Image: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, London
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum will begin accepting applications on 2 September for the 2026 edition of its regional contemporary art exhibition, the ‘Rugby Open’. The exhibition will run at the gallery in Rugby from 9 December 2026 to 20 February 2027, bringing together selected works by emerging and established artists from the surrounding area.
Artists who live, work or study in Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire or the City of Coventry are eligible to apply. The open exhibition will include a broad range of media, with the gallery listing paintings, prints, textiles and ceramics among the forms represented. An independent judging panel will select the works shown, and the panel changes each year.
Applicants in the adult category may submit up to three works, with at least one submitted piece required to be for sale. Artists aged 14 to 19 can enter the youth category with up to two works. The application fee is £8.70 per work for adult entries and £5 per work for youth entries, with bulk discounts available. Applications can be submitted online or on paper, and the deadline for forms is Monday 23 November 2026.
Physical artworks must then be delivered to the gallery for judging. Youth-category works are due on Tuesday 24 November between noon and 6.45pm, while adult-category works can be delivered on Friday 27 November from 10.30am to 5pm or Saturday 28 November from 10.30am to 3.30pm. The selection panel is scheduled to meet on 30 November, with artists due to be notified of the decision on 1 December.
The 2026 judging panel includes artist Hettie Inniss, Grimm Gallery director Timothy Davies, and Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for Partnerships and Well-being Maggie O’Rourke for the adult category. Rugby Borough Council mayor Nooria Sayani will judge the youth category. A further professional artist judge had not yet been announced in the gallery’s published information.
The overall winner will receive a £1,000 grand prize, together with £500 toward an exhibition in the Floor One Gallery scheduled for the 2027 Rugby Open. Other listed awards include a £250 youth prize, the Rugby Borough Council Mayor’s Award, the Brendan O’Rourke Award, awards from Art at the Alex, the Arts Society Trophy, prizes from Rugby and District Arts Society, a People’s Choice Award and opportunities linked to Warwickshire Open Studios and Northants and Rutland Open Studios.
A preview event is scheduled for Tuesday 8 December from 5.30pm to 8pm, ahead of the public exhibition. Unselected works will be collected on 2 December, while unsold works from the exhibition are scheduled for collection on Tuesday 23 February 2027. Rugby Art Gallery and Museum is located on Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ.
