The Pastel Society 2027 at Mall Galleries (London)

The Pastel Society 2027 at Mall Galleries (London)

Category: UK Opportunities | Institutional Open Calls

Reading Time: 3 min

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### Central London Provenance on The Mall

Securing physical exhibition space in central London without commercial gallery representation often comes down to juried institutional opens.

The Pastel Society (part of the Federation of British Artists founded in 1898) has opened international submissions for its flagship annual exhibition at Mall Galleries, London: ***Drawn To Colour***.

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### Key Exhibition Parameters

* Host Institution: The Pastel Society / Federation of British Artists

* Exhibition Venue: Mall Galleries, The Mall, St. James’s, London SW1

* Exhibition Dates: 27 January – 13 February 2027

* **Application Deadline:** Friday, 20 November 2026 (12:00 Noon GMT)

* Selection Announcement: Friday, 4 December 2026 (12:00 Noon GMT)

* Entry Fee: £22 per work (£14.50 for artists aged 35 or under; includes free exhibition admission)

* Prizes & Awards:

Over *£5,000 in cash prizes**, including the Yoshimoto Prize (£1,000) for outstanding non-member work, the Caran d’Ache Prize (£1,000), and the President's Prize (£500).

* Opportunity for election to Society Membership.

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### Eligible Disciplines & Specifications

Open to artists aged 18 and over from anywhere in the world:

* Core Media: Soft/hard pastel, oil pastel, ink pastel, charcoal, conté crayon, sanguine, chalk, and graphite.

* Mixed Media & 3D: Three-dimensional relief and mixed-media works are eligible provided dry media or raw drawing pigment forms a primary component.

* Dimension Limit: Works must not exceed 2.4 meters along their longest dimension.

* Submission Capacity: Up to 6 works may be submitted; a maximum of 4 works per artist can be selected.

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### The Steel Canvas Curatorial Note

1. Material Transparency: The society requires entrants to submit a clear, precise description of all media used—particularly when combining dry pigment with acrylic binders, collage, or dimensional grounds. Transparent technical notation protects your work from being misjudged.

2. Textural Weight Over Traditional Realism: While the society has historic roots, modern juries actively favor bold, structural applications: heavily layered pastel, raw mineral pigment on unprimed board, and contemporary monochrome charcoal works that treat line as a sculptural gesture.

3. Framing & Presentation: If selected, Mall Galleries requires clean, substantial frames fitted for mirror plates (no D-rings or picture wire). Unframed cradled works are accepted by special note if they can be securely plate-hung.

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### Official Application Link

Submissions are handled directly through Mall Galleries' official online system:

👉 [Submit to The Pastel Society 2027 via Mall Galleries](https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/open-calls/pastel-society)

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