Over the past few years, working closely with international open calls and reviewing submissions, I have seen countless talented artists get rejected, not because their art was weak, but simply because they chose the wrong piece for that specific context.
When an artist discovers an international open call, the first instinct is often to ask: Which of my artworks is the best?
It is a reasonable question, but it may not be the most useful one.
An artwork can be excellent on its own and still be the wrong choice for a particular exhibition. The more useful question is:
Which of my artworks makes the strongest connection with this specific exhibition?
Choosing what to submit is not only an artistic decision. It is also a question of context, presentation, and communication.
Photo: ©New Road 2 Art
Look at the Exhibition Before Looking at Your Artwork
Before opening the folder containing your artworks, read the exhibition description carefully.
What is the theme? What subjects are invited? Are there restrictions on medium, size, or technique? Is the exhibition looking for a particular interpretation of a subject, or is the theme intentionally broad?
This matters because a themed exhibition creates a context for the work.
Consider a call for Landscape & Cityscape. A traditional mountain landscape may clearly fit the theme, but an abstract work exploring the relationship between architecture, space, and memory might also be highly relevant.
The important question is not simply whether the artwork can be placed under the theme.
The question is whether the connection feels natural and convincing.
Your Strongest Artwork Is Not Always Your Best Submission
Artists sometimes have one artwork that is particularly important to them personally. It may represent a significant moment in their practice or have a story behind it that makes it special.
That does not automatically make it the strongest submission.
A jury encounters the artwork without knowing everything that happened before it was created.
They see the image first.
Therefore, when selecting an artwork, consider what remains visible without the artist standing beside it to explain the work.
Does the composition hold attention?
Is there a distinctive visual language?
Does the work feel resolved?
Does it create curiosity?
And most importantly, does it give the viewer a reason to spend more than a few seconds looking at it?
Think About the First Impression
In many open calls, artworks are initially reviewed through digital images.
This creates an important distinction between the physical artwork and its submitted representation.
A painting may have subtle textures that are impressive in person but almost invisible in a poor photograph. A carefully constructed composition may lose its impact because of reflections, incorrect cropping, or inaccurate colour.
The photograph therefore becomes part of the submission experience.
This does not mean that an artwork should be chosen simply because it photographs well. It means that artists should understand how their work will be encountered during the selection process.
A strong artwork deserves a strong presentation.
If You Can Submit Two Works, Do Not Feel Obliged To
More is not automatically better.
If an open call permits two artworks, artists sometimes assume that submitting two works will increase their chances. But a second, weaker artwork can also change the overall impression of the submission.
Ask yourself:
Does the second artwork strengthen my application, or simply add another image?
If both works are strong, submitting them can reveal different aspects of your practice.
They might share a visual language while exploring different ideas. They might approach the same theme from different perspectives. Or they might demonstrate consistency across different techniques.
But if one work is clearly weaker, submitting only the stronger piece may create a more convincing application—provided the rules allow it.
Two Artworks Should Have a Relationship
When two artworks are submitted together, they do not need to look like twins.
In fact, excessive similarity can make a submission feel predictable.
What matters is coherence.
The relationship might come from colour, subject, technique, atmosphere, concept, or artistic approach.
Imagine that a juror sees your two works without reading your biography. Would the works appear to come from the same artist?
If the answer is yes, the pair may be doing something useful: they are communicating an artistic identity rather than simply presenting two unrelated images.
Read the Rules as Carefully as You Read the Theme
A surprisingly important part of selecting an artwork is checking whether it is actually eligible.
Before submitting, verify the requirements concerning:
- Accepted media
- Number of artworks
- Artwork dimensions
- File format
- Image resolution or file size
- Creation date, if applicable
- Submission deadline
- Artist information
- Copyright or usage permissions
These details are not merely administrative.
A carefully selected artwork that does not meet the submission requirements may never reach the artistic evaluation stage.
Professionalism begins with following the instructions.
Do Not Choose an Artwork Just Because It Is New
New does not necessarily mean better.
An artist may have created a work last week that is exciting and experimental. Another work created two years ago may communicate their artistic practice much more successfully.
The relevant question is not:
“When did I create this?”
It is:
“Does this work represent the direction of my practice today?”
If the answer is yes, the age of the artwork becomes much less important—unless the exhibition specifically sets a date requirement.
Originality Is More Than Being Different
Artists are often encouraged to be original. But originality should not be confused with simply being unusual.
A work can be visually strange without having a convincing artistic reason behind its choices.
What makes an artwork distinctive is often the combination of its subject, visual language, technical decisions, and point of view.
Ask yourself:
What makes this work recognisably mine?
The answer does not have to be a completely new technique or an unprecedented idea.
It may be the way you construct space, use colour, simplify forms, photograph a subject, combine materials, or approach a familiar theme from a personal perspective.
Imagine the Artwork Inside the Exhibition
There is another question artists often overlook:
If this work were selected, would it make sense alongside other works in the exhibition?
This does not mean trying to predict exactly what other artists will submit.
Instead, think about whether your artwork can function within a larger exhibition environment.
A strong exhibition is not simply a collection of individually good artworks. The relationship between works can create rhythm, contrast, dialogue, and visual cohesion.
This is why some selection processes consider not only the quality of individual works but also their relationship to the exhibition concept and presentation.
Take One Final Step Back
Once you have selected your artwork, do not submit immediately.
Leave the selection for a few hours or, if possible, a day.
Then return to it.
Look at the artwork without thinking about how much time you spent creating it, how much you personally love it, or what the work means to you emotionally.
Look at it as a stranger would.
Then ask:
Quick Submission Checklist
Theme Alignment
What to ask: Does the connection to the theme feel natural without an explanation?
Action: Re-read the exhibition brief carefully.
Visual Quality
What to ask: Is the digital photograph accurate in color, lighting, and detail?
Action: Check the image on multiple screens and devices.
Technical Rules
What to ask: Does the file size, resolution, and format match the exact requirements?
Action: Double-check the call guidelines.
The Goal Is Not to Please Everyone
Finally, artists should remember that selection is not a universal measure of artistic value.
A work may be rejected from one exhibition and selected for another.
Different exhibitions have different themes, curatorial approaches, juries, audiences, and contexts. Even professional selection processes can involve subjective judgment alongside defined criteria.
A rejection does not necessarily mean that the artwork is unsuccessful.
Sometimes it simply means that this was not the right exhibition for that particular work at that particular moment.
Final Thoughts
Selecting an artwork for an international exhibition is an exercise in artistic judgment.
The strongest submission is not necessarily the newest work, the largest work, or even the artwork the artist personally considers the best.
It is the work that creates the clearest connection between the artist’s practice, the exhibition’s theme, and the way the work will be experienced by the audience.
Take time to read the call. Look at your work objectively. Choose carefully. Present it professionally.
And before you press “Submit,” ask yourself one final question:
If someone discovered my work through this exhibition, is this the artwork I would want them to see first?
If the answer is yes, you may have found the right work to submit.
Published by New Road 2 Art Editorial Team