This is an opportunity to present fresh and compelling approaches to the theme in all its forms, from innovative contemporary explorations to more traditional approaches to painting.

This year’s theme is inspired by the RWA's upcoming major exhibition of recent works by Sir Frank Bowling OBE RA RWA (Hon). Bowling is an honorary Academician of the RWA whose seven-decade career has been driven by his passion for painting and by the physical and sensory effects of working with paint and colour.

In the RWA Biennial Open Call, we invite entrants to consider paint not only as a traditional medium, but also as a process, visual language and subject in its own right. We welcome ambitious and imaginative responses across painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, film, textiles, installation, and other disciplines.

We encourage submissions that expand, disrupt or reimagine conventional ideas of painting, offering a platform for work that is bold, thoughtful, experimental and original.

Submissions for the Biennial Open Call run from Monday 7 September to Monday 9 November 2026.