Call For Entries

The Mall Galleries are championing innovation and excellence in figurative art by launching a brand new art prize designed to showcase the best in new contemporary figurative art. Two major prizes offer the chance to win a total of £35,000: the £25,000 Threadneedle Figurative Prize and the £10,000 Federation of British Artists Selectors’ Choice.

The competition is open to all artists - established and emerging talent - aged 18 and over living or working in the UK and approximately 60 works, selected from a national open submission, will be exhibited in the Mall Galleries’ newly modernised space in August - September 2008.

Seven works, nominated by the panel of selectors, will be shortlisted to win the £25,000 Threadneedle Figurative Prize. The artist who receives the largest share of public votes cast online and throughout the exhibition wins the Prize. All works selected for the exhibition may win the £10,000 Federation of British Artists Selectors’ Choice, awarded by the selectors to the artist they believe has submitted the most outstanding work. The same artist can win both prizes, making this event one of the most valuable competitions in the contemporary art world.

Online registration and voting is available now at:

All works selected for the show will be illustrated on this website.

There will be a special Open Day at the Mall Galleries on Saturday 19 April (10:00 am – 3:00 pm) for interested artists to see the Gallery space and learn more about the competition. The deadline for registration is Friday 20 June 2008. Early registration is recommended

What to Submit

The competition welcomes direct and authentic statements on themes of topical social, political or environmental interest, as well as re-workings of other traditional figurative themes. After selection, exhibiting artists will be invited to submit a short text on why they chose their subject and its significance. The text will be placed alongside their work.

Works can be submitted in a variety of different media. Paintings, original prints and drawings, sculpture, mixed media constructions, relief and other figurative installations are all acceptable, but not photography or video.   The selectors will also welcome submissions that innovate and stretch the boundaries of traditional figurative media, without compromising technique or artistic excellence.

There will be no invited or curated element.

Up to three works may be submitted, but all entries must have been completed since January 2007. Work will be for sale.

The Selectors

The commitment to attract the highest quality submissions, regardless of an artist’s age, experience or reputation, is reinforced by the choice of selectors:

Richard Cork, art critic at The New Statesman, broadcaster and prize-winning author.

Angela Flowers, Chairman of Angela Flowers Gallery PLC.

William Packer, painter, author and art critic at The Financial Times.

Further Selectors to be announced shortly.

The winner of the Threadneedle Figurative Prize will be announced at a special awards ceremony on the evening of Wed 3 September 2008.

Sponsors

Key Dates

Contact

Threadneedle Figurative Prize
Mall Galleries
17 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5BD
Tel: 020 7930 6844
e:threadneedleprize@mallgalleries.com

NEED TO KNOW

1. The competition is open to all artists aged 18 or over on 1 January 2008, living or working in the UK.  Artists submitting entries must accept the Rules of the competition. Employees of the Federation of British Artists and Threadneedle, and their agents, are not eligible for entry.

2.  Artists may submit up to three works that must have been completed after 1 January 2007.  Works that have already been exhibited will be eligible, although they must not have been submitted to or exhibited in any other prize or competition in the UK or elsewhere.

3. There are no specific themes or subjects to follow, however this competition is restricted to ‘figurative’ and representational work i.e. work which retains a strong reference to the real world and, in particular, to the human figure.  The media used may include oil, tempera, acrylic, ink, vinyl, watercolour and other dry media and can be on any form of support (canvas, paper, wood, plastic etc).  Acceptable entries also include original prints and drawings, sculpture, mixed media constructions, small-scale moving image installations, relief and other figurative installations, but not photography or video. 

4. For two-dimensional works where the longest dimension exceeds 2.4 metres and for all sculptures, send 3 images of the work on a CD in jpg format, together with your entry form (see Rule 5) to arrive no later than Friday 20 June 2008. Do not hand-in the original work. A pre-selection will be made by the selectors on the basis of these images. All entrants will be notified no later than Tuesday 1 July and selected works must then be brought to the Galleries during one of the stated receiving days for selection.

5. Entry forms and registration should be completed online.  Alternatively, you may request an entry form which should be returned, together with the registration fees, to the exhibition organisers, the Federation of British Artists, at the Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD, marked ‘Threadneedle Prize’ by Friday 20 June 2008.  Entries received after this date may not be considered by the selectors.

6. A non-refundable registration fee of £15.00 per work (including VAT) will be charged to cover administration costs.  This fee can be paid online when you register, alternatively, cheques should be made payable to ‘Federation of British Artists’ (FBA).  Artist members of the FBA and full-time students (copy of NUS card required) pay a registration fee of £10.00 per work.

7. When completing our online registration form you will be asked to confirm you have read and agreed our Exhibition Rules.  Print off an online label for each work submitted, complete the information requested (artist’s name, address, title of work, medium and price) and attach it to the back of each submitted work.  Please bring one printed copy of the completed registration form with you when delivering your work (or two copies if you require a receipt).

