The modern alternative
to OESS
OESS (Open Exhibition Submission and Selection) was built to run one art exhibition a year. Dapple is built for organisations that want to grow, without paying more every time an artist enters another work.
Last updated October 2026
What is the best alternative to OESS?
Dapple is the modern alternative to OESS (The OLIST): one platform for open calls, awards, prizes, grants, fellowships and residencies, with flat pricing instead of a charge for every artwork entered.
OESS has served UK art societies well since 2009. It was first built by an artist-curator to run a single open exhibition, and it still works best for that. As your organisation grows, per-artwork pricing means your bill grows with every work an artist enters, and every call shares the same OESS look.
On Dapple, you build and change everything yourself: fully customisable, branded forms and listing pages, a visual board for every call, judging built for selectors, and messages you send from your own dashboard whenever you want. You pay a flat plan price plus a small fee per payment, and you can pause a monthly plan between calls.
Dapple vs OESS at a glance
| At a glance | ✦ Dapple | OESS |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Open calls, awards, prizes, grants, fellowships and residencies | Art exhibitions and open calls |
| How you pay | Flat plan price, plus 2% + £0.20 per payment | Per artwork submitted, per call |
| An artist enters three works | One payment, one transaction fee | Three artworks charged |
| Between calls | Pause your monthly plan | No subscription, invoiced after each call |
| Setting up a call | You build it, and change it whenever you like | Set up for you by the OESS team |
| Forms and branding | Fully customisable, branded forms and listing pages | A standard OESS form used across all calls |
| Entry fees | Paid instantly into your own Stripe account | Paid into your own Stripe account |
| Messages to artists | Sent by you from your dashboard, whenever you want | Notifications sent by OESS on your behalf |
| AI | Optional, for admin only. People make every decision. | No AI |
| Support | Human support, onboarding calls on Growth | Human support |
Credit where it's due
What does OESS do well?
OESS is a respected, long-standing tool, built by artists for artists. If you run one open exhibition a year and it works for you, these are good reasons people stay.
Familiar to art societies
Many traditional UK art societies, including some exhibiting at the Mall Galleries, have used OESS for years.
One artist login
Artists use the same OESS account for every OESS call they enter.
Exhibition logistics
Printable artwork labels and phases that follow an exhibition, from preselection to the hang.
Human support
A small team of artists supports organisers and artists directly.
No subscription
You pay per artwork after each call closes, rather than a monthly fee.
The next step
Why do organisations switch from OESS to Dapple?
Flexibility
Is Dapple flexible enough for our exhibition and more?
Yes. Dapple handles your open exhibition from first entry to the hang, and it's flexible enough to do much more. When you're ready, add an art prize, a residency, a bursary or a people's choice award alongside it, all from one place and without adding another tool.
- Built for exhibitions: Entries, selection and delivery details for the hang.
- Room to grow: Add prizes, awards, residencies, fellowships and grants whenever you're ready.
- Each call set up your way: Its own form, fees, stages and review rounds.
- One hub: Every call and programme side by side on one screen.
- Duplicate projects: Copy last year's call, form and judging set-up in one click.
Your forms, your way
Can we build and customise our own forms?
Yes. On OESS, the OESS team sets up your call for you, using a standard form shared across every OESS call. On Dapple, you build everything yourself and can change it whenever you like, from the questions and steps to the fees and branding.
- Build it yourself: Set up and edit forms, stages and fees any time, without waiting on anyone else.
- Fully customisable: Your own questions, steps, layout, logo, images and styling on every form and listing page.
- Custom web addresses: A link you can share anywhere.
- Conditional logic: Show the right questions for each category or number of works.
- Any file type: Images, video, audio and documents, with uploads up to 1GB on Growth.
- Draft saving and reminders: Artists can finish later, and automatic reminders turn unfinished entries into completed ones.
Visual workflow
How do you manage entries in Dapple?
Every entry appears as a card with its artwork on a visual board. Instead of fixed phases, you create as many stages as your call needs and move work through them, one at a time or in bulk.
- Unlimited custom stages: From received to longlist, shortlist, selected and hung.
- Bulk actions: Move, tag or message many entries at once.
- Tags and owners: Organise entries and give each one an owner on your team.
- Automations: Tag, move and message entries automatically when they reach a stage, on Growth and Pro.
Judging
What is judging like for selectors on Dapple?
Selectors get their own login and a clear list of the work assigned to them. They view each piece at full quality, score it against your criteria and leave comments, and you see averaged scores across every judge.
- Review rounds: A first sift, a shortlist and a final selection, each with its own judges.
- Rubric scoring: Weight several criteria into one clear score, on every plan.
