Exhibition Submission Guide

If you would like to submit work to our Annual Exhibition, you may find the following guidelines helpful.

These are guidelines and not rules; exceptions to the guidelines will be at the discretion of the selection committee.

Entries should be of a high standard of composition and draughtsmanship in any medium and on any material. The work must be executed in the miniature technique showing fine detail and brushwork, and mastery of the chosen medium. It must be of good composition and tonal balance when viewed from a distance and by virtue of its detail and fine execution must stand up to close inspection. Within the space available in the cases, we try and accommodate larger frames whenever possible but paintings should always be of fine miniature quality and must not fall into the category of ‘small painting’. 

If you are an overseas exhibitor, please also see separate ' Information for Overseas Exhibitors' which is available from the Office.

• Mounts and frames (see video help below): Mounts should be accurately cut. There is no restriction on the size of the moulding of a frame, but excessively heavy or large framing may be rejected by the selection committee. Frames should be of high quality, clean and in keeping with the picture, and they should hold their contents securely. The artist’s name, the medium used and the title of the painting, should be clearly shown on a label on the reverse of the painting. All works should have a securely fitted hanging ring or D-ring positioned close to the top of the frame. Glass if any, must be clean on both sides. See video below for advice on framing.

• Portraits (commissioned works) may be submitted Not For Sale (N.F.S.) for Exhibition only, but artists offering NFS portraits are encouraged also to submit a non-commissioned work of similar value for sale.

• Sculpture (original or part of a limited edition): Works should not exceed 10 inches in any dimension. Consideration should be given to the subject matter and appropriate scale. The artist must indicate whether the piece is an original or part of a limited edition run. If the sculpture is part of a limited edition run, please detail how many pieces are available for sale and the total number of edition copies.

• Reproductions: Members may submit limited edition and/or non-limited edition reproductions for sale. A maximum of 6 designs can be submitted with up to 3 prints per design (so a maximum of 18 prints in total). All prints must be mounted, appropriately wrapped, signed, numbered (if limited editions) and priced. Only miniatures of original size will be accepted. Overall presentation must be to a high standard.

• Cards may be submitted by members for sale. They must be individually labelled and priced. Only miniatures of original size will be accepted. Overall presentation must be to a high standard.

All payments must be made in pounds sterling.

ARTIST MEMBERS whose current annual subscriptions are up to date may submit work and there is no limit to the number of works that can be submitted. The entry fee is £7 per work for the first four items and then £3 per work. This covers handling and administrative costs and is non-refundable.

HONORARY MEMBERS who wish to submit work pay the same entry fee as Artist Members.

NON-MEMBERS may submit up to five miniature works for the exhibition at an entry fee of £12 per work. This covers handling and administrative costs and is non-refundable.

YOUNG ARTISTS In order to encourage work from young artists, entry fees are waived for the Young Artists category (18 or under), but these artists are otherwise subject to the same conditions of entry as other non-members.

RETURN DELIVERY COSTS (UK EXHIBITORS)

NB: If you are an overseas exhibitor, see separate Information for Overseas Exhibitors.

At the end of the live Exhibition at Wells Town Hall, the Society will return to the artist all work which was either not selected or remains unsold.

At the end of the live Exhibition at Wells Town Hall, the Society will return to the artist all work which was either not selected or remains unsold. 

The exhibition also takes place on dedicated pages of the Hilliard Society’s website. Artwork will be can be viewed online from the time of the Private View and purchased by phone using the dedicated Sales Line for the duration of the Exhibition.

After the live exhibition has ended, works can be purchased directly from the website. If artists do not want their work to be displayed on the website, please inform us when submitting entries.

• All work must be for sale except those portraits entered under the “Not for sale” rule, and no work should be submitted for a sale price of less than £100.
• When pricing your work, you should remember to take into account the commission taken by the Hilliard Society. Please ensure that any work accepted in the exhibition is removed from or marked as temporarily unavailable on any other website.
• No price reductions will be agreed with buyers.
• All prices should exclude the cost of delivery to the buyer. We will add the following standard amounts to cover the cost of postage & packing: £16 for postage to UK, £22 for international postage.

NB: If you are an overseas exhibitor, see separate Information for Overseas Exhibitors available on request from the Executive Secretary (info@hilliardsociety.org).

• Complete your Entry Form and email or send ALL pages to Katie Green, Executive Secretary by the final submission date. It is essential that this is done, even if you are bringing your own work to Selection, as information on the form needs to be recorded and processed before Selection takes place. (Note - Entry Forms are available from this website nearer to the Exhibition).

• Send your Work, including any reproductions and cards, to Katie in a separate parcel by the final submission date.

• Enclose a copy of your Entry Form (and Reproductions and Cards form if applicable) in the parcel.

• Write your name on the outside of the parcel.

Methods of payment:

You must pay your Entry Fee & Return Postage costs when you submit your work. Where possible, payments should be transferred directly into the Hilliard Society Bank account.

Account Name: The Hilliard Society Sort Code: 20 99 40 Account No: 40476137

Please ensure that you give your name as a payment reference so that we know who the payment is from.

Cheques: If you are unable to pay be direct transfer, a cheque can be made payable to “The Hilliard Society” and attached to your Entry Form.

• Phone sales: There is a dedicated sales and enquiry number 07821 325598 which is made live from 7pm on the day of the Private View and is then available during the exhibition opening hours. Please note at busy times you may leave a message for the Society to get back to you. Priority will be given to those attending the exhibition in person but the Society will make every effort to answer the sales phone during the exhibition week. Alternatively, you can email info@hilliardsociety.org with details of the painting(s) you are interested in and we will contact you.