We are inviting artists across the UK to contribute postcard-sized artworks (4 x 6 inches) for a unique fundraising exhibition supporting Leeds Poetry Festival. Throughout this year’s festival, we’ll be celebrating the intersection of visual art and literary creativity, and our fundraiser will be no different.

Like many other small arts organisations who have had their funding pulled due to major cuts to the arts, we are turning to our community for support.

In an effort to raise funds and celebrate another year, we'll be running a special event ahead of the festival with poetry performances, music, and an exhibition.

We’ll be displaying all the miniature artworks at Left Bank Leeds, one of our main venues during the festival, for the evening. All artwork will be available to buy throughout the event.

Submissions

Artwork must be postcard size (4 x 6 inches) and unframed. We will be framing each piece ahead of the show for consistency; if the artwork is on wood or deep canvas they'll be box-frame or displayed as it is.

If an artwork doesn’t meet the size guidelines, we won’t be able to include it. 

All 2D media is welcome (painting, drawing, photography print, mixed media, collage, etc), and there is no specific theme for the show, so you may submit anything you like.

Each artist is allowed to submit up to four pieces for consideration.

Please fill in one submission form per artwork.

After you have paid the appropriate submission fee, you will be able to fill in more forms, depending for how many artowks you paid. 

Please make sure that the artwork file you send is high quality so that we can properly evaluate your work.

The submission fee is £4 per artwork, which will cover all administrative costs of the exhibition, framing, installation, and display.

We have tried to keep the fee low so the exhibition is as accessible as possible.

Sales Commission

We’ve decided to offer all artists who submit a flexible commission option.

This show is all about community and collaboration, and that includes every artist who gets involved.

We will have a standard 30% sales commission, but you also have the option to give Leeds Poetry Festival a higher donation if you’d like to.

You can choose to donate 50%, 75% or 100% of the proceeds if you’d like to further support the festival.

Key Dates

• Submission Deadline: 30th April 2025
• Decision Date: 10th May 2025
• Artwork Delivery: 24th - 29th May 2025
• Fundraiser Date: 12th June 2025
• Artwork Collection: 25th - 30th June 2025

Important 

This exhibition opportunity is open to UK-based individual artists who work in 2D forms (i.e. oils, acrylics, pastels, watercolours, etc).

We cannot accept 3D artwork for this exhibition.

We cannot accept submissions from artists working with AI due to copyright violations.

We cannot accept mass-produced prints for this exhibition (i.e. digital prints or giclée prints) but hand-printed works are accepted (i.e. risograph, lino print, woodblock print, etc)