Frequently asked questions

Click register now on the home page, select the appropriate category and enter your details. Once you have completed the registration form, we will email you an activation link to your artist account, where you can login and purchase your Entry Form.

Make sure that your internet browser is up-to-date. Our website is only compatible with the following browsers:

▪Google Chrome 22+

▪ Safari 7 +

▪ Moxilla Firefox 27+

▪ Internet Explorer 11 (not on Windows Vista or XP)*

*Older versions of Internet Explorer running on Windows Vista or XP are not compatible with our website, so please ensure that you are using the latest version of Internet Explorer or try another browser. If the problem continues, please contact us.

Select 'I am an individual Artist' OR 'I am representing an individual Artist’; then enter the artist’s name in the ‘first name’ and ‘last name’ fields; then enter your name in the first line of the address section; e.g. c/o followed by your name or gallery.

Yes, but you must contact us so that we can register all the artists under the one email address. The account activation links, results and art sales reports for the artists will be sent to the given address.

Yes, but please register in the deceased artist’s name with the prefix ‘The late …’ in front of the first name. Please note that notifications are generated automatically, so emails will be addressed to the name on the artist account. Please see section 3 of the Terms and Conditions.

You must register in the name of the practice.

Select ‘I am part of OR representing a collaboration’ on the registration page. Then enter your name under ‘Contact Artist Details’ and the other artist’s name under ‘Collaborator Details’.

If your collaboration consists of more than two artists or you are registering under a group name, please contact us so that we can list the names correctly.

Yes, but you must register separately as an individual and a collaboration. You can't use the same email address for both accounts and you can only enter two works in total, one on each account.

Yes, but both the name fields on the registration form are mandatory, so if your pseudonym is a single word please register and purchase entry in your full billing name and then contact us. We will then change your billing name to your pseudonym on your account.

We will email you a link to your artist account. Click the link to activate your account. You only need to click it once. If you click it a second time, you might get an error message but your account should still be active.

If you don’t receive your activation link within 24 hours, check your spam/junk email folder. If it’s not there, contact us.

If you have a personalised web domain, your activation link could be delayed by the filters on your website.

You can also prevent our emails going to your junk/spam folder by adding the following email to your contact list: noreplySummerExhibition.Mailing@royalacademy.org.uk

Once you have activated your account, you can login and purchase your Entry Form.

Click the ‘Forgotten your Password?’ link on the home page – below the Password field on the righthand side.

Make sure that you have activated your account before you try to change your password (see above). You should also check that you only have one browser window open when you login; you might not be able to login if you have multiple windows or tabs open. Finally, make sure you’re using the ‘Existing User’s Login’ box on the right-hand side of the homepage and the details of your email address are correct.

Yes, but you must register and create the account in the artist’s name, not yours: the name on the account is linked to the artwork details and accounts are non-transferable.

All notifications and any other messages to the artist will be sent to the email address on the registration form/artist account.

Try making payment on a different computer, tablet or phone.

Update your internet browser – we recommend Google Chrome. Clear the cookies and cached images on your internet browser

If none of the above works, please contact us with a screenshot of the error message. 

It probably means your payment is failing the 3D Secure check, which is set up by your bank, not the RA. Please make sure that your password is correct and contact your bank if you continue to experience problems.

The check can take a while, so don’t exit the window, refresh the page or double click your mouse during the process.

No, you can’t purchase an Entry Form for a second work later.

No. You can edit and save your artwork details, but once you have submitted your Entry Form you can’t then make further changes.

Yes, there’s a tutorial on how to photograph your work here.For further information, please see the How to Photograph Your Work document listed under Helpful Links on the homepage.

If you are entering a two-dimensional work, you must upload a primary image showing the work in its entirety.

If you think it would help the judges, you can also enter secondary images showing details of your work.

If you are entering a three-dimensional work, upload three images, showing the work from different angles.

No. If you upload images of more than one work, we will only show the primary image to the judges. The only exception to the rule is an artist book.

You should upload three images showing different aspects of the work. 

You can upload three images of each work, so if your work is framed, we suggest that you upload a secondary image including the frame. 

Images must be in one of the following formats: TIFF, TIF, JPEG, JPG or PNG. Each image must not exceed 5.00MB. Make sure you upload high-quality images, as poor images may hinder your chances of success.

There are plenty of free online tools that will resize images for you. We suggest searching ‘image resize tool’ in your browser.

Make sure your image is the right way round before you upload it. Open the image file on your computer and look for an option to edit or rotate the image. Once you have the image in the correct orientation, you should be able to upload it to your Entry Form.

If you are certain that you have orientated your image correctly, but it is still the wrong way around on your Entry Form contact us.

