Open Call vs Gallery Submission – What Is the Difference?
Artists submitting work online often use the terms open call and gallery submission interchangeably. They are not the same thing. Understanding the difference helps you choose the right opportunity for where you are in your practice, and approach each one with the right expectations.
What is an open call?
An open call is a public invitation from a gallery, institution, or platform for artists to submit work for consideration. It is open, meaning any artist who meets the stated criteria can apply. There is usually a theme, a deadline, specific technical requirements, and a selection process at the end.
Open calls are typically organised around a specific exhibition. The selected works will appear together in a group show, online or physical. The curator selects a number of works from all submissions received, and those works form the exhibition.
What is a gallery submission?
A gallery submission is a direct approach to a gallery, usually without a public call, and usually with the aim of representation, a solo show, or inclusion in the gallery’s ongoing programme. Most galleries accept portfolio submissions on a rolling basis, though many have specific submission windows or guidelines.
Gallery submissions are more personalised than open calls. You are not applying to a themed exhibition. You are presenting your practice to a gallery whose programme you have researched and believe your work fits.
The key differences
| Open Call | Gallery Submission | |
| Who can apply | Any artist meeting stated criteria | Usually by invitation or direct approach |
| Theme | Usually themed | No theme – your practice as a whole |
| Result if selected | Inclusion in group exhibition | Representation, solo show, or programme inclusion |
| Submission fee | Sometimes | Usually free |
| Best for | Building exhibition credits, visibility, community | Long-term representation, major career steps |
Which one is right for you right now?
Open calls are accessible at any stage of a career. They are a good way to build exhibition credits, connect with a community of artists, and get your work into curated contexts without needing an existing relationship with a gallery. For many independent artists, open calls are the primary exhibition route throughout their career.
Gallery submissions make more sense when you have a developed body of work, some exhibition history, and a clear sense of which galleries programme work like yours. A cold submission to a gallery before you have any of these things is unlikely to succeed, not because the work is not strong enough, but because galleries use exhibition history and track record as signals of professional seriousness.
Open calls build the exhibition history that makes gallery submissions more likely to succeed.
The two are not in competition. Think of them as different stages of the same longer process, not as alternatives to choose between.
Submit to the current Marea Gallery open call
Marea Gallery runs themed open calls for visual artists worldwide. Each edition is curated personally and open to artists at any stage of their career. Browse the current call at mareagallery.com/open-calls.