The 2025 Royal Watercolour Society Open

The Royal Watercolour Society has been at the heart of water-based painting for more than two centuries, supporting artists who work in watercolour, gouache, ink, acrylic and mixed water-media on paper. Its annual open-submission exhibition – now known as the RWS Open – has evolved through several titles over its 50-plus-year history, yet its purpose remains constant: to provide a major platform for outstanding contemporary work in water-media.

Today, the RWS Open stands as one of the largest exhibitions of its kind, attracting thousands of submissions from across the UK and around the world. This year’s judges – Stephen Chambers RA, Katherine Oliver (Oliver Projects), Charles Williams PRWS, Lottie Cole ARWS and Mark Entwisle RWS – selected 110 works that reflect the range, versatility and expressive potential of water-based media. From traditional approaches to more experimental methods, the 2025 exhibition highlights how artists continue to expand what is possible on paper.

Among this year’s featured artists is Lucy Spanyol, recipient of the Daler-Rowney Prize for her work Beauty Farm. Her piece stood out for its clarity, atmosphere and sensitivity, offering a compelling example of how water-media can carry both narrative and nuance. The award includes a significant selection of professional materials, supporting the next stage of her practice.

“I was delighted to be accepted to show at the Royal Watercolour Society open exhibition 2025 and even more blown away to be awarded the Daler-Rowney prize for my painting ‘Beauty Farm’.

I have painted consistently since leaving Chelsea school of art in the early 80s but have in the last 5 years, made watercolour my primary medium. My prize from Daler Rowney was the most beautiful set of Maimeri blu watercolors. They are superb quality and it’s a joy to work with these vibrant paints. My technique with watercolour, involves a balance of intentiality and the accidental. I often wash the painting right back so that I can rework into the stained areas of the painting without the paintings becoming too flat and dead and I love the traces that come through to the surface.

The fantastic thing about watercolour is that it can be worked in so many different ways. I think it’s really important to use good quality materials, especially with watercolor when you’re either starting painting or have been making work for a long time. Winning this beautiful prize was an honour!”

For emerging and established artists alike, the RWS Open is more than an exhibition; it is a forum for visibility, connection and professional growth. Awards such as the Daler-Rowney Prize underscore the Society’s commitment to championing artists working with water-based media, and to supporting the continued evolution of the medium.

The 2025 exhibition affirms the strength and relevance of water-media today, presenting work that spans delicate transparency, expressive mark-making and contemporary mixed-media approaches. As the RWS continues to foster this community, the Open remains a crucial annual moment for artists, collectors and anyone with an appreciation for the craft of painting on paper.

For more information about RWS, visit: https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/

For more information about Lucy, visit: https://www.instagram.com/lucyspanyol

(Image credit for Lucy’s picture: Adrian Flower)