SSA 128th Annual Exhibition — General Submissions 2027

Overview

The Scottish Society of Artists (SSA) is opening general submissions for its 128th Annual Exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh. This open call accepts work in painting, printmaking, photography, textiles, drawing, sculpture, and all other media not covered by the Society's separate Proposals, Installations & Performance and Moving Image calls. The exhibition is produced entirely by artists with no public funding.

Eligibility

Open to artists of all backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives, based anywhere in the world. No restrictions on size, discipline, or media.

Submission Limits

• Professional Members of the SSA: up to 4 works in total across all Society open calls
• Artist, Student, and Graduate Members, and non-members: up to 3 works in total across all Society open calls
• Each artwork must have its own individual submission; multiple works submitted as a single entry will not be considered
• Collaborations: submission counts as one entry for each collaborating artist

Restrictions

• Work must not have been shown in the RSA Annual Exhibition
• Work must not be scheduled to show in RSA New Contemporaries
• Work must not have previously been shown in any SSA, VAS, or RSW Annual Exhibition
• No reproductions or copies of any kind accepted
• All selected works must be for sale and may not be listed for sale on any other platform during the exhibition period (print editions exempt)

Key Dates

• Application Deadline: 7 October 2026
• Pre-selection Notification: 6 November 2026
• Artwork Delivery: Sunday 7 & Monday 8 February 2027
• Private View: 13 February 2027
• Exhibition: 14 February – 10 March 2027
• Collection of Unsold Work: Friday 12 & Saturday 13 March 2027

Application Fees

• Non-members: £20 for 1 submission, £40 for 2 submissions, £60 for 3 submissions
• Artist, Student, and Graduate Members: free (cost included in membership)
• Professional Members: free (cost included in membership)
• Selected works: additional £10 per work for SSA members and £20 per work for non-members, payable on delivery

Benefits & Awards

Selected works are exhibited alongside installation, site-specific, performance, and moving image pieces. Artists receive sales support through SSA sales desks with reduced commission rates (35% for Professional Members, 40% for other members and non-members). The Society organizes group transport from/to Inverness for artists in remote areas and provides mirror plates for hanging.

Technical Requirements

Image files must be JPG or PNG, no more than 3MB. Files should be saved with the artwork's title as the file name and must not include invalid characters (' " & % * ( ) < > / ~ # + =). For video or moving image work that is the primary focus, submit to the separate Moving Image Open Call instead.