The WAC Awards is an international visual arts competition.

The WAC Awards is an open competition for contemporary visual art that is gaining praise and respect in Britain and abroad. It was established in 2012 by a group of artists and their friends in Wells, the beautiful cathedral city in the South-West of England. An idea that came to life around kitchen and dining tables has already established a strong presence in the London, national and international art world and is drawing artists from places as diverse as Australia, Azerbaijan, India, Italy, Korea, Japan and the United States, as well as all over UK.

Wells Art Contemporary welcomes submissions from artists over the age of 18 working in any medium. Selected artists will have their work shown in the iconic Wells Cathedral as well as in a dedicated virtual gallery on the Wells Art Contemporary website.

Please click here to enter. If you are submitting an installation proposal please read all the entry information before entering. You can find images of past installations, a map of the installation sites and the Cathedral’s health and safety guidelines here. Please download and read these before applying.

Entry is by online submission through this website and the deadline for entry is 20 May 2021

All entrants are asked to ensure they have read all Rules and Guidelines before entering.

All artists based in the UK or internationally, who are over the age of 18 on the 1st January 2021 are invited to apply. A third party may also submit work on the artists behalf with the full permission of the artist.

Artists may enter up to four works. Artists can use the online entry form on this site to enter any work, including an installation proposal.

Entries can be any medium – painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, installation or video.

There is no size restriction on work submitted.

To complete your application you will need to enter:

• An image of your work (no more than 1MB)
• The title, medium, dimensions and price (please take into account WAC’s commission of 40%) of your work

If you are submitting an installation proposal there is additional information you need to enter. Please click here to read all entry information before applying.

Entry Fee is £15 per work or £12 per work for current students.

• Howden Art Award:  £2,000 awarded to one artist
• NG Art Creative Residency*:  The NG Art Creative Residency Prize aims to discover and celebrate emerging and established creative talents from a variety of disciplines. The Prize Winner will receive a free two-week placement at the NG Art Creative Residency in Eygalieres, Provence. This includes board and lodging, studio space, mentorship and residency-related outings.
• JGM Gallery Prize*
• Parker Harris Mentoring Prize*:  Parker Harris will give a one-to-one mentoring session covering all aspects of professional development to a selected artist.

A full list of prices will be announced shortly.

For further details on all the prizes please read the Rules and Guidelines

* Please tick the box on the Entry Form if you wish to be considered for this Prize.

We are delighted to announce that this year the exhibition will open at the iconic Wells Cathedral and will also be shown in a dedicated online gallery.

If you are selected you will need to send us a high res image of your work and a work statement by 5th July 2021.

A panel of distinguished artists will form the selection panel. The panel will be announced shortly.