Submitting your creative response
Please read the information on this page before submitting.
There are two steps you need to complete:
Step one – Fill in the short form here
Please note, this form asks for a title, short description of your work and any supporting information you wish to include. We recommend that you write your answers in a Word document before copying it over to the submission form, as the form may refresh if unused for a period of time.
Step two – e-mail images of your response to education@courtauld.ac.uk
Please enter the subject title ‘Sense of Self Submission – YOUR NAME‘
Once both steps are complete you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow five working days for this to be processed. If you do not receive an e-mail after five working days, please e-mail: education@courtauld.ac.uk
Sense of Self - Submission Guidance
This video has been created to support students document and submit their responses to Sense of Self. Sense of Self is a Live Brief for state school students and community groups, asking them to respond to Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889. Selected participants will have the opportunity to display their work in The Courtauld Gallery during Autumn 2025. The film features artwork created by artist Toya Walker and student Heidi Wunsche.
Submissions
Selected responses will be displayed in The Courtauld Gallery from Autumn 2025. Please view our submission details, guidance and entry criteria below.
Important dates:
Submissions open: Now
Submission deadline: Thursday 31 July 2025
Please keep all submitted artwork safe until we have notified participants. Selected artists will work with our gallery team between July and August to ensure safe delivery of artworks. The display will open in Autumn 2025. Submissions that are not selected for the display will be considered for our online exhibition, launching Autumn 2025.
Submission criteria
You must be currently studying in a UK based state school/college, homeschooled or have participated in Sense of Self as part of a community group with The Courtauld.
You can submit only one response, which must be your own work. This response can feature a series of components (for example, a series of photographs).
You are allowed to work collaboratively. Submissions will be accepted by individuals or groups working together.
Format:
You are encouraged to create a response to Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889) in any media. This could include spoken word, a performance, an essay, a video, photograph(s), or an artwork in any media.
Please submit a digital image or file of your creative response with a short explanation of your work initially. If your work is selected for exhibition at The Courtauld, we will work with you to collect your work free of charge.
Submitting an artwork:
Your submission must be high-res JPEG files (or equivalent). We recommend high resolution images of at least 300dpi.
Your submission can be a photograph or a scan and can be imbedded within a Word or PowerPoint document.
If your work is too large to e-mail (for example, a video), please e-mail: education@courtauld.ac.uk and we will send a large file transfer link.
Submitting a document:
Please submit your response within a Word, PDF or PowerPoint format.
If your submission is in a unique format (ie requires a special software to open) please e-mail us before submitting: education@courtauld.ac.uk
Size
You are welcome to create a large-scale response, however we recommend submissions are no bigger than A1 (594 x 841 mm). Due to the limitations of the gallery size, larger submissions will limit your chances of being selected to showcase your work at The Courtauld.
Work bigger than A1 can still be submitted in a digital format and will be considered for our online Sense of Self exhibition, launching in Autumn 2025.
Documenting your work
Clear and professional documentation is a vital skill when creating artwork. Please consider the following before submitting your response.
Taking images of your artwork:
- Consider the background behind your artwork. Can you see anything which isn’t part of your artwork? Can you put a white backdrop behind your work, or tightly crop your image?
- We wish to see the detail of your artwork, please take high quality images.
- Make sure your image is well lit with equal lighting. This will enable you to capture better colours and details and reduce any shadows.
Writing about your artwork:
- Does your artwork have a title? How would you describe your work to someone else? Think about how this may change how people engage with or understand your work.
- Is there an aspect of the artwork that you can’t tell from your submission? For example, is there a moving part, or a way in which the audience is meant to interact with it, that we can’t see from your submitted image. How would you like it to be displayed?
Safety
Carefully consider your use of materials, ensuring these are safe for display in a public gallery space. You are responsible for the safety of yourself and others while creating your response.
Please note that it won’t be possible to exhibit very fragile artworks within the gallery.