You should decide what you want to receive from the sale once our commission of 30% of the net price plus VAT is taken into consideration. If your work is an editioned print, you should also factor in the cost of inland (UK) postage and packaging for unframed prints and the cost of framing the work intended for display. There are separate fields on the entry form for the prices of the framed and unframed prints.

If you are not registered, you do not need to include VAT in the full price but you must add it to our commission. The VAT rate is 20%, so our commission would be 30% plus VAT, which makes 36% of the total price.

If you live in the UK, you don’t need to register for a VAT number unless your earnings exceed the threshold as outlined by HM Revenue & Customs (www.gov.uk/business-tax/vat).

If you are VAT registered, you must include VAT in the retail price; i.e. the whole amount. All prices given in the exhibition catalogue (List of Works) are inclusive of VAT where applicable.

No, once you have submitted your artwork you cannot change the price.

If your work is for sale, you must supply us with a UK VAT number or register with a UK address. Please see the VAT Information – International Artists document under Helpful Links on the homepage. If your work is not for sale, you do not need to supply us with a UK VAT number.

No, we can’t accept VAT numbers from other countries

A valid UK VAT number is prefaced with the letters “GB”.

Yes, you can enter the retail price of your artwork on your Entry Form and wait to hear if your artwork is shortlisted before you register for a UK VAT number.

You must give us your UK VAT number by the deadline specified in your results notification. If you do not, we will not be able to make your work available for sale. If it is selected for the exhibition, we will show it as NFS (not for sale) in the List of Works and the Summer Exhibition Explorer. (the online catalogue and sales platform).

An application for a VAT number can take a month or more to process, so make sure you allow enough time.

If you live outside the UK and will be fulfilling your orders from your place of residence, you should factor the cost of international postage and packaging into the retail price of your unframed prints or casts, as the likelihood is that the buyer will be based in the UK.

When you have submitted your artwork, the status will change to Submitted on your account. If your artwork status does not say Submitted, your work has not been submitted and you should try again.

After the first round of judging the status of your entry will change to Shortlisted or Not Selected on your artist account. You will also receive an email notification.

There are two rounds of judging. The first is made from digital images of artworks, from which the judges shortlist up to 4,000 entries to be delivered to the Academy for the final round.

If you are successful in the first, digital round, we will notify you by email and ask you to deliver your artwork to the Royal Academy for the final round.

It is not mandatory, but we encourage you to enter new work.

2D submissions must not exceed 244x350cm and any one part of a large sculpture or architecture model should not exceed 200cm on the longest side.

Yes. Enter your artwork details and upload a still on your Entry Form; then encode your film as an H.264 .mov file and send via WeTransfer to summerexhibition@royalacademy.org.uk

Make sure you include your artist name and artwork title when you transfer your film to us.

An original print is created solely as a print and does not exist in another physical form.

No, we don’t accept copies and you can’t sell multiples of drawings or paintings.

A copy is a reproduction of a work that exists in another medium and physical form; e.g. a digital reproduction of a lino cut, or a photograph of a drawing.

No, prints from an edition must be the same size and made of the same materials as the print on display.

Please estimate the framed dimensions. If your work is selected for the exhibition, the dimensions will appear in the online list of works, so if the final dimensions vary significantly, contact us.

Yes - once you’ve been notified that your work has been shortlisted, you must send a copy of your PAT certificate to summerexhibition@royalacademy.org.uk before your artwork is delivered to the RA. If you don't supply us with a PAT certificate, we won't be able to display your work.

Yes, but diptych, triptych or polyptych should be written in brackets after the title and, if the works is shortlisted, the parts must be clearly labelled - e.g.1 of 2, 2 of 2, etc.. Please make sure that the primary image on your Entry Form shows the work in its entirety.

We may not be able to display interactive pieces that require handling – such as touchable sculpture and audio works with headsets – in the event of a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Please contact us in advance of the digital submission deadline if you are planning to enter an interactive work. 

Yes, any work that comprises textile elements of animal origin (including, but not limited to, wool, silk, animal hair, leather and feathers) must be treated for pests before it is delivered to the RA. You must contact us to confirm what treatment has been carried out on the work before delivering it to the RA.

Check your artist account page for the status of your artwork.

It can take up to 24 hours for notifications to arrive and for the status of your artwork to be updated on your account.

No, the committee's decision is final.

No, the committee’s deliberations are confidential and we are not able to divulge their comments.

Go to your artist account page, click 'View Artwork', then 'View printable version' at the top of the page. Print the artwork information page, which includes the barcodes, and attach it to your work.

No. Barcodes are non-transferable. 

Yes. Please refer to Booking delivery and collection slots

You can ask a friend or courier to deliver your work, but it must be unpacked and the barcode scanned before it is given to our art handlers.

We will not accept works until they have been unpacked. If you use a commercial courier, such as DHL/UPS, they will be required to unpack the work and present it for inspection before we will accept it. Packed works will not be shown to the judges.

