HOME believes that everyone’s an artist, which is why it's launching the Manchester Open Exhibition – a major open-submission art show which is open to anyone who lives in Greater Manchester.
The exhibition will be held at HOME's gallery from Saturday 18 January to Sunday 15 March 2020, with 500+ artworks selected for the show by a selection committee made up of Greater Manchester-based art experts and community representatives.
Who can submit artwork to the Manchester Open Exhibition 2020?
To submit your artwork to the Manchester Open you must live in Greater Manchester (ie in the boroughs of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford or Wigan), and applications are welcomed from artists and artist groups who are at any stage of their career. This includes new artists, hobbyists, students and established artists.
How do I submit my artwork?
You can submit your artwork via the online application form from Monday 15 July 2019 and the deadline for submitting an artwork is Monday 7 October 2019 at 23:59. You can submit a maximum of two completed, original artworks.
When you fill in the online application form you will be asked to give some personal information including your name, address and contact details and a description of your artwork.
You’ll also need to upload an image or give a link to your artwork, and you’ll also be asked to let us know if you would like to make your artwork available for sale. If you want to know more about the application questions, or require guidance on how to describe, photograph, or set a price for your artwork then take a look at the guidance links listed on the page.
All submissions are subject to a review process by a selection panel, and you will hear back about the status of your submission by week commencing Monday 4 November 2019.
A wide range of submitted artworks will be included in the exhibition, but the submission of your application does not guarantee that work will be shown. See our FAQ for further details.
If you would like to make an enquiry about the application process, please send your query to manchesteropen@homemcr.org and one of the HOME team will get in touch. There will also be drop-in sessions held across Greater Manchester, they will give you the chance to speak face to face to the Manchester Open team. More details about the sessions will be available soon.
The Manchester Open Awards
Five artworks will be selected to receive awards. Awards include five £2,000 packages of talent development funds and support, which all artists are eligible to receive, including the bOlder Greater Manchester Prize which is sponsored by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and will be presented to an artist over the age of 50.
All the awards will be in the form of an artist development package, which will be designed in partnership with each recipient to meet their specific needs. These may include research and travel opportunities, materials, studio rent, skills training, website support, artist residencies and supporting the production of new work. We will follow the journey of each artist over the two-year period between the next Manchester Open in 2022.
For more details please consult the Manchester Open FAQ
Artwork Categories
You can submit artworks which fit into the following categories:
- Painting and Prints
- Illustration and Drawing
- Photography
- Sculpture and Object
- Audio/Visual
- Digital and Mixed Media
- Spoken Word and Performance