Submissions are open for Bolton’s 2026 Open Art Exhibition

The event, at Bolton Museum and Library Services, will run from Saturday, February 14, until Sunday, May 17.

The exhibition is open to artists and craftspeople who live, work, or study in Bolton.

They will have the chance to exhibit and sell their work at one of the borough’s leading cultural venues.

Entries are welcomed from artists working in a range of media including painting, drawing, print, textiles, ceramics, sculpture, photography, and digital art.

This year, the exhibition will feature a new Young Artist Award, specifically for artists aged between 16 and 23.

Organisers are encouraging residents to inform any talented young people they know and to encourage them to submit a piece of art for consideration.

The award, sponsored by Bolton at Home, includes a £250 prize recognising the achievements of young artists in the borough.

Other prizes will include the overall Winner’s Prize and the Visitors’ Choice Award, which is sponsored by Bromleys Art Supplies and offers a £250 voucher to spend on materials.

The judging panel for the 2026 exhibition features Amy Brunn, Exhibitions Manager at Salford Museum and Art Gallery; Professor Kirsty Fairclough from Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Digital Arts; and artist David Gledhill, co-director of Rogue Artists’ Studios in Manchester, alongside a Young People’s Panel.

Judging will take place on Tuesday, February 3, and results will be emailed to entrants by Friday, February 6.

Artists must live, work, or study within the Bolton borough and be aged 16 or over.

Work can be in any visual arts medium, apart from installations and live performance, and must be original and produced within the last three years.

Each artist may submit up to two pieces, and all entries should measure no more than 180cm in any dimension.

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The entry fee is £5 per work, payable in cash or by card at the time of submission.

Artists submitting wall-mounted pieces should hand them in at Bolton Museum on Thursday, January 29, between 12 noon and 6pm, or on Saturday, January 31, between 10am and 4pm.

Those entering plinth, floor-based, or free-standing work should deliver up to six photographs of each piece with a completed entry form by 4pm on Saturday, January 31, and successful entrants must deliver their work to the museum by Friday, February 6.

Digital artists should send a link to their work by email, headed “Open Art 2026 – Digital submission”, to collectionenquiries@bolton.gov.uk by Saturday, January 31, with selected work to be delivered by February 6.

Artists may choose to sell their work during the exhibition, with Bolton Library and Museum Services charging a 30 per cent commission plus VAT on any sales.