In line with our policy to reduce the environmental impact of our activities, we ask that you take your packing materials away with you for recycling. 

You must remove hanging fixtures, because they might not meet our standards and could cause damage to other artworks. If your shortlisted work is selected for the exhibition, we will affix our standard hanging fixtures to the frame.

If you submit an unframed artwork, it’s at your own risk. If you do, we advise you to submit your work in a simple travel frame, with instructions to indicate that it should stay in the frame until it’s hung.

If your work has specific requirements for display, please contact us if it is shortlisted.

If it is shortlisted, please deliver your book in a box (for protection purposes only, not for display), with the barcoded sticky label applied to the outside of the box and the tie-on label looped with string around the spine.

You won't be given a physical receipt, but the status of your artwork will change to delivered on your artist account.

No. Please refer to Booking delivery and collection slots

If you don’t collect your unselected artwork by the deadline given in the exhibition schedule, you will have to make an appointment. 

Collection appointments will be restricted to Monday to Friday only.

The collection address is West Yard, Royal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens, Piccadilly, London, W1S 3ET

In 2024, the following prizes were awarded: 

The Royal Academy of Arts Charles Wollaston Award
£35,000 to be awarded by a panel of judges appointed by the President and Council for the most distinguished work in the exhibition.

The Jack Goldhill Award for Sculpture
£10,000 for a sculpture.

The AXA Art Prize UK 2024
£10,000 for an outstanding work of figurative art.

The Hugh Casson Drawing Prize
£5,000 for an original work on paper in any medium, where the emphasis is clearly on drawing.

The British Institution Fund Awards
The British Institution Fund was established to promote excellence in the arts through the awarding of prizes to students. Work is assessed across acomprehensive range of creative disciplines from painting to architecture. £5,000 will be awarded this year by the trustees.

The Maire Ragnhild Hollingsworth Prize for Oil Painting
£5,000 to be awarded to an artist who is considered by the judging panel to have placed particular emphasis on the exploration of oil painting, using oil as the predominant medium. No restriction shall be made as to the base material, which may be canvas, panel or any other surface.

The Sunny Dupree Family Award for a Woman Artist
£4,000 for a painting or sculpture.

The Arts Club Award
£2,500 awarded to an artist aged 35 or under for a work in any medium.

The event is for exhibitors only.

If your work sells, we will send a Sales Report to the email address on your account. The report will show the contact details of the buyer, the amount paid to us (Deposit) and the outstanding amount owed to you (Payment to Artist).

The Sales Report is sent in an Excel document.

Sales Reports are sent on a weekly basis.

Yes. Please see our Guide to Selling under Helpful Links on the homepage.

The details of your work will be given in the List of Works and the Summer Exhibition Explorer, our online catalogue.

If your displayed work sells, we will place a red spot against the catalogue number on the wall or plinth. If one of your unframed prints or casts sells, we will place a small spot on the glass inside the frame or on the plinth.

If you do not receive a response from the buyer within four weeks of your acceptance of their offer, please contact us.

Once you’ve been paid, send the signed Removal Order for the artwork to your buyer.

In January 2025, please visit summer.royalacademy.org.uk

No. Please refer to Booking delivery and collection slots

The Removal Order is a receipt for your artwork. If your work is selected for the exhibition, you will receive a Removal Order so that you, your agent, or buyer can collect your artwork at the close of the exhibition.

The Removal Order will show your name; the title and catalogue number of your artwork. You must write the name of the person who is collecting the artwork on the Removal Order and sign it.

When the person collecting the work comes to the RA, they will need to sign and date the Removal Order before exchanging it for the artwork.

It is a legal document and we won’t hand out an artwork unless we receive your signed Removal Order.

If your artwork is selected, we will send you your Removal Order a few weeks after the exhibition opens.

If you have misplaced your Removal Order, please contact us immediately.

No. The Removal Order is a legal document. The person collecting the artwork must give us the hardcopy Removal Order, or we will not release the artwork.

If the buyer resides outside the United Kingdom, they should bear the transportation costs, but you are the seller and the final arrangement is between you and the buyer.

Yes, please see our Terms and Conditions.

If your work sells as a result of its having been seen in the Summer Exhibition or on our website, you should let us know, so that we can invoice you for our commission.

If a prospective buyer contacts us after the close of the exhibition, we’ll let you know.

We cannot keep works at the RA indefinitely. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for information regarding the disposal of uncollected artworks.

If your artwork is shortlisted, we will email you a link to book a delivery slot in advance.

For the collection of unselected and exhibited works, works can be collected between the dates and times specified in the exhibition schedule and there is no need to book.

Please refer to the exhibition schedule for the delivery and collection dates.