RA Summer Exhibition 2019: Call for 12,000 entries

Digital entries for the 2019 Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts can start being submitted online from tomorrow - 3rd January 2018.

This post is about how to enter the world's largest open submission art competition showcasing painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, architecture and film.

• for those who have not submitted before - and
• for those who have just forgotten how and need a reminder!

The Summer Exhibition 2019 this year runs from Monday June 10 2019 - Monday August 12 2019.

View of Summer Exhibition 2018 (c) David Parry.jpg

The Summer Exhibition 2018 generated more than £5 million in artwork sales, many of which were made online, and attracted 300,000 visitors.

10 things you need to know about entering the RA's Summer Exhibition 2019

Artists wishing to enter the 2019 Summer Exhibition need to know six things up front and four more things which help them understand what the chances are of getting selected

• Entry to the RA Summer Exhibition opens on 3rd January 2019 (tomorrow)
• If your entry is not one of the first 12,000 entries received you won't be exhibited. The RA only accept 12,000 entries for the first round of screening digital entries. Leave it too late to buy an entry and you will not be entering. [UPDATE: The RA have informed me that they eliminated the 12,0000 CAP on the number of entries two years ago - although I confess I never saw an announcement]
• ALL entries - for the initial screening - are digital
• You must buy an online entry form to be able to enter and 
• you can't get a form until you have Summer Exhibition Account
• you MUST decide whether you want an entry form for one work or two works BEFORE you make your purchase (i.e. you can't buy a second form for one work later)
• You must have an Summer Exhibition Online Account to enter:
• If you have submitted before you already have one of these  - you just need to remember how to access it!
• If you've not submitted before you need to register and they will then send you a link to your new account. See FAQ: How to create an account 
• Having an account does not mean you can submit work - but it does mean you can buy an entry form
• The price per entry is £35 per work. (Note: Complaining about the fee is really boring - and ignorant. This exhibitions raises funds for students to get a FREE education at the RA Schools. Plus nobody makes you enter and if you think the RA is totally obnoxious don't even bother contemplating an entry - you can stop reading here!)
• No payment = no entry. 
• No refunds if you don't use the form
• The deadline for entries is midnight on Wednesday 13 February 2019 (i.e. you have six weeks!)
• You can edit and save your artwork details - and then wait to submit - until you submit your Entry Form - but once submitted there can be no changes
• Stage 1: Digital Image Screening: 
• Shortlisted works from the first round of selection will be announced on [THIS IS AN UPDATE] Thursday 14 March 2019
• Only one third (c.4,000) will be shortlisted for the second round of selection. 
• Stage 2: Screening by the Selection Panel 
• You must deliver unwrapped artwork on specific days at specific times - depending on what it is (see Instructions - para 2) between 30 April and 2nd May
• If you get through to the second stage you will then have between 15 - 20% chance of getting your work included in the exhibition - something like 700 exhibits by non-RA members.
• The final list of exhibitors for the Summer Exhibition will be announced [THIS IS AN UPDATE] on MONDAY 20 May 2019
• Lots of people are just like you! 
• Lots of people enter and do not get selected. Probably best to assume you won't and hope you will.
• Lots of people enter and don't tell anyone - unless their work gets selected for the exhibition! 
• So if you want to keep quiet you've got lots of good company 
• Lots of people don't read all the instructions. 
• Typically they're the ones who don't get selected either.
• Often they make out they meant to enter but forgot. That's often because they put off reading the instruction. Often because they really don't like reading lots of extremely long instructions.
• They should have read this post!!

The deadline for registering to enter the Summer Exhibition and submitting the digital photographs of your work online is 23:59 (GMT) on Wednesday 13 February 2019. Entries cannot be submitted after this deadline.

HOW TO ENTER THE SUMMER EXHIBITION 2019

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