8. Subject to Rule 4 above, works should be delivered, unpacked, to the administration offices of the Mall Galleries at 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD between 10:00am and 5:00pm on the following Receiving Days:

Sunday 6 July 2008   Monday 7 July 2008   Tuesday 8 July 2008

Works can only be accepted at the Mall Galleries on these Receiving Days.

9. Alternatively, a series of regional handing-in and collection points have been arranged as below.  Artists are responsible for all expenses relating to the delivery of their works to and from London when arranged via these collection services.  Please note these collection services may not accept works larger than 2m squared, therefore, you should call in advance to check space availability.

Contact Picture Post: e: picturepost@btinternet.com iTel: 01302 711011 or 07769 973900 for details of charges, times and locations at the following collection points:

Contact Art Moves: 020 7352 7492 for further details about Bristol collections: Friday 4 July (12 noon– 3:00pm)

Collection is made at the Royal West of England Academy, Queen’s Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PX.

Contact AJH Van Lines: 07774 132662 for further details about the following collection points:

10. All artists submitting work will be notified if their work is selected for the Exhibition, or not, by email (unless specifically requested otherwise) by Tuesday 15 July 2008.  If you do not receive notification by this date please telephone 020 7930 6844.           

11. Collection of unselected work will be available from the administration offices of the Mall Galleries at 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD on Thursday 17 July, Friday 18 July and Saturday 19 July 2008 between 10:00am and 5:00pm.  Works can only be collected from the Mall Galleries on these collecting days.  Note: We do not wrap works of art for collection or return.

12. Any uncollected work will be taken away from the Mall Galleries shortly after the collection days and stored by an independent courier company, who will then contact the artists concerned to arrange collection/delivery at the artist’s expense.

13. Arrangements for the return of work handed-in at any of the regional collection points should be made with the collection services when handing-in work.

14. A full list of artists’ work accepted for the Exhibition, plus the names of the finalists, will appear on the website shortly after selection is completed.

15. All work selected for the Exhibition will be eligible to win the Federation of British Artists Selectors’ Choice and may also be nominated by the selectors for the Threadneedle Figurative Prize.  All work will be available to view online.  During the Exhibition and up to 12:00 noon on the day of the Awards Ceremony, Wednesday 3 September, the public will be invited to cast one vote at the exhibition or one vote by email, on a ‘one email, one vote’ basis, for their choice of work to win the Threadneedle Figurative Prize.  All other prizes will be awarded by the selectors.

16. Work will be for sale.  A commission of 35% plus VAT will be charged on the price paid for works sold during or as a result of the exhibition.  Note: the price of works stated on the entry form should include commission of 35% (plus VAT).  If you are registered for VAT, then the VAT due on the selling price of the work should be included in the price entered on the entry form.  Works not for sale should be labelled ‘NFS’.

17. The Exhibition at the Mall Galleries will be open to the public from Wednesday 20 August 2008 to 5:00pm on Saturday 6 September 2008. All finalists for the Threadneedle Figurative Prize and other prizewinners will be expected to attend the Awards Ceremony on the evening of Wednesday 3 September 2008, when the winner of the Threadneedle Prize will be announced and other prizewinners will receive their awards.  

18. All exhibiting artists and finalists will be invited to the Press View on Tuesday 19 August 2008.     

19. The decision of the selectors is final and no correspondence about their decisions will be entertained.

20. All artists whose work has been sold during the Exhibition will be contacted by the Mall Galleries. If you have not been contacted please telephone 020 7930 6844 to make arrangements for collection.

21. The exhibition organisers will not be liable for any damage to works or for any loss of works.  You are strongly advised to insure your own works.  The sponsor, the carriers, the collection points and the Mall Galleries shall not be liable for any loss or damage, whether or not caused by their negligence.

22. The copyright in all work exhibited at the Threadneedle Figurative Prize will remain the property of the artist.  However, it is a condition of entry that works exhibited may be photographed and filmed for Press purposes in connection with the exhibition. The Mall Galleries shall have the right of free reproduction of all exhibited works for all catalogues, posters, postcards, DVDs, exhibition website and other promotional and educational material in connection with the Prizes and Exhibition.

23. The Mall Galleries will hold the personal data supplied on your egistration form securely, in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998.  It will only be used for administering the Prizes and Exhibition and will not be transferred to any other party.

24. Artists submitting their work to the Threadneedle Figurative Prize shall indemnify and keep indemnified the Mall Galleries against any actions, claims, proceedings, losses, liabilities, charges, costs and expenses which the Mall Galleries may incur arising out of or in connection with any actual or alleged financial or contractual arrangements between such artist and any agent (other than the Mall Galleries) or any other third party.

25. The Mall Galleries reserves the right to disqualify any work if the artist has failed to adhere to these Rules.