All competitions · Open call / exhibition
Hastings Open 2026
Hastings Museum & Art Gallery (Hastings Borough Council) with The blackShed Gallery · Hastings, United Kingdom
Open exhibition for artists of any background living in South East England, across painting, sculpture, print, photography, textiles, digital and video. Winner receives a solo show at Hastings Museum in 2028/29; £500 People's Choice award.
Your eligibility
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Who can enter
- Location
- United Kingdom (by country of residence)
- Local area
- South East England
- Age
- No age limit
- Career stage
- Any
- Mediums
- Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, Printmaking, Photography, Textile & fibre, Digital art, Mixed media, Video & film
- Submission
- Online, then physical if shortlisted
- Also
- Artists living in the South East of England, any background or experience level; traineeship strand for ages 16-25.
About
The Hastings Open, founded in 2020 by Hastings Museum & Art Gallery and produced with The blackShed Gallery, celebrates creative talent across the South East of England. Artists of all backgrounds and levels of experience living in the region may submit work in painting, sculpture, drawing, print, photography, textiles, digital, mixed media or video. First-round selection is from digital images via an online form; successful entrants bring physical work to the museum for the final panel.
For 2026, the closing date was 11pm on 19 July 2026, with results announced on 31 August 2026 and the exhibition running 3 October 2026 to 24 January 2027 (free admission). The overall winner receives a solo exhibition at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery in 2028/29 and possible acquisition into the permanent collection; visitors vote for a £500 People's Choice Award; and a paid traineeship is offered to an entrant aged 16-25.