The Brilliance of Birds - art exhibition. CALL OUT for entries for BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY to add to a larger multi-disciplinary art exhibition celebrating the Brilliance of Birds.

This exhibition will celebrate the beauty, symbolism, diversity and behaviour of birds, exploring them as subjects, muses, and symbols across a wide range of artistic practices.

We want to include photography of British birds, (in all habitats, urban and rural, and in all-weather, night & day,) that captures the beauty of birds, bird behaviours, birds feeding and birds in flight.

The wider exhibition will be in many mediums and will celebrate the brilliance of birds in paintings, illustrations, sculpture, textiles, paper, photography, metal, wire and glass.

We encourage personal, imaginative, and thought-provoking interpretations of the theme.

The exhibition will also interweave nursery rhymes, tales, folklore, and superstitions surrounding birds, and although not essential, we welcome photography that helps to bring these narratives and stories to life through creative interpretation.

Photographers who are selected will have their work displayed in our professionally curated, 13-week summer exhibition, in our gallery, which receives, on average, over 2,000 visitors every month in the centre of Rheged; an established art, food, and film destination in Cumbria.

Work will also feature online, via our social media channels, website, and e-newsletter.  Selected work can be listed for sale during the exhibition, and unframed prints, postcards, and greeting cards can be sold in our gallery shop.

Eligibility

•  The Brilliance of Birds is an open call for photographers living in the UK to submit up to 4 images. Please fill in one submission form per image. 
• We want to see work from both emerging and established photographers. You do not need to be a professional photographer to participate, as we believe that photography is for everyone, and exhibiting your work is a great way of developing your practice and helping you towards the next stages of your learning or career goals.
• Digital and analog images are welcome.
• Previously exhibited work is eligible.
• Work must address the theme of Birds in some way.
•  AI-generated images are not eligible.
• All ages are welcome (entries are not categorised by age)

Details:

• Submission fee: Free
• Participation fee (if selected):  £30
• Deadline to submit: 31st March 2026
• Exhibition dates: 3 July 2026 to 4 October 2026
• Curated by: Claire Harrison, Rheged Gallery, Rheged.

Submissions are FREE.  

If your work is selected, there will be a participation fee of £30.00.

This fee covers the cost of everything.

We will print, install and un-install the work in our gallery space. We are open 7 days a week and we will take care of any sales of artwork or shop products on your behalf.

We have an in-house design team who will work with the curator to display your work at its best.

Our Marketing team will promote your artwork in our venue, on our social media and website and in our e-newsletter.

Selected applicants will gain free admission to the exhibition for themselves and up to 6 friends and family on each visit. They may visit any number of times.

Images will be printed in various sizes, dependent on hanging style and space available.

Photographers can collect their unsold work after the exhibition; we will hold prints for one month.
*Please note that any frames used belong to the gallery*

How to Submit:

The deadline for this exhibition: Midnight, 31st March 2026

1. Choose up to 4 images: (JPEG images at 3000px, 3MB. Work will be displayed in various sizes).
2. Make sure your images are JPEG files. We can only accept JPEGs as this is what the printing company that we use requires.
3. Upload your images with your submission, which will include  a short bio (max 150 words) and a brief statement about your submitted work (max 150 words)

Once the deadline has passed, photographers who have been selected will be contacted by Friday, 10th April 2026 and asked to pay the participation fee.

Please keep an eye on your junk folder in case your selection email ends up in there! The gallery then does the rest.

*Sending a submission form and images confirms that you agree to pay the fee of £30 if selected*

Sales & Artist Connection:

All exhibited works are available for sale — Rheged Gallery takes 40% commission (includes vat).

What is the selection criteria?

We want to see images of birds from all over the UK, in all habitats, urban and rural, all-weather, night & day, that capture the beauty of birds, bird behaviours, birds feeding & birds in flight.

We are looking for:

• images of high-quality that have impact,  - remember that the selected images are part of a bigger multi-disciplinary show, so we will be looking for originality and quality over quantity to represent photography in this exhibition.
• Images that are beautiful but also engage the audience.
• Images that evoke emotion, promote thought, or reveal new perspectives.
• Images that tell stories or raise/address current environmental issues.

Images will be selected by a small team to ensure that the final selection is properly curated and reflects the exhibition's theme.