Towner International

Towner International is a major new biennial exhibition of contemporary art that will take place at Towner in 2020, featuring British and International artists. The Brewers Prize of £10,000 will be awarded to one of the exhibiting artists.

We’re inviting artists to submit works for consideration to Towner International through our online Open Call process. An esteemed panel of guest judges including Polly Staple (Director, Chisenhale Gallery), Turner Prize nominated artist Mike Nelson, and Noelle Collins (Curator, Towner Art Gallery) will select artists for the inaugural Towner International exhibition.

We welcome submissions from professional artists working in all media, including – but not restricted to – painting, drawing, print, sculpture, sound, performance, photography, film and installation.There is no cost to enter, and all exhibiting artists will receive a fee of £250.

Submissions can be made by artists working across the UK and internationally, at least one third of exhibiting artists will be selected from Towner’s coastal region – being born or based in Sussex, Kent and Hampshire.

While this is primarily an opportunity to present work within Towner’s gallery spaces, site specific and off-site installations in the Eastbourne area will also be considered. All works submitted must be available for exhibition from 13 June–6 September 2020.

Towner’s location on England’s South Coast has been at the core of the gallery’s identity for almost a century and we welcome submissions from artists with a connection to this unique coastal region. For almost 100 years, landscape and location have shaped key concerns within Towner’s programme and defined the gallery’s Collection. As Towner launches this open call, the United Kingdom is undergoing monumental transitions relating to their place in the European Union. Considerations of place, identity, landscape and environment have become increasingly significant as we anticipate the consequences of this action, and now more than ever it is important to open opportunities for an international conversation. The exhibition hopes to address how the artistic community is recording and responding to economic, political, cultural, and environmental changes that are unfolding across the world today.

Submission deadline: Friday 17 January 2020

To apply:

  1. Read our submission guidelines carefully. You can access these on our website or as a PDF download.
  2. Prepare your CVPortfolio and Submission documents as specified in the submission guidelines.
  3. Submit your application via our online form.

Start Date

20th November 2019

Closing Date

17th January 2020