ONES TO WATCH IS BACK! Are you studying a creative subject in Yorkshire, or are you from Yorkshire and studying a creative subject elsewhere? Apply now for Ones to Watch 2026 - our annual exhibition for emerging artists. FREE TO APPLY.

We are looking for artists, makers, designers and creatives working in all media: painting, sculpture, jewellery, ceramics, film, sound, text, glass, metal, performance, wood, furniture, and more, to be part of our annual student showcase exhibition.

Sunny Bank Mills is an independent art gallery based in the 3,000ft cloth warehouse of a former textile mill.

For the past 12 years, Ones to Watch has supported more than 420 emerging artists based in or from Yorkshire in all creative disciplines, giving them the opportunity to exhibit in a gallery setting in a professionally curated exhibition.

Many have sold work during the show, gone on to exhibit professionally elsewhere and maintained relationships with the Gallery, featuring in subsequent exhibitions or selling prints, ceramics, jewellery, etc, through our Gallery Shop.

The exhibition will take place between the 10th January - 29th March 2026.

Exhibitors are selected by a panel of judges.

Studio residencies and prizes are awarded by both judges and exhibition visitors.  

Reasons to apply: 

• The opportunity to exhibit in a professional, established independent gallery with extensive social media & website coverage and thousands of visitors annually. Featured in The Times in 2020 as one of the few galleries to have a live exhibition supporting graduate artists when many degree shows were virtual or cancelled. 
• Professional photographs of the exhibition and your work.
• The opportunity to meet and network with other artists from across the region.
• Support on how to present, price and sell your work commercially. 
• Support on how to make your work accessible.
• The opportunity to run workshops for the first time and meet a new audiences for your work 

To be eligible for this opportunity, you must be either:

• A current student on a creative degree, MA or foundation course in Yorkshire.
• A 2025 graduate from a creative degree, MA or foundation course in Yorkshire (including postgrad).
• A current student/or 2025 graduate from a creative degree outside of Yorkshire if you were originally born, from or reside in Yorkshire.
• In alternative arts education or any other form of creative based courses eg. self taught

When applying for this opportunity, we would really appreciate it if you could fill out our equal opportunities survey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B3M6MZT

DROP-INS:

We are offering x2 online drop-ins for people to ask questions and meet our team.

These will be on:

Wednesday 29th October 2025, from 14:00 to 14:30 and Tuesday 11 November 2025, from 17:00 to 17:30.

Please email us at arts@sunnybankmills.co.uk for the link. 

DEADLINE: Midnight on Friday 14th November 2025

Tips to strengthen your application:

• Attach clean, high-quality photos of the work you plan to exhibit and add names and dimensions (if applicable) to the image descriptions. Please include any other images that support your artist's statement or help to create an impression of your practice as a whole, but clearly label the work you are putting forward for the show.
• Ensure any video or website links are still active and include passwords if the link is private.
• Clearly describe the work you are submitting, as well as discuss your practice in general.
• If your work involves tech, including speakers, screens or media players - please let us know if you are able to provide this, as we have limited access and may have to limit the number of multimedia applications.
• If your work is digital or photographic, please think about how your work would be presented or printed, as you may only have 4-5 weeks to arrange this. We would recommend reaching out to local printers for quotes as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we are unable to assist artists with printing costs.
• Feel free to use bullet points whilst writing your application. 
  
  

Alternative Formats:

• Open Call Audio Version