The true cost of applying includes preparation and entry costs, plus the commitments you would take on if selected. Physical delivery can add substantial expenses, so a published entry fee alone is not a complete budget.
This is the number this index was built to publish. Currently 1 of 220 open records carry a total cost we could read from the organiser's own page — a measure of how rarely it is stated, not of how rarely it is incurred.
The lines that make up a total cost
The following cost groups provide a starting checklist. A particular application can require additional items.
- Entry fee. The charge to be considered, per application or per work.
- Production or framing. What the call requires the work to arrive as. "Ready to hang" is a specification with a price attached.
- Packing and outbound shipping. Crating for anything fragile, freight rather than post for anything large.
- Return shipping. The cost of bringing unsold work home, according to the agreement. Check who pays and whether sale-related delivery has different terms.
- Insurance. Sometimes required by the venue, often only sensible.
- Hanging or installation fee. A charge some venues make to show selected work.
- Sales commission. A percentage of any sale, taken by the venue.
Why the total is so rarely published
The total can depend on the artist's location, work, suppliers and travel needs. An organiser can publish requirements and any charges it controls without knowing every applicant's final cost.
Read each listing's stated costs and source evidence, then add your own quotes. Where a value is missing, the total remains incomplete. A number that sums known lines should not be presented as a complete budget when material expenses are unresolved.
What to price before applying
Price the application and participation stages separately. Preparation can cost money even before a result; selection may add production, framing, packing, transport or installation.
Use supplier quotes for the actual work and destination. Read the sales commission and delivery terms, then model a sale separately from participation without one. Keep unknown costs visible until you can confirm them.
Build three separate cost scenarios
An application budget is clearer when it shows rejection, selection without a sale and selection with a sale separately. Sales commission is usually a deduction from revenue, while packing and delivery may have to be paid regardless of sales.
| Item | When it applies | Example amount |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Paid to apply | £25 |
| Framing | Required if selected | £120 |
| Packing | Required to send the work | £35 |
| Two-way shipping | Assumed artist responsibility in this example | £100 |
| Transit cover | If needed for this journey | £20 |
| Sales commission | Only if sold for £1,000 at 40% | £400 |
In this example, rejection costs £25 plus preparation time. Selection without a sale requires £300 in cash across all listed costs. A £1,000 sale leaves £600 after commission; subtracting the same £300 costs leaves £300 before the original making cost, taxes or other deductions. Return freight may change if the buyer receives the work directly, so confirm who pays and avoid counting the same journey twice.
These figures are an illustration, not an estimate of what an exhibition should charge. Their purpose is to reveal which outcome you can afford and which assumptions make it affordable.
Keep a quote and uncertainty register
A cost register should distinguish a confirmed quote from a working estimate. Record the supplier, date, currency, quantity, what is included and any expiry date. A freight quote based on unframed dimensions is not the quote for a packed frame or crate.
List unresolved questions as amounts still to confirm. Ask about installation, customs handling, required insurance and storage after the collection window. If you cannot confirm a material expense, use a labelled allowance when deciding whether to proceed; do not publish that allowance as the organiser's price.
Count preparation time separately from cash. Four hours spent adapting existing documents and two days spent making a new proposal are different commitments, even when neither involves a fee. Decide how much work the opportunity merits before starting.
Finally, write a spending ceiling and the conditions that would make you withdraw. If selection requires a cost you cannot carry, knowing this before entry is more useful than finding a cheaper application fee. Use the true-cost calculator with your own figures.
What does a realistic application budget look like?
A realistic budget identifies which costs are paid to apply, which arise on selection and which depend on a sale. Use quotes for required framing and transport, and calculate commission in the sale scenario. Write down the assumptions before committing.
How much does framing cost?
It depends entirely on size, glazing and moulding, and the only useful answer is a quote from your own framer for your own piece. What matters here is that a call requiring professional framing has attached a cost to itself that is usually larger than its entry fee.
Should you insure work in transit?
Insure anything you could not afford to replace, and check whether the venue's policy covers work on its premises, in transit, or neither. Many cover the gallery and not the journey.
Can these costs be deducted?
In many places the professional expenses of a practising artist are deductible, but the rules and the evidence they require differ by country and by how you are registered. Keep the receipts and ask someone qualified locally. It is not a question a listing site can answer for you.
When the total cost is genuinely low
An online or file-only opportunity can avoid transport and framing costs. It can still impose production, participation, rights or other obligations, so check the terms rather than assuming that digital means cost-free. A genuinely low-cost opportunity is one whose actual requirements fit work and resources you already have.