Each of the three selected artists will receive a £750 commission, with their work showcased across the town centre as part of the 2026 exhibition.
Creative Croydon has, since its launch in 2022, transformed the town centre into an open-air gallery each year, showcasing work by local artists to residents, workers and visitors.
Across its previous editions, the project has featured a wide range of artistic practices, from illustration and printmaking through to textile-based work and experimental digital techniques. This diversity has become a defining feature of the programme, reflecting the creative identity of Croydon as layered, experimental and culturally varied.
The initiative has also supported artists at very different stages of their careers, from those exhibiting publicly for the first time to practitioners whose work has achieved national and institutional recognition.
The 2026 edition will introduce a refreshed banner design and updated visual identity, marking a new chapter for the project while retaining its core aim of celebrating local creativity in public space.
There is no set theme for this year’s open call. Instead, artists are invited to submit three pieces of work in any static medium, either existing or newly created for the competition. Submissions do not need to reference Croydon directly but must be suitable for large-scale outdoor display in portrait format.
Entries will be reviewed by a peer-led judging panel made up of previous Creative Croydon artists, continuing a model that places past participants at the heart of the selection process. The 2026 panel includes 2025 winners Alec Saunders, Alex Mouette and Shirley Shepard, alongside 2024 winners Iulia Taropa, Autumn Ng Fong Tiao and Erika Gomez.
This approach has been central to the programme, embedding continuity and community ownership into the project while ensuring decisions are shaped by artists with lived experience of the exhibition.
Creative Croydon remains open to anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough, with past participants including professional artists, students, teachers, retirees, self-taught creatives and individuals balancing artistic practice alongside other careers.
The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 9 June at 5pm, with full entry details and application guidance available via the Croydonist.
To apply, visit: https://www.31percentwool.com/enter-creative-croydon-2026
Three artists will be selected to feature in the 2026 exhibition, with their work displayed across Croydon town centre throughout the summer.
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