Formerly known as the Contemporary Watercolour Competition (among many other names during the exhibition's 50+ year history), the RWS Open is one of the largest open-submission water-media exhibitions in the world, attracting thousands of submissions nationally and internationally each year.
Artists at any stage in their career, based in the UK or internationally, are invited to submit artwork made in any and all water-based media on paper.
This year's selectors are Bob and Roberta Smith RA, Siphiwe Mnguni, Charles Williams PRWS, Akash Bhatt RWS and Caroline Cornelius RWS. Selected works will be exhibited at Bankside Gallery 27th February - 15th March 2026.
Royal Watercolour Society Prize Winners
David Gluck Memorial Award | Alena Demchenko
David Benson Memorial Award | Ferha Farooqui
RWS Award | Hannah Murgatroyd
RWS New Graduate Award | Donglin Song
RWS Young Artist Award | Phoebe Barnicoat & Myrtle Glanville
RWS Publicity Prize | Lucy Spanyol
Sponsored Prize Winners
Michael Harding Grand Prize | Andy Howe
Michael Harding Mixed Media Prize | Simon Klein
Michael Harding Watercolour Prize | Mar Aragón
Caran d'Ache Prize | Mandy Worster
The Cass Art Solo Show Award | Kelly McCallum
Cotswold Mounts Prize | Liz Purtill
Daler Rowney Prize | Parul of the Sea
Daniel Smith Prize | Pushka
Dry Red Press Prize | Celia Lewis
GreatArt Prize | Alice Zakharenko
The Heatherley’s Open Studio Prize | Yu-Han Liu
The Painters Online Prize | Nuria Riera
Schmincke Prize | Anastasiya Sakalouskaya
Seawhite Art Materials Prize | Henry Miller
St Cuthbert’s Mill Paper Prize | Claudia Silva
Wallace Seymour Prize | Alex James Long
Winsor & Newton Prize | Francesco Poiana
Bankside Gallery
48 Hopton Street
London, SE1 9JH
Gallery Hours Open daily, 11am - 6pm
Free Admission
For all enquiries please contact info@banksidegallery.com
