How to Enter

• Please read Rules & Entry Requirements (below) before uploading any artwork.
• All entries are submitted online through newlight-art.org.uk between 1st March and 30th April 2025.
• To enter an artwork, click on Submit an Entry in the menu at the top of the page.
• You may enter one artwork, or as many as you wish, but please note the judges will shortlist a maximum of 2 pieces per artist.
• You may upload up to 3 images per artwork (e.g. 1 full image, 1 close-up of detail, 1 from a different angle to show depth/texture etc) if necessary.
• Each artwork requires a completed form. New Light will not accept multiples entries on one form.
• Entry fee is £10 per artwork
• Unless New Light has made an error, no refunds will be given.
• All requested information must be completed before midnight on 30th April 2025 for your entry to be considered for shortlisting.
• All selected artworks must be available for sale during the exhibition.
• All entrants must be 18yrs or older on 30th April.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

The New Light Summer Exhibition of the North is open to all Northern artists.

Were you born in the North of England?

Are you currently living in the North of England?

Or did you study at degree or postgraduate level (in an arts-based subject) in the North of England?

Do you consider yourself to be Northern? Not sure? Get in touch with us.

Entrants can be at any stage in their career; there is no upper age restriction, but we do ask for entrants to be over 18 when entries close on 30th April.

WHAT ARTWORK IS ELIGIBLE?

• The Summer Exhibition is open to original wall-hung and free-standing artwork; Sculpture, painting, drawing, print-making, textiles, ceramics, mixed media etc are all encouraged. But no photography or installation pieces at this time.
• We encourage you to demonstrate your abilities, therefore we are not defining the timeframe in which an artwork has been created.
• Any artworks that have been previously entered into any New Light exhibition are still eligible for entry to the Summer Exhibition (whether or not they were shortlisted or not previously).
• Artworks must be able to fit through the entrance door to the gallery.
• Artworks must be capable of being carried/transported/lifted by no more than two people and be robust enough to be easily moved, if necessary.
  
• To optimise the display of 3D artworks, it would be very useful if artists can supply their own plinth or display case. Please get in touch with specific queries if unsure.
• Availability of nearby power sources can’t be guaranteed, so no artworks that require a power/light source will be eligible.
  
• Suspended artworks. Please email info@newlight-art.org.uk if you would like to enter a suspended piece. New Light will make final decisions on eligible artworks.
  
• Materials that are not acceptable – anything perishable (vegetation, food etc)
  
• Maquettes will be accepted of 3D work that may not fit the above criteria.
• Wall-hung artworks must be provided with mirror-plates attached, suitable for the weight of the piece.
• Wall-hung artworks DO NOT need to be framed, but must be robust enough to be handled and attached to the wall with mirror-plates.
• Entry Criteria is always under review and we reserve the right to make changes until the day before we open for entries.

HOW TO ENTER

• Entrants must complete an online entry form (see link in main menu).
• Registration is not necessary. Previously set up accounts (from 2020) will not work as all data has been deleted.
• Entrants can upload multiple images per artwork submitted.
• Entrants should submit their images in JPEG or PNG format, 300dpi (max 8MB). No PDFS.
• In sending an image, entrants confirm that they own the copyright of the image or have the copyright owner’s authority to distribute the image for reproduction.
• Entries may not be submitted by e-mail or by post unless New Light requests additional information.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ENTER?

• A fee is payable online (via Stripe) to New Light for each artwork submitted: £10 per entry.
• Once a work has been submitted and the appropriate fee paid, no refund will be made.
• All artworks entered will be viewed by all judges. Judges will only see the artwork image(s), its title, media used and dimensions. Artist names are not seen by the any judge until shortlisting has been finalised.
• There is no maximum number of submissions per artist. However, please note that a maximum of 2 works by any one artist by each judge.
• Please note, this a one-venue exhibition and the artworks will not be touring.
• Artists are responsible for transporting their artworks to the gallery and collecting them at the end of the exhibition. It will not be possible for Sunny Bank Mills to store artworks.

WHEN CAN I ENTER?

