The Competition is open to all artists based in the UK or internationally and over the age of 18 years old on 1st January 2020.

A third party (e.g. gallery, agent or other representative) may submit work on behalf of the artist, but the third party must confirm that they have the full permission of the artist to enter their work.

Work that does not fit within the following Conditions of Entry will not be admissible and will not be considered for exhibition. WAC shall retain full and sole discretion over every question as to the admissibility or otherwise of any given work. The following are examples (without limitation) of inadmissible works:

• Copies of original works
• Works that are in breach of copyright (or reasonably considered by the Company to create a risk of infringing upon a copyright
• Work, that in the reasonable view of the Company, contain noxious or toxic substances, are flammable below 50°C or incorporate dangerous electrical equipment or are otherwise considered inconsistent with safe exhibition, handling or storage
• Work, that in the reasonable view of the Company, is likely to breach the Racial and Religious Hatred Act, 2006
• Work that breaches the Cathedral health and safety guidelines.

In order to enter the competition, all entrants shall complete an online application form at and follow all directions therein. All images uploaded for the purposes of completing the entry process shall not be manipulated or otherwise artificially or digitally enhanced by the Artist.

The judges shall be appointed by WAC in such number and of such qualification as it sees fit at its sole discretion. The Judges’ decision shall be final and no correspondence will be entered into. All works will be judged anonymously and there will be no segregation by country, genre or style etc.

The delivery cost of the work to and from the exhibition is the responsibility of the artist and the artist shall be responsible for any import custom charges and duties. All work should be delivered unwrapped, when delivering in person. If delivering in person please drop off at The Undercroft (address below).

Framing or mounting of works, if required for exhibition, is also the responsibility of the artist and must be carried out prior to delivery. Works not requiring framing or mounting must be suitably protected to avoid damage in transit and clear indication should be given as to how the work could be presented.

The address for delivery and collection of all work is: The Undercroft of Wells Cathedral., St Andrew’s Street, Wells, BA5 2 UR

1. It’s the artist’s responsibility to ensure that the work gets to WAC on time; and
2. that work that arrives after this date may not be included in the exhibition.

Artists are reminded that it is highly recommended that the exhibiting artists insure with a reputable insurance company their works of art for their market value.

 The Undercroft of Wells Cathedral., St Andrew’s Street, Wells, BA5 2 UR

All exhibiting artists are required to arrange collection of their artwork at the end of the exhibition.

Artworks shall be collected 11 and 12 August 2020 from The Undercroft of Wells Cathedral., St Andrew’s Street, Wells, BA5 2 UR

The return of work after the exhibition is also the responsibility of the artists, including any custom charges and duties. The organisers will endeavour to retain packaging for international work. Artists are reminded to clearly mark their packaging with their name. WAC, or any of its affiliates, reserves the right to dispose of any works after the exhibition that have not been collected by the artists or where the artists have made no attempt to collect their work within 3 months of the collection date.

We recommend that all two dimensional works to be sent via a courier to the Cathedral have foam or bubble wrap corners on them.  Then the whole work should be wrapped in medium weight sheet polythene with parcel tape (leaving a turned tab on one end of each strip of tape to assist removal).  If there you are concerned the surface will get damaged then an additional sheet of corrugated card board should suffice to protect your work.   

Bubble wrap will not adequately protect your work and rips on unpacking.  This is costly and consequently bad for the environment as all the waste wrapping ends up as landfill.

All works selected for exhibition must be labelled upon arrival. Please click here to download the labels and instructions.

Works selected for exhibition may be offered for sale. WAC will levy 40% commission on all works sold during the exhibitions or afterwards directly as a result of the WAC Awards both at the exhibitions and on the website. Artists must make sure that their sale price includes the commission.

If you wish to be considered for the following prizes please make sure you tick the appropriate boxes on the Entry Form.

• JGM Gallery Exhibition Prize*:  up to 4 artists, including international artists, will be selected to take part in an exhibition in 2020 at the JGM Gallery in the heart of London’s new cultural quarter next to the Royal College of Art in London.
• 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.
• Parker Harris Mentoring Prize*:  Parker Harris will give a one-to-one mentoring session covering all aspects of professional development to a selected artist.
• Next Generation Art Prize*:  Andelli Art’s ‘Next Generation Art Prize’ recognises and supports the talents of artists of 30 years of age and under. The winner/s will be invited to participate in a two week group exhibition at the gallery in 2021, including a private view and social media support.
• Somerset Art Works Festival 2021 Award*: Somerset Art Works would like to offer a Somerset-based artist the opportunity to conduct research and develop a plan to create a new body of work which will be showcased during the Somerset Art Works Festival 2021. Somerset Art Works wants to enable new and exciting ideas that support the artist in developing their practice. We welcome applications from artists working in cross-disciplinary practices, such as new media, installation, moving-image, sound, live performance and socially-engaged practice. The selected artist will receive the following: Free entry to take part in the Somerset Art Works Festival 2021 with curatorial support, and 1 year SAW Membership; Mentoring, advice and support on artistic development and marketing from SAW Team; Financial support of up to £500 towards research and production. Please click here and here for more information.

Whilst WAC shall use reasonable skill in all circumstances in handling artists’ works, occasional damage to works may occur. Wells Art Contemporary or their contractors shall have no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage or destruction (including loss of profits or any other consequential loss, indirect or incidental losses) to, or relating to, a work of art submitted for exhibition unless such loss arises as a direct result of negligence by WAC. It is highly recommended that the exhibiting artists insure with a reputable insurance company their works of art for their market value.

Each artist, by entering the Wells Art Contemporary Art Awards confirms that they hold all intellectual property rights in the work and that they have obtained prior written approval for the use of any third party copyrighted material contained in the submitted work. Artists will allow the work to be photographed and reproduced by WAC for the purposes of promoting the exhibition including; catalogue, press and publicity and websites in all territories. Copyright of all works remains the property of the artist. Any enquiries for copyright will be referred to the artist.

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (and all other relevant Data Protection legislation), WAC will hold the personal data of artists supplied on the Entry Form securely. The data will only be used in the process of administering the Wells Art Contemporary Art Awards and will not be transferred to any third party not directly involved in this Exhibition.

By entering the Wells Art Contemporary Art Awards, artists are agreeing to all of the within Conditions of entry. WAC’s decision on all matters pertaining to the above is final. WAC reserves the right, at any time, and from time to time to amend, modify, vary, or discontinue the terms of this competition.