Open Call Real Illusions – 2025 London Contemporary Art Review Exhibition

About the Open Call

Awards and Benefits: The jury will select the winners of various awards for this international art competition within 8 working days after the final registration deadline. Award certificates will be issued, and winners will be featured in mainstream media and art media in the UK, the US, Europe, and other regions, showcasing their honors and artworks. Winners of the Best Exhibition Grand Prize and the Gold Award may have the opportunity to be represented by Gallery NAT, host a solo exhibition, or be invited to join the Academic Committee. If any of the awarded works are collected by other galleries, collectors, or similar entities during the competition and exhibition period, the entire commission for these works will go to the artist.Art Competition Rules: Submitted works must align with the competition’s theme and comply with the specified media categories. Media: Oil painting, acrylic painting, watercolor and gouache, ink art, mixed media, printmaking, photography, video art, sculpture, installation, ceramics, fiber art, collage, digital art, AI-generated art, land art, performance art, and other original high-quality artistic creations. The jury will not accept works involving pornography, gambling, drugs, blasphemy against religion, or content with inflammatory political themes. All submissions must be entirely original works of art and design created by the artist. Strictly no replicas, plagiarism, or unauthorized imitations are permitted. Age: The competition is open to artists aged 18 and above from around the world, with a global perspective. Submission File Quality: Files must be in JPG format. Each file must not exceed 5MB. Images must be "professionally presented" – cropped, without frames, and watermark-free. Each submitted work must be an original or previously sold original, preferably completed within the last six years.Award Categories for the Grand Art Competition: Best Exhibition Grand Prize, Gold Award, Silver Award, Bronze Award.Supporting Media: U.S. Media: The Associated Press / Digital Journal / HTV10.TV / SNNTV / NCN / FOX 28 / FOX 43. U.K. Media: Business London Press / UK News Latest / United Kingdom News.Net / London Mercury / Liverpool Star / NewsAnyway. Art Media: Artrabbit / artaviso / service.exibart / sebsartlist / widewalls / slideshare / GALLERY NAT / artx Gallery. Chinese media: People's Daily Europe / China Daily / China.com / China.cn / Sina / Sohu / Netease / Baidu / Phoenix / China Artist / Artron.com.Submission Requirements and Fees: Each artist may submit 1 to 5 artworks. The total submission fee is £33. Please make payment via PayPal. Log in to your PayPal account and search for the official Gallery NAT email: gallerynatlondon@outlook.com. Once payment is made, send a screenshot of the payment receipt along with the artwork submission details to the official competition email: gallerynatlondon@outlook.com. Email subject line should be: XX Artist — Submission for "Real Illusions – 2025 London Contemporary Art Review Exhibition". Email content: Artists must submit clear JPG or PNG images of their works, a brief personal artist bio, and a statement about the artwork. For video or time-based media artists, please include high-resolution screenshots and a video link. Each submission should include the following details for each piece: title, dimensions, year of creation, artist’s name, materials used, and sale price. If the artist is willing to sell the work, please specify the price. If the artwork is sold during the exhibition, the full commission from the sale will go directly to the artist. If the work is not for sale, no price needs to be provided.Judging Criteria for the Art Competition: The exhibition’s jury evaluates submissions from multiple perspectives to ensure that the artworks not only demonstrate artistic depth but also resonate with the exhibition’s central theme, “Real Illusions”. The following are the judging criteria for this competition: 1. Theme Relevance: Works must deeply reflect on the theme of "Real Illusions" exploring abstract concepts such as individual emotions, poetic aesthetics, and should have intrinsic philosophical depth and emotional tension. Artists should convey a unique interpretation of the theme through their work, delivering profound thoughts or emotions. 2. Creativity and Innovation: The works should display originality and a unique artistic expression that goes beyond traditional frameworks or common aesthetic modes. Innovation may be reflected in the use of materials, the construction of forms, and the methods of artistic expression. 3. Technical Proficiency: The works must demonstrate exceptional artistic skills, whether in sculpture, painting, installation art, or other forms, showing the artist's deep understanding of materials and techniques. Precision and attention to detail will also be important criteria. 4. Emotional and Intellectual Depth: The works should offer multiple layers of interpretation, capable of provoking the audience to engage from different perspectives. 5. Visual Impact: The work's dynamism and impact should capture the viewer’s attention and sustain interest over time. The jury will consider factors such as composition, color coordination, and spatial arrangement to assess the strength of the visual effect. 6. Diversity of Creativity and Use of Materials: The jury will evaluate the artist's flexible use of various ideas and materials, especially through the exploration of new materials and technologies to create a unique visual experience. The artist's creative choices should enhance the poetic and thematic expression of the work. 7. Interactivity and Audience Engagement: The jury will consider how the design of the work engages with the audience, whether it fosters interaction through art, giving the work deeper layers of meaning and experience. Consideration will be given to works that use installation or participatory elements. 8. Cultural and Social Reflection: Can the work explore contemporary social or cultural issues within a global context and bring new ways of thinking through artistic expression? The jury will focus on the work's ability to reflect on modern life, social conflicts, or cultural phenomena. 9. Display and Presentation: The way the work is exhibited should be carefully designed to fully express the concept behind the work. The jury will evaluate whether the installation, lighting effects, and display layout interact with the concept to enhance the overall viewing experience. 10. International Perspective and Diversity: The works should possess an international perspective, demonstrating diversity in culture, background, and language. The jury will assess whether the work transcends geographical and cultural boundaries, embodying the exchange and clash of ideas in contemporary art. The judging criteria of the competition combine the thematic, innovative, technical, and interactive qualities of the works, ensuring that the selected pieces represent the forefront of contemporary art.