- Anonymous judging: Hide artist names or any other field from judges, on every plan.
- Averaged scores: Each judge scores privately, and Dapple averages the results.
- Unlimited judges: Invite as many selectors as you need on Growth.
Communication
How do you keep in touch with artists?
On OESS, notifications go out from OESS on your behalf. On Dapple, you send messages from your own dashboard whenever you want, as a group or one to one, and every reply is tracked against the artist's entry. When selection is done, you tell artists their results directly, rather than asking them to log in and check.
- On your schedule: Send results, reminders and updates whenever suits you.
- Group and 1:1 messages: Write to every artist, a stage or just one person.
- Replies tracked: Every conversation sits against the artist's entry.
- Draft reminders: Automatic nudges help artists finish entries they've started.
- In-app chat: Artists can ask your team questions while they enter.
Payments
How do entry fees work on Dapple?
Entry fees are paid through Stripe Connect straight into your own Stripe account, instantly. Artists can enter several works in one basket and pay once, so a three-work entry is one payment and one small Dapple fee.
- Paid instantly: Fees land in your own Stripe account as artists pay.
- Basket checkout: Several works, one payment.
- Flexible fees: Different prices by category or number of works.
- Simple fee: 2% + £0.20 per payment, with Stripe's processing fees separate.
Galleries and public voting
Can we show selected work online?
Yes. Publish selected work as a branded online gallery, or run a public vote for a people's choice prize. Visitors can enquire about work they love, and only verified votes count.
- Online galleries: Live in minutes, branded to match your forms, on Growth and Pro.
- Public voting: Voters verify with email, Google or Microsoft.
- Live results: Track and export votes for every finalist.
Security and support
Is Dapple secure, and who helps us set up?
Dapple is Cyber Essentials certified, runs on SOC 2-certified AWS hosting and is compliant with UK and EU GDPR. A real team helps you set up, with onboarding calls on Growth and a dedicated account manager on Pro.
- Cyber Essentials certified: Independently assessed security.
- GDPR: UK and EU GDPR compliant, with a data processing agreement.
- Single sign-on: For your team on Pro.
- Human support: Onboarding calls on Growth, a dedicated account manager on Pro.
- Peace of mind: 30-day money-back guarantee, and 10% off annual Growth and Pro for charities.
Pricing
Is Dapple cheaper than OESS?
For most calls, yes. OESS charges for every artwork submitted. Dapple charges a flat plan price plus 2% + £0.20 per payment, so an artist entering three works pays once and you pay one small fee. Monthly plans can be paused between calls, so if you run one call a year, you only pay for the months it's open.
Example: an open call receiving 1,000 artworks
OESS
£3,900
On OESS's published per-artwork rates
✦ Dapple Growth
around £1,100
Around £700 for four months on Growth, plus around £400 in Dapple transaction fees
Assumes about 2.5 artworks per artist, an average entry payment of about £40 and a Dapple fee of about £1 per payment, with Growth paid monthly for a four-month call window. Stripe's processing fees apply on both platforms and aren't included. Prices exclude VAT.
Try your own numbers in the pricing calculator, or see Dapple's pricing.
| Cost | ✦ Dapple | OESS |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly or annual plan, plus 2% + £0.20 per payment | Per artwork submitted, in tiers |
| Price | Starter £49, Growth £179, Pro £349 a month | From £4.40 per artwork for the first 500, falling to £1.90 above 2,000 |
| Minimum charge | Your plan price | £200 per call |
| Annual billing | 2 months free | No subscription |
| Pause between calls | Monthly plans | Not applicable |
| Stripe processing fees | Paid separately | Paid separately |
| Charity and non-profit discount | 10% off annual Growth and Pro | Not listed |
| Free account to build and test | ✓ | Demo on request |
| 30-day money-back guarantee | ✓ | Not listed |
Customer story
What happened when No Place Art moved from OESS?
No Place Art runs a juried painting and printmaking exhibition with seven judges. After moving from OESS to Dapple, year on year they saw more artists, more artworks and thousands saved in platform costs.
+30%
More artists, from about 450 to 550
+40%
More artworks submitted
2.3 → 2.6
Average artworks per artist
4.9★
Artist submission experience rating
OESS is fine if you're a local art society running one small call a year. We'd outgrown it, and we were paying a lot for the privilege of doing so.
Rowan, Founder, No Place Art
Reach
How will artists find our call without The OLIST?
The OLIST lists OESS calls and sends a weekly email to artists registered with OESS. It's a useful extra, but most organisations already reach their artists through their own mailing lists, websites and social channels, and that audience comes with you to Dapple.
