Explorers Against Extinction

Sketch for Survival

Lower Farm Barns

Lessingham Road

Happisburgh

Norfolk NR12 0QQ

UK

**Note: A few people have queried the address.

We are based in the small village of Happisburgh in the county of Norfolk.

The postcode NR12 0QQ may bring up NORWICH (the nearest big city/mail depot to us). It is fine to include both Norwich and Happisburgh in the address: Happisburgh, Norwich, Norfolk NR12 0QQ

Sending your artwork rolled in a cardboard tube is often the easiest and most economical option. Please ensure it’s rolled carefully to avoid damage.

If you’re sending your artwork flat, here are some tips to help it arrive in perfect condition:

• Recycle stiff cardboard—slightly larger than your artwork—to protect it.

• Sandwich your artwork between two pieces of card to prevent creasing or corner damage.

• Use just two pieces of tape (ideally paper tape) to secure the edges—this is enough.

• Place the protected artwork in a (recycled) packet or envelope and send via your chosen postal service or courier.

🌍 Please avoid plastic packaging where possible.
♻️ We recycle as much packaging as we can, so minimal tape makes it quicker and easier for us to unpack and recycle your materials.

We love receiving your parcels—especially the illustrated envelopes, handwritten notes, and cards—thank you!
Parcels are usually opened once a week, and we often share the unwrapping process on our Instagram Stories. A confirmation email is sent once your artwork has been safely opened—typically on a Thursday or Friday.

It’s a very busy time of year so please don’t email us to chase safe receipt the moment you get a tracking update as it may take several days for us to process your parcel. If you have not heard anything after one week of the parcel arriving at Explorer HQ then please do drop us a line with all the relevant details.

We understand that courier services can be costly, especially for international participants.

To help keep costs down, we allow several weeks for you to send your artwork using your country’s regular postal or mailing service. While this can be slower than express options, it is usually much more affordable.

If you have friends or fellow artists also taking part, you’re welcome to combine your entries into one parcel and share the shipping cost.

When completing the shipping or customs declaration, please follow these guidelines to avoid delays or import charges:

📦 Contents Description

• List the contents as “Document”
  This simplifies the process and avoids customs charges.

🖼️ If you must declare the item as “Artwork”

• Clearly state: “Donation to Charity”

• If asked for a value, list a nominal amount (e.g. under $50) to reflect material costs only.
  This helps prevent us being charged import tax or duty.

• We are unable to accept artworks with large import duties.

Additional Shipping Information

Charity Name: Explorers Against Extinction
Project: Sketch for Survival
Charity Registration Number (UK): 1212387
EORI Number (UK): GB025052069000

Shipping Address:
Explorers Against Extinction
Sketch for Survival
Lower Farm Barns
Lessingham Road
Happisburgh
Norfolk NR12 0QQ
United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 1692 218189
Contact Name: Sara White
Email: info@realworldconservation.org.uk

If your entry has been created digitally, you will need to print your artwork at A3 or A4 size in line with the competition guidelines. Please ensure the following when preparing your submission:

• Use high-quality printing paper (e.g. fine art or photographic paper)

• Avoid distortion – the printed artwork should accurately reflect your original digital piece

• Hand-sign the front of the print

• Clearly print your name on the back

By printing and signing your digital artwork, you are authenticating it as your original work, in line with Sketch for Survival’s submission standards.

Please note that due to the rise of AI-generated content, additional verification may be required for digital entries. This may include a review of your public social media accounts for evidence of your creative process. If this is not available, we may contact you to request images or video of your workflow.

Unfortunately, we are unable to print digital entries on your behalf, so please ensure your printed and signed artwork is ready for submission by the stated deadline.

No, you do not need to mount or frame your artwork—as long as it falls within the approved size range, simply send it to us as it is.

Once the selection process is complete, we will mount or frame artworks as required for exhibition and sale.

If you discover that your artwork is too small or too large before sending, please refer to the SIZE section of the guidelines for next steps.

To ensure consistency and reduce waste, all selected artworks must fit into our standard recyclable exhibition frames. If your artwork is significantly larger or smaller than the approved size range, it unfortunately cannot be considered for selection and we ask that you do not send it. Please contact us so we can update our records.

If your artwork is only slightly outside the size guidelines but can still fit in our frames with a custom mount, then we may still be able to accept it—but you should send it to us with a pre-cut mount.

Mount requirements:

• Mount colour should be ivory or white

• Aperture should be cut to fit your artwork exactly

• External mount dimensions must be as follows:

  • A3 frame mount: 402 × 504 mm

  • A4 frame mount: 279 × 354 mm

To review full size requirements and eligibility, please visit the  competition page.

Yes, please sign your artwork on the front. This helps authenticate your piece and ensures it is ready for exhibition and sale.

You should also print your full name clearly on the back of the artwork.

If you wish, you may include a business card or certificate of authenticity with your submission. These will be kept with your piece and, if sold,  passed on to the buyer.

Yes, we do. Parcels are opened once a week and each artwork is logged and cross-checked against your submission form.

We then send a group confirmation email to the registered email address used during your original submission, confirming safe receipt.

If you haven’t received confirmation within one full week of the artwork arriving at Explorer HQ, please feel free to contact us.

Yes. All longlisted artworks are kept safe at Explorer HQ.

The 100 finalist pieces will be framed and exhibited during our public tour at gallery@oxo. These works will be sold via an online fundraising auction, which ends on Sunday 22 November. Most starting bids are £100 GBP, with all proceeds supporting our Campaign Fund.

Highly Commended artworks also contribute to the campaign. These will be available for purchase through our online shop and at pop-up stores during the exhibition tour. Visitors to gallery@oxo will be able to browse and buy these works directly from our art racks.

In some cases, artworks that narrowly missed a place in the final 100 may be selected by the panel for inclusion in either the Autumn or Spring fundraising auctions.