What is Offered

Award certificates will be issued, and winners will be featured in mainstream media and art media in the UK, the US, Europe, and other regions, showcasing their honors and artworks. Winners of the Best Exhibition Grand Prize and the Gold Award may have the opportunity to be represented by Gallery NAT, host a solo exhibition, or be invited to join the Academic Committee. If any of the awarded works are collected by other galleries, collectors, or similar entities during the competition and exhibition period, the entire commission for these works will go to the artist.

Requirements

Submitted works must align with the competition’s theme and comply with the specified media categories. Media: Oil painting, acrylic painting, watercolor and gouache, ink art, mixed media, printmaking, photography, video art, sculpture, installation, ceramics, fiber art, collage, digital art, AI-generated art, land art, performance art, and other original high-quality artistic creations. The jury will not accept works involving pornography, gambling, drugs, blasphemy against religion, or content with inflammatory political themes. All submissions must be entirely original works of art and design created by the artist. Strictly no replicas, plagiarism, or unauthorized imitations are permitted. Age: The competition is open to artists aged 18 and above from around the world, with a global perspective. Files must be in JPG format. Each file must not exceed 5MB. Images must be "professionally presented" – cropped, without frames, and watermark-free. Each submitted work must be an original or previously sold original, preferably completed within the last six years.

How to Apply

Please make payment via PayPal. Log in to your PayPal account and search for the official Gallery NAT email: gallerynatlondon@outlook.com. Once payment is made, send a screenshot of the payment receipt along with the artwork submission details to the official competition email: gallerynatlondon@outlook.com. Email subject line should be: XX Artist — Submission for "Real Illusions – 2025 London Contemporary Art Review Exhibition". Email content: Artists must submit clear JPG or PNG images of their works, a brief personal artist bio, and a statement about the artwork. For video or time-based media artists, please include high-resolution screenshots and a video link. Each submission should include the following details for each piece: title, dimensions, year of creation, artist’s name, materials used, and sale price. If the artist is willing to sell the work, please specify the price. If the artwork is sold during the exhibition, the full commission from the sale will go directly to the artist. If the work is not for sale, no price needs to be provided.