Please see key dates below.

IF MY ARTWORK IS SHORTLISTED, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

• Selected artists are responsible for arranging the delivery of their artwork to The 1912 Mill at Sunny Bank Mills (actual dates TBC) and also for collecting unsold work at the end of the exhibition.
• Any uncollected work will be transported to the New Light storage space in Ripon. A charge for both transport and storage will be made.
• All artists submit their work on the understanding that selected pieces will be exhibited as for sale.
• There may be an opportunity to replace sold work an artwork is sold and removed early in the exhibition. This will be confirmed nearer the time.

THE £500 AWARDS

• The decision of the adjudicators is final and no correspondence can be entered into.
• The personal information supplied by entrants will be held securely by the organisers in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998.
• No sponsor, judge, adviser, member, employee of New Light, or relative thereof, is eligible for a prize.

LABELS for transporting

Labels (Name of judge who has selected it, artist name, title of piece, media, price and dimensions) must be attached to the back of all works selected and to the front of any packaging.

SALES OF ARTWORK

The artist will receive 50% of all sales of their artworks. 50% is retained as a commission by the organisers (Sunnybank Mills and New Light).  VAT may be chargeable on the commission, but the artist will never receive less than 50%.

MARKETING & PROMOTION

The copyright of all works submitted for any New Light Exhibition will remain the property of the artist, but it is a condition of entry that the organisers reserve the right of reproduction of all works invited for exhibition for publicity/educational/reference purposes.

A successful exhibition requires committed publicity by New Light, partner galleries and New Light artists. Artists are requested to submit information in a timely manner and in the requested format.

Artists are requested to provide all social media handles and website details  and to share materials provided by New Light with their networks.

Artists are requested to be available for interview, if required.

New Light Summer Exhibition of the North 2025

1 MARCH 2025 – Artist call for entries opens

30 APRIL 2025 – Call for entries closes

23 MAY 2025 – Selected artists announced

Likely to be 3, 4 & 5 JULY 2025 – Artworks need to be delivered to Sunny Bank Mills (actual dates TBC)

8 JULY 2025 – Summer Exhibition begins at Sunny Bank Mills

10 JULY 2025 – Summer Exhibition Private View

10 AUGUST 2025 – Summer Exhibition closes to the Public

Likely to be 10 & 11 AUGUST 2025 – Collecting unsold artwork from Sunny Bank Mills (actual dates TBC)

CHRISTOPHER COOK

Christopher Cook is a British painter known for his monochromatic works using liquid graphite. His work has been exhibited and collected in major museums and galleries around the world. This includes the British Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art; Oxford University; Metropolitan Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art,, Yale Centre for British Art, and  the Yokohama Museum of Art.

‘I have no set idea of the type of image I will be looking for, as I feel the strongest work should, in some way or other, both enchant and surprise.’

LAURA GASCOIGNE

Laura Gascoigne is a critic and commentator on the visual arts. She is a regular contributor to a number of publications including: The Spectator; Apollo; RA Magazine; Country Life as well as writing a satirical column in The Jackdaw.

‘I’ll be looking for expressive drawing and sensitive handling of tone and colour- essentially, for a personal response to the subject.’

BETH HUGHES

Beth Hughes is currently Curator and Creative Producer for 2017 Turner Prize Winner Lubaina Himid and leads the Working Class British Art Network.  Recent freelance projects include projects with  MIMA, Middlesbrough and Salisbury Cathedral, and prior to this she was a curator at the Arts Council Collection.

‘As a judge for the New Light Art Exhibition I am looking for work that pushes the boundaries of what a command of light in art can do. I am particularly drawn to pieces that demonstrate both technical excellence and conceptual depth, whether through innovative material use, bold storytelling or a fresh approach to traditional techniques. Alongside, I am looking for artists who disrupt and redefine whose voices and experience are seen and valued in contemporary art.’

