General Information
The exhibition will be held at the Custom House, Quayside, Exeter.  Arrangements to be notified.

Eligibility
Submissions of work are invited from visual artists working in any medium except digitally manipulated photographs (there is another award for photography, see NHS website). If submitting prints, these should be traditionally hand-worked, i.e. not digital (Giclee) reproductions.

Restrictions
The original work should not exceed 80cm longest dimension, to include the frame if any.

Image Uploads
Image files should be JPG or PNG and no more than 5MB large. Upload time will depend on your internet connection speed so please be patient. If you are having problems uploading your images please use image editing software to resize your image to approximately 1600 pixels wide and then save as a new file. Image file names should not be too long and should not contain any invalid characters such as ' " & % * ( ) < > / ~ # + =

Pricing
Work selected for exhibition will be expected to be for sale. Commission is charged by the gallery. It will be assumed that the sale price includes the cost of any frame and our commission. Please allow for these points when pricing your work. Prices should include VAT if applicable. If you are VAT registered please provide a VAT number in the box provided. 

Communications
All communication will be by email. Successful applicants will be notified by email and must respond within one week to confirm participation. Failure to do so could result in work being withdrawn From the exhibition. 

Entering
The information you give is kept on the OESS electronic record system and is accessible only to authorized staff. Personal data is held alongside the relevant images for copyright and acknowledgement purposes.

There is an entry fee of £10 for each work submitted. This will be collected online when you make your entry.

By entering a work into this competition, you will be confirming that:

-  it was produced in the last three years

-  it is your original work

- it does not infringe the copyright or other rights of any third party

JUNIOR CATEGORY

There will be a special prize for young artists in the age group 11 – 16. The entry fee for each work submitted will be £5. This will be collected online when you make your entry. 

Selection
The work will be judged by a panel including from National Historic Ships Hannah Cunliffe. Members of The Royal Society of Marine Artists John Scott Martin and David Curtis. John Killens from the Wapping Group of Artists; and David Johnson an art and design education professional. The Selection Committee will select the works for the exhibition. The Selectors will consider all correctly completed submissions. The decision of the Selectors on all matters is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Insurance
Artists are responsible for insuring their own work. All works accepted for exhibition will be displayed entirely at the artists' risk and organizers and the gallery will not accept liability for loss or damage occurring during the exhibition.

Delivery and Collection
Artists are responsible for the delivery and collection of their work at the Gallery. All packaging materials must be removed after delivery (no gallery storage is available for this) and brought back at collection. If you are applying from overseas please consider how you will get your work to and from the exhibition at the required times.
Work not collected at the stated times will be subject to a daily charge of £10 and will be disposed of after one week. 

Online Selling
If 'Online Selling' is used and artworks are not delivered to the gallery, artists will be responsible for the safe delivery of artworks should an artwork be sold via the online gallery.
If a buyer makes a purchase via the online gallery the organizers will contact the artist and buyer to determine if there are additional postage and handling charges that need to be charged to the buyer.

List of Prizes*

Baltic Exchange is proud to award the first prize of £1,000 for the best painting depicting the nation’s historic vessels. Since out origins in 1744, we have been an independent source of maritime market information. This award celebrates the artistic portrayal of our rich maritime heritage, honouring the connection between historical integrity and artistic expression. 

Arthur Beale Open Neck Sailors Smock These sailcloth smocks have been designed to be highly practical pieces of work wear. The canvas cuts out cold wind while sailing. They can be used over a tee shirt in warmer weather or over a woolen pullover in the winter. As they are easy to wash and they protect woolens from dirt while undertaking mucky tasks. Two handy front pockets keep tools close to hand. And they are brilliant for artists too!

Daler-Rowney has been inspiring creativity since 1783 with a range of products including, paints and brushes etc. A prize is £120.00 worth of art materials. 

Art Marine The prize for an outstanding painting of a square - rigger £100.00 or gift voucher for a print value of £200.00. In addition to the prize the winner will be offered representation at www.artmarine.co.uk

Classic Sailing are pleased to offer a creative journey aboard pilot cutter TALLULAH in Cornwall. Experience three days of artistic inspiration along the South Coast. Learn from a resident artist and no sailing experience required. Join us for an unforgettable voyage in 2025. 

GRAYHOUND & Guild of Ships We are thrilled to support the Afloat 7 Ashore competition. GRAYHOUND is a replica 18th century ship that offers voyages and cargo runs. The winner of the £500 voucher will be warmly welcomed for the adventure of a lifetime. Guild of Ships is a booking platform for traditional sailing ships and a circular economy service that builds community in the ultra-low-emission sail sector. We look forward to staying connected with the competition. 

Worshipful Company of Shipwrights A prize of £150.00 for the work by a 11to16 year old junior artist. 

Seawhites of Brighton A prize open to 11 to 16 year olds using any medium. The winner will receive a £100.00 voucher for use at our retail website. www.artsaver.co.uk

Reproduction Rights and Copyright
For each work you enter in the Competition you will be asked to grant the RSMA and NHS-UK a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use for two years, and publicly display your work solely in connection with the Competition or linked promotional material including RSMA and NHS-UK websites and without any further notice or remuneration to you. Your entry asks you to provide your name in the format you wish to be used in any acknowledgements.

If your work is selected, we reserve the right to reproduce it for commercial purposes including, but not limited to, calendars, promotional flyers and on social media, by doing so you agree to give the RSMA and NHS-UK a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty free licence to use, copy, modify, translate and / or adapt, distribute and publicly display your work.

*The prizes must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred. There will be no cash alternatives to the prizes. Any prize remaining unclaimed six months after the closing date of the Competition will be declared void.

Governing Law
Valid wherever legal, the rules of this competition are subject to English law and the parties to any dispute or action shall submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

Agreement
By submitting to the exhibition you are deemed to accept and agree to the following:
The decision of the Selectors on all matters Is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
I understand that The Organizers reserves the right to make such changes to the exhibition arrangements and these Terms & Conditions as may be deemed necessary by circumstances.
I authorise The Organizers To process, store, and utilize the data in my submission and agree that, if selected for exhibition, images of my work can be freely used by The Organizers, The Gallery and associated organisations for promotional and publicity purposes.
All information provided by me is true and accurate and that the work submitted is wholly of my own creation.
I have read and understood these terms and conditions and by submitting this application I accept and agree to observe all the Terms And Conditions therein.

 

Please Note: The above terms and conditions are provided by the exhibition organisers.

For terms and conditions which apply to the use of the OESS entry system please view below:
OESS Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy