For artists

Free templates

Checklists and templates for the evenings before an application, an exhibition or a sale. Each one prints as a PDF and comes as a file you can edit. No sign-up, no email.

Open call application checklist

Call: ______________________________________________

Organiser: _________________________________________

Link to the call: ___________________________________

This call's limits

Write these down before anything else.

Deadline (date, time and time zone)
Entry fee
Eligibility (age, nationality, residence, career stage)
Language required
Number of works or images allowed
Image format and size
Total upload size
Page limits (portfolio, CV, statement, proposal)
Upload method (form, email, platform)
Who to ask if something is unclear

1. Read the call (ten days before)

I have read the full call text, including the terms and any FAQ.
I meet every eligibility rule, or I have asked the organiser about the one I am unsure of.
I know exactly what acceptance gives: a show, a fee, a studio, a stipend, travel, a curator's visit.
I have costed the whole thing: entry fee, framing, crate, transport both ways, insurance, travel.
I know whether the organiser keeps the work (an acquisition prize) or takes a commission on sales, and what it is.
I know what rights in my images the organiser asks for, and for how long.
I have looked at what was selected in previous years, and my work fits the brief.

samlio.com

Open call application checklist

An open call application is usually built from images of recent work with a caption for each, a CV, an artist statement or project proposal, and sometimes a budget. Read the call's limits first, prepare the files against them, and submit at least a day before the deadline.

PDFWord

Artwork list

Artist: ______________________________________________

List prepared for: ___________________________________ Date: ______________

Columns

#	Column	What to write	Example
1	No.	The work's position in this list: 01, 02, 03	01
2	Inventory number	Your own unique code for the work, never reused	2025.014
3	Artist	Your name as you want it cited	Example Artist
4	Title	As you want it cited, in italics in captions. Untitled plus the inventory number if it has no title	Harbour at Low Water
5	Year	The year it was finished, as a number. A span if it took several (2023 to 2025). Mark uncertain years with c.	2025
6	Medium	Materials as a label would give them	Oil on linen
7	Height (cm)	The work unframed, in centimetres, as a number	120
8	Width (cm)	The work unframed, in centimetres, as a number	90
9	Depth (cm)	In centimetres. Leave empty for flat work on paper	3
10	Framed dimensions (h × w × d cm)	Only if it is shown or shipped framed
11	Edition	Number over edition size, AP for artist's proofs, unique or blank for one-off works	Unique
12	Price or insurance value	Amount and currency. Say which it is	4,800 EUR (price)
13	Image file name	The exact name of the main image file	ExampleArtist_HarbourAtLowWater_2025_01.jpg
14	Location	Where the work is now	Studio
15	Status	Available, sold, on loan, consigned, gifted	Available
16	Notes	Inscriptions on the back, exhibitions, condition	Signed and dated on verso

The list

No.	Inventory number	Artist	Title	Year	Medium	Height (cm)	Width (cm)	Depth (cm)	Edition	Price or insurance value	Image file name	Location	Status	Notes
EXAMPLE, fictional work, delete this row	2025.014	Example Artist	Harbour at Low Water	2025	Oil on linen	120	90	3	Unique	4,800 EUR (price)	ExampleArtist_HarbourAtLowWater_2025_01.jpg	Studio	Available	Signed and dated on verso
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15

The caption, built from the list

Title, year, medium, dimensions, and edition where there is one:

Harbour at Low Water, 2025, oil on linen, 120 × 90 × 3 cm (example, fictional work)

The insurance value column is for your own records and is not advice on valuation.

From samlio.com/resources/artwork-list-template

samlio.com

Artwork list template

An artwork list, or work list, is a table with one row per work: artist, title, year, medium, dimensions in height × width × depth, edition, price or insurance value, and the image file name. It is what captions, price lists, loan forms and insurance schedules are copied from.

PDFExcelCSV

Image file naming and sizing guide

1. The pattern

For an application:

Surname_Title_Year_01.jpg

Laurent_HarbourAtLowWater_2025_01.jpg
Laurent_HarbourAtLowWater_2025_02-detail.jpg
Laurent_TwoTides_2024_03.jpg

(Examples with a fictional artist and fictional works.)

Surname first, then the title written without spaces, then the year, then the position in the portfolio.
The number is the order the jury sees the images, with a leading zero: 01, 02 ... 10.
A detail or installation view keeps the work's name and adds one word after the number: -detail, -install, -verso.
The same name appears in the image file name column of your artwork list.

For your own archive, add the date you exported the copy, so versions sort by date:

Surname_Title_Year_view_YYYYMMDD.jpg

Laurent_HarbourAtLowWater_2025_front_20251014.jpg

2. Characters

Use:

Letters a to z and A to Z, without accents
Numbers 0 to 9

samlio.com

How to name and size image files for an open call

Name each image Surname_Title_Year_01.jpg, with no spaces, accents or special characters, and numbers with a leading zero so the files sort in order. Unless the call says otherwise, send JPEGs in sRGB of about 2,000 pixels on the long edge, and check the total size against the call's limit.

PDFWord