode map may help with transport sharing.

Additionally, artists are reminded that any arrangements they make to have work transported by another Guild member is a private agreement between those two parties. The Guild does not provide insurance for paintings, including transportation and individual's private car insurance may not cover the value of paintings being transported. Additionally the Guild is not responsible for any cost-sharing agreements entered into.

Entries are invited this year from members only via entry form linked below and available on the Guild website. It is anticipated that successful entries will be notified during July, when hanging fees will be due for the work to be included in the exhibition.

1. The Guild aims to put on the best possible exhibition with the widest field of interest, selected from the works submitted.
2. All works submitted are regarded on merit alone and have an equal chance of selection. What we want to see is an imaginative, original, exciting, atmospheric composition, competently executed.
3. Slavish copying of published or well-known photographs, or of someone else's work, will result in rejection.
4. While original work is preferred, work which has previously been accepted into the 2024, 2025, or 2026 Annuals will be permitted for submission. Limited editions are not acceptable, with the exception of bronze sculptures.
5. The Selection Panel is made up of five Full members who vote independently on each work.
6. Remember that it is very important to present and display your work to the best possible advantage - not only to the Selection Panel, but to judges and potential purchasers.
7. This is a closed exhibition, in that only members of the Guild may submit work; different rates of fees and commission apply to various categories of membership. For those artists who are not members of the Guild and would like to exhibit, please consider becoming a Friend of the Guild. This opens up many opportunities in the field of aviation art and will enable you to submit work for consideration at Guild Exhibitions.