To reach further, Dapple shares opportunities with partner databases, including Starving Artists in the UK and ArtDeadline in the US, so your call is seen by artists well beyond your own network and beyond a single platform's list.
Side by side
Dapple vs OESS: features compared
Features on both platforms, based on OESS's public information.
| Feature | ✦ Dapple | OESS |
|---|---|---|
| Programmes | ||
| Open calls and art exhibitions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Awards, prizes, grants, fellowships and residencies | ✓ | Built around artworks |
| Fund management for grants | Growth and Pro | Not listed |
| Forms & entries | ||
| Build and edit your own forms | ✓ | Built for you by OESS |
| Fully customisable, branded forms | ✓ | Standard OESS form |
| Custom web address for each call | ✓ | OESS web address |
| Custom questions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Conditional logic | All plans | Not listed |
| File uploads | Any file type, up to 1GB on Growth | Up to 6 images per artwork |
| Draft saving | ✓ | Not listed |
| Automatic draft reminders | ✓ | Not listed |
| Workflow | ||
| Stages | Unlimited custom stages on a visual board | Fixed phases (preselection, final selection, hang) |
| Bulk actions, tags and submission owners | ✓ | Not listed |
| Automations | Growth and Pro | Not listed |
| CSV reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| Judging | ||
| Judge and selector logins | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scoring | Rubric scoring on all plans | ✓ |
| Review rounds | Multiple on Growth, unlimited on Pro | Fixed phases |
| Anonymous judging (hidden fields) | All plans | Not listed |
| Scores averaged across judges | ✓ | Not listed |
| Judges | Unlimited on Growth | Not listed |
| Communication | ||
| Who sends messages | You, from your own dashboard | OESS, on your behalf |
| Group and 1:1 messaging | ✓ | Not listed |
| Replies tracked against each entry | ✓ | Not listed |
| Telling artists their results | Message them from Dapple | Artists log in to check |
| In-app chat for applicants | ✓ | Not listed |
| Intelligence & integrations | ||
| AI agents for admin (optional) | Growth and Pro | No AI |
| Connect to Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor | Growth and Pro | Not listed |
| Zapier, webhooks and API | Pro | Not listed |
| Showcase & reach | ||
| Online gallery | Growth and Pro | Free |
| Public voting | Growth and Pro | ✓ |
| Listings beyond your own audience | Partner databases incl. Starving Artists and ArtDeadline | The OLIST listing and weekly email |
| Security & support | ||
| Cyber Essentials certified | ✓ | Not listed |
| Single sign-on (SSO) | Pro | Not listed |
| Onboarding calls | Growth and Pro | Not listed |
| Dedicated account manager | Pro | Not listed |
OESS information is based on oess.org.uk, OESS's published per-artwork price sheet and other publicly available information as of October 2026. "Not listed" means we couldn't find the feature in OESS's public information. Prices exclude VAT.
Dapple vs OESS: FAQs
Dapple is the modern alternative to OESS (The OLIST) for art societies, galleries, open exhibitions and art prizes that want to grow. It runs open calls, awards, prizes, grants, fellowships and residencies from one platform, with fully branded forms, visual workflows and judging built for selectors.
Instead of a charge for every artwork submitted, Dapple has a flat plan price plus 2% + £0.20 per payment, so your costs don't rise every time an artist enters another work.
For most open calls, yes. OESS charges per artwork submitted, per call, starting at £4.40 per artwork for the first 500, with a £200 minimum. Dapple charges a flat plan price plus 2% + £0.20 per payment, so an artist entering three works in one basket is one payment, not three charges.
On OESS's published rates, a call receiving 1,000 artworks costs £3,900. On Dapple Growth, paying monthly for a four-month call window, the same call costs around £1,100 including Dapple's transaction fees. Stripe's processing fees apply on both platforms. You can try your own numbers in the Dapple pricing calculator.
OESS is best for traditional UK art societies running an annual open exhibition. It was first built in 2009 for a single exhibition and spread through UK art societies, including societies exhibiting at the Mall Galleries. Artists use one login across every OESS call, it prints artwork labels, there's no subscription, and a small team of artists provides human support.
Dapple suits organisations that want to grow: running several calls, awards, prizes, grants or residencies from one platform, with their own branding and pricing that doesn't rise with every extra artwork.
Yes. On Dapple you build every form, stage and fee yourself, and can change them whenever you like, with no need to wait for anyone else. Forms are fully customisable, from the questions, steps and conditional logic to your own logo, images and styling.
On OESS, the OESS team sets up your call for you, using a standard form shared across every OESS call. If you'd like a hand on Dapple, our team can help you build your first call.
Yes. Most organisations already reach artists through their own mailing lists, websites and social channels, and those keep working with Dapple. Each call