Young Artist Open Exhibition

You may have heard of the Ferens Open Exhibition, but did you know we also run a Young Artist Open?

Previously known as the Junior Open, the Young Artist Open is an opportunity for budding artists aged 15 and under to show their work in a major gallery.

Since 2006, the Young Artist Open has run alongside our original Open, celebrating the incredible artistic talent of young people in Hull.

How does it work?

The exhibition begins with an open call early in the year, inviting individuals, schools and youth groups to send us their best work.

The exhibition itself takes place later in the year, usually between July–October. During the Open, young people see their work exhibited in our gallery alongside other artists from the area.

How to enter

Entries for 2023 are now closed.

Key dates
Submission of work	Friday 5 May 2023 - Sunday 14 May 2023 Please note: submissions must be made to the Ferens Art Gallery, Monday–Saturday 10.30am–4pm and Sunday 11.30am–3.30pm
Notification of selected work by post	Thursday 22 June 2023 onwards
Exhibition display at Ferens Art Gallery	Friday 21 July 2023 – Sunday 1 October 2023
Collection of unselected works from Ferens Art Gallery	Friday 7 July 2023 – Saturday 8 July 2023
Collection of selected work from Ferens Art Gallery	Saturday 21 October 2023 – Sunday 29 October 2023

Prizes

We award prizes to the best entries to the Young Artist Open in the following age categories:

six and under
seven to 11
12 to 15

Prizes have kindly been donated by Friends of the Ferens and The Hull and East Riding branch of The Arts Society.

We’ll contact the winners before the exhibition opens to let you know and invite you to a special prize-giving event.

Future Ferens Young and Emerging Talent Award

All young artists aged 16 to 25 are eligible for this prize. An award of £150 will go to an artist selected by BSB Architecture and the Future Ferens, young people’s collective.

Prize money for this award has been kindly donated by BSB Architecture.

Friends of the Ferens Award

The following cash prizes will be given to winning entries selected by Friends of the Ferens:

First prize: £350
Second prize: £250
Third prize: £200

Chair’s award – Hull Culture & Leisure

An award of £100 will go to the winning entry selected by Hull Culture and Leisure Chair, Alison Collinson.

People’s Vote Award

A cash prize of £100 will be awarded to the entry most selected by visitors to the 2023 Open exhibition.

The Young Artist Open Exhibition is made possible with thanks to kind sponsorship from Friends of the Ferens Art Gallery and BSB Architecture.

Young Artist Open Exhibition