The Harley Open 2026: Paint It, Carve It, Stitch It – Deadline 19 July

Paint it, carve it, stitch it – show it at the Harley Open 2026.

The Harley Foundation’s biennial open exhibition returns this year with a significant expansion. For the first time, the Harley Open is accepting sculpture, craft and freestanding works – and is particularly encouraging applications from practitioners of heritage or endangered craft skills.

Whether you are a professional, a hobbyist, a potter or a painter – the gallery wants to see your work.

Deadline for submissions: 19 July 2026.

What Is the Harley Open?

Now in its 2026 edition, the Harley Open is a biennial exhibition that invites artists, makers and heritage craft practitioners to exhibit work in the Harley Foundation’s award-winning gallery in Nottinghamshire.

The 2024 exhibition showed 185 artworks, all made by people living and working within 100 miles of the gallery. The 2026 exhibition promises to be even larger, with the addition of 3D works and a renewed focus on heritage craft.

Exhibition dates: 19 September 2026 – 3 January 2027

Who Can Enter?

The competition is open to amateur or professional artists, makers, and heritage craft practitioners who are living or working within a 100-mile radius of the Harley Foundation (postcode S80 3LW – Worksop, Nottinghamshire).

What can you enter?

• 2D and 3D works of visual art or craft

• Any style or medium

• Sculpture, craft and freestanding works are now accepted for the first time

• Work must have been made within the last 2 years

How many works?

Each entrant can submit one artwork or object.

Entry fee

£10 per entry.

Heritage Craft – A Special Focus for 2026

This year, the Harley Foundation is particularly encouraging applications from practitioners using heritage craft skills.

Applicants are invited to check the Heritage Crafts Red List to see whether their practice includes heritage craft skills and its level of risk (critically endangered, endangered, or viable).

If you work with traditional techniques, rare materials, or crafts that are at risk of disappearing, the Harley Open wants to hear from you.

The 2026 Judges

The Harley Open 2026 brings together an exceptional panel:

This is a panel with deep expertise in fine art, craft heritage, sculpture, and contemporary practice.

Prizes

More prizes to be confirmed (TBC).

Prize winners will be announced at the exhibition opening event on 18 September 2026.

Key Dates

Selling Your Work

If your work is for sale, you will enter the price you wish to receive on the submission form.

The Harley Foundation adds 30% commission + VAT (on the commission) to give the total retail price.

Collection of Unsold Work

Exhibited works must be collected from the Harley Foundation between 7 – 10 January 2027.

Please ensure you can make these dates before entering.

Eligibility in Brief

Why Enter the Harley Open?

Regional open exhibitions matter. They connect you to local collectors, build your CV, and place your work alongside peers in a professional gallery setting.

But the Harley Open offers something more: a genuine commitment to heritage craft and a judging panel of national significance.

• James Fox is one of the UK’s most respected voices on vanishing trades and material culture.

• Joe Hill leads Yorkshire Sculpture Park, one of the world’s foremost sculpture venues.

• Bryony Bond directs the Harley Foundation’s ambitious programme.

If your work sits at the intersection of fine art, craft, and heritage, this is an open call that understands and values what you do.

Final Checklist

• Do you live or work within 100 miles of S80 3LW?

• Is your work less than 2 years old?

• Have you checked the Heritage Crafts Red List if you practice a heritage skill?

• Is your entry fee paid (£10)?

• Can you collect unsold work between 7–10 January 2027?

The Harley Open 2026

Exhibition: 19 September 2026 – 3 January 2027

Deadline for submissions: 19 July 2026

Entry fee: £10 | One work per entrant

Judges Prize: £3,000 | More prizes TBC

Apply now via the Harley Foundation website. HERE

The Harley Foundation, based at Welbeck in Nottinghamshire, is an award-winning gallery and arts charity supporting artists, makers and heritage crafts.