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Lakeside Arts Drawing Open: Call for Entries

Lakeside Arts is seeking submissions for the Open Drawing Competition, for the exhibition Reflections, which will open at the Djanogly Gallery in Nottingham from 1 August – 31 August 2026.

Inspired by Lakeside’s current exhibition Drawn Through Time: Penny McCarthy, Titian and other Time Travellers (9 May – 26 July), this is an open application exhibition for UK-based artists working with drawing.

Reflections aims to celebrate the diversity and workmanship of contemporary drawing and provide a platform for artists to showcase their work to a wide public audience.

Lakeside Arts is the University of Nottingham’s public arts centre and the region’s leading venue for theatre and dance for children and families. The Djanogly Art Gallery is internationally renowned for visiting exhibitions, major historical exhibitions and cutting-edge contemporary installations. The Djanogly Gallery has recently exhibited work by Andy Warhol, Lowry, Saad Qureshi, Kate MccGwire and Conrad Shawcross.

Applications must be made online using the form below and are subject to a £10 application fee.

Applications open: Friday 8 May, 9am
Application deadline: Sunday 21 June, 5pm

The chosen artists will receive:

  • A group exhibition, Reflections, at Djanogly Gallery, Lakeside Arts, University of Nottingham. We are looking to choose a maximum of eight artists, meaning each can display a selection of up to 10 works. Exhibition dates: Saturday 1 – Sunday 30 August.
  • £200 artist fee.
  • £100 toward transportation costs.
  • Click here to view the competition’s full terms and conditions

To apply, please:

  1. Pay your £10 application fee (£8 plus £2 booking fee).
  2. Complete the following application form.

Drawing Open Call for Entries

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
This can be found on your order confirmation email, which would have come from: orders@lakesideboxoffice.nottingham.ac.uk
Drop files here or
Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 2 MB, Max. files: 6.
    Maximum resolution: 72dpi | Maximum pixel dimensions: 1024px wide/high | Artworks will be projected for judging | All files should be named in the following format: INITIALS_TITLE OF WORK_SIZE IN H_X_W IN MM | Example: JP_UNTITLED1_300_X_400 | All applications will be anonymised, please do not include your name or identifying info on your images.

     

    Selectors:
    Penny McCarthy, Artist
    Fleur Patrick, Artist
    Crop Up, Student-led curatorial group

    Artists will be informed of selectors’ decisions by Wednesday 1 July.

    Other key dates:

    • Delivery of artworks to Lakeside Arts: Tuesday 21 – Sunday 26 July
    • Exhibition: Saturday 1 – Sunday 30 August
    • Artworks collected from Lakeside Arts: Tuesday 1 – Sunday 6 September

     

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