Selection

Works in any medium on any material may be submitted, provided they are in keeping with miniature techniques and all work is subject to selection by the Selection Committee.

Size Limits on Portraits or Subject Matter

Heads or other objects which are the primary focus of the work must not be larger than 2" (for hu.mans, 'heads' is interpreted as 'heads with normal hairstyles' and does not include hats, head-dresses or unusual built-up hairstyles; for animals or birds, 'heads' includes ears and beaks.) Animal heads may also be portraits, but cannot fall under the N.F.S rule.

Not for Sale (N.F.S) Rule for Human Portraits Only

Human portraits may be submitted N.F.S, i.e. for exhibition only. However, portrait artists benefiting from this exception must send in one non-commissioned work (not necessarily a portrait) which must be for sale and must be of equal value and quality as the commissioned work. 

Prices for portraits not for sale, including the commission due to the Society on commissioned work (no VAT will be due on commission) should be entered on the schedule in brackets before N.F.S. They will appear N.F.S in the catalogue as a useful guide to clients choosing where to place their commissions. Artists wishing to take advantage of the N.F.S rule, should note that, if the work submitted for sale is inferior in quality to the work N.F.S, all of the submitted works may be rejected by the Selection Committee.

Royal portraits are admissible only if they are bona fide commissions for which sittings have been granted, or historical, or by the Selection Committee's special permission.

Sale Prices 

All work must be for sale, except that entered under the N.F.S rule. Minimum prices are £350 for portraits, £120 for subject work and £120 for sculpture.

Number of Works

Up to five works may be submitted.

Submission and Hanging Fees

There is a submission fee of £3.00 for each work and a hanging fee of £15.00 for each selected work.

Frame Sizes

The maximum overall sizes for miniatures including picture, frame and mount if any, are: Rectangles and Ovals 4.5" x 6", Squares 4.5" x4.5" Rounds 4.5" diameter. Mounts must not be wider than 0.75" top and sides with 1" at the bottom or 0.75" all round. Frames should not be wider than 1" nor deeper than 0.75" and cannot be placed if they are very heavy. Sculpture should not exceed 8" across the longest measurement.

Presentation

Frames should be of good quality and hold the miniature work, mounts and glass securely. Pay particular attention to the mounts, they should be cut absolutely straight and not visibly overcut at the corners. Dead white mounts are not admissible. Sellotape or masking tape sealing of the back of the miniature is not acceptable. The glass must be clean, particularly inside. Non-reflective glass is not allowed. Adherence to these rules is necessary as bad presentation may prejudice acceptance. There should be absolutely no stands or other protrusions such as screw eyes on the backs of miniatures which make them difficult to hang and secure in the raked showcases, although D-rings which lie flat are acceptable.

Election to Associate Membership

The Selection Committee of the Society elects Associate Members once a year at the selection of work for the Annual Open Exhibition.

The Selection Committee looks only at the work submitted, it will not consider transparencies, photographs, web sites or CVs. Therefore, the only method of becoming an Associate Member is to submit work to the Society for the Annual Open Exhibition.

Artists wishing to be considered for Associate Membership must submit the maximum of five works. An artist who had five works accepted in the previous year should send five new works and write CANDIDATE at the top of the schedule if wishing to be considered.

Subject to the acceptance of all five works, the artist could be elected to Associate Membership, the process is by no means automatic. This means that an artist will need to have five out of five works selected in two consecutive years. 

The five works do not have to be of the same size, medium, subject or frame - they should be best work, but take note that all of one artist's work is judged at the same time for acceptance, candidates are judged against each other for Associate ship, and a well chosen set may enhance the outcome.