Artists and creatives across the North East are being invited to submit their work for a major exhibition at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, opening this September.
The resulting exhibition, Baltic Open Submission 2026, will showcase painting, sculpture, photography, video and more by artists, makers, self-taught creatives and hobbyists based in the North East.
Now in its third edition, the initiative aims to give visibility to talent that may not previously have been displayed publicly. No formal training, qualifications or exhibition experience are required to take part. In 2024, a record 1,400 submissions were received, with 104 artists selected for the six-month exhibition.
This year’s selection panel includes internationally recognised North East-born artists Laura Lancaster and Rachel Lancaster, Tees Valley Artist of the Year 2025 Will Hughes, and Baltic assistant curators Rose McMurray and Rosie Coleman Collier. Up to 100 works will be chosen for the exhibition, which is supported by department store Fenwick.
For the first time, Baltic is also launching a Youth Open Call for young people aged 11–17. Supported by Fenwick, the project invites submissions exploring the theme “Local”, encouraging young artists to reflect on places, stories and viewpoints from their communities. Selected youth artworks will appear alongside the main exhibition, while one artist will receive the Fenwick Award and have their work displayed at Fenwick’s flagship Newcastle store.
Submissions can now be made at baltic.art/opensub until 10:00am on Tuesday 16th June. Baltic Open Submission 2026 exhibition runs 19th September 2026 – May 2027.