LINNET PANASHE RUBAYA

Linnet Panashe Rubaya is an artist based in Leeds.  Her figurative paintings illuminate scholarship, critical writing, and self-reflections on to explore blackness and introduce insights on contemporary culture and community in Britain. Her work has been exhibited across the UK and Europe in both public and private galleries including Saatchi Gallery, London; MK Gallery, Milton Keynes and Collyer Bristow Gallery, London. Linnet has been shortlisted for several awards including; UK Young Artist of the Year; Bridgeman Studio Award, , Art Harare Africa First Prize,  and in 2020  she was awarded the New Light Emerging Artist Prize.

‘The north is filled with incredible and diverse stories and talents. As a judge I’m looking for new voices and perspectives. I’m particularly drawn to works with innovative uses of techniques, colour, composition and most importantly work with filled with emotional depth — so I’ll be looking for that!’

GEORGE VASEY

George Vasey is a freelance writer and curator based in Newcastle. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Curating at Teesside University as well as regularly teaching on BA, MA Fine Art, Museum Studies and Curating programmes across the UK including.  He have curated projects at Leeds Art Gallery, Southwark Park Galleries, Wellcome Collection and the Turner Prize at Ferens Art Gallery, Hull. He has previously held curatorial roles at Newcastle University, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art.  He regularly writes for Art Review, Apollo, Art Monthly, Burlington, Frieze, Kaleidoscope and Mousse magazine and currently is a Trustee at New Contemporaries.

‘As a judge, I want to be surprised and inspired. I’m after art that makes my heart sing. I love art that confuses me and leaves me curious to find out more. I want to see art that lodges itself in my brain and refuses to vacate it. I adore art that is singular. I like art that grabs my hand, steals my heart, and helps me see the world in a different way.’

ANNE DESMET

Anne Desmet was born in Liverpool, UK in 1964. She gained a BA & MA at the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Printmaking at Central School of Art and Design, London. She has taught wood engraving widely, including at the RA Schools, British Museum and Middlesex University. Desmet was elected a member of The Royal Academy of Arts and is only the third wood engraver ever elected to the RA in its entire history. She is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) and the Society for Wood Engravers (SWE).

Commissions include engravings and drawings for the Royal Mint, V&A, British Library, British Museum, National Gallery, Sotheby’s, The Times, NHS Trust.

‘I will be looking for works that combine excellent technique with ambition, passion and originality – works that really draw you in and linger, positively, in your mind for a long time afterwards.’

GEORGE HARRIS

George is Exhibition and Production Manager at the prestigious Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle. George has ten years of experience in curating major exhibitions. . Exhibitions include Six Masterpieces from Spain’s Golden Age, Yves Sain Laurent: Style is Eternal, The New Light Prize Exhibition and Jonathan Yeo: Skin Deep.

‘It is a great honour to be a judge for New Light, and I’m really look forward to seeing all of the entries!  I’m looking for artworks that are worlds in themselves that make you stop and look again and again.’

STEVE WILLIAMS

Steve is a sculptor  and  co-owner of The Sculpture Gallery in Leeds. Steve works mostly in stone exploring and experimenting with new materials and techniques and has developed a broad range of work from portraits to abstract forms and some figurative pieces. He has exhibited in galleries and group exhibitions across the North of England and has work in private collections in the UK and overseas.

As co-owner of The Sculpture Gallery Steve has curated many guest artists exhibitions across a range of 3D media and developed an extensive network of UK sculptors. Steve regularly demonstrates stone carving techniques at locations across the North including The Hepworth Wakefield, Kirkstall Abbey, Ripon Cathedral and as part of Heritage Open Days in Leeds. Steve has a studio in Oldham where he practices and offers stone carving courses for beginners. Steve is largely self taught and has honed his carving skills and techniques in Pietrasanta, Italy and at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

‘I’m very much looking forward to seeing a broad range of fabulous work and will keep an open mind in my consideration. To that end I have set out some things that I will be looking for and aspects to guide my assessment of the work. I will be considering the choice of material(s) and the concept, as well as how they come together, with the display, to form a coherent and compelling piece. The artists mastery of their chosen material and the expert execution of the whole work. The aesthetic qualities of the piece and how the viewer is engaged. And finally the authenticity of the work.”