How to read an open call before you apply

An open call is a brief. Read it like one. Before you write a word of your proposal, you should be able to answer seven questions about it in under five minutes. If you cannot, either the call is badly written or you have not found the important part yet.

1. When does it close, and where

Find the deadline, then find the time and the timezone. "31 March" is not a deadline. "31 March, 17:00 London time" is.

The timezone matters more than people think. A call run from New York that closes at midnight Eastern time closes at 5am the next morning in London. A call in Melbourne may close before your working day starts. If the page gives a time but no timezone, assume it is the organiser's local time, and aim to send a day early.

Look for the word "received". "Received by" means it has to arrive, which matters for anything posted.

2. What it costs

Find the fee, and find out what it is per. Per entry, per image, per work and per proposal are very different numbers. Check whether there is a hanging fee, a commission on sales, or a cost to deliver and collect work.

If you cannot find a fee anywhere, look at the application form itself before you assume it is free. Our guide to art competition entry fees goes further on how to judge one.

3. Who it is for

Eligibility is where most applications fail before anyone looks at the work. Read for:

• Where you live or were born. "UK-based", "resident in Scotland", "born or living in the North East".
• Age. "Under 35" usually means you have not turned 35 by the deadline, but check.
• Career stage. "Emerging" is undefined unless they define it. Some calls mean "no solo gallery show", some mean "within five years of graduating".
• Practice. Some calls want artists, some want curators, some want writers, and some want collectives.
• Students. Many calls exclude people in full-time education. Others are only for them.

If you are borderline, email the organiser. A short, polite question is normal and often appreciated.

4. What you get

Separate what is promised from what is possible. "£5,000 award" is a promise. "Selected artists may be offered a solo show" is a possibility.

For residencies, check what is covered: accommodation, studio, travel, materials, a stipend, meals. A residency with no stipend can cost you more than a month's rent, even if there is no fee to apply.

For exhibitions, check whether artists are paid an exhibition fee, and who pays to ship and insure the work.

5. What to send

List every item they ask for, in their words. A typical call asks for some of these:

• a statement, with a word limit
• a proposal, with a word limit
• a CV, sometimes limited to a page
• images, with a number, a size and a file format
• a budget
• a video, with a length limit
• references

Note the naming convention if there is one ("surname_title_01.jpg"). Note the image size limit. These are the things that get an application set aside without being read.

6. Who decides

Find the selectors. Not to flatter them, but to understand the call. A panel of curators from contemporary spaces reads differently from a panel of painters, which reads differently from a funder's assessors scoring against published criteria. If there are criteria, they are your structure.

7. When you will hear

Find the notification date. It tells you when you can stop waiting, and when to chase if you hear nothing. It also tells you whether this call clashes with something else you would rather do.

A worked example

Imagine a call that reads: "Open to artists at any stage. Submit up to 3 works. Deadline 14 February. Entry £12 per work. Selected works shown in our spring exhibition."

Seven questions, seven answers:

1. Deadline: 14 February, with no time and no timezone. Assume the organiser's local time and send by the 13th.
2. Cost: £12 per work, so £36 for three.
3. Who: any stage, no residency rule stated.
4. What you get: a place in a show. No award, no artist fee mentioned.
5. What to send: up to 3 works. Image format and size not stated, so check the form.
6. Who decides: not stated.
7. When you will hear: not stated.

That is four gaps out of seven. It might still be worth entering. But you would be paying up to £36 knowing less than half of what you need.

The five-minute check

• Deadline, time and timezone
• Fee, and what it is per
• Every eligibility rule, and whether you meet each one
• What you get, in writing
• Every item to send, with limits and formats
• Who selects
• When you will hear

Every call on Callboard shows the deadline in its own timezone and yours, names the fee on the card, and lists what to send. You can browse every open call without an account.

Set your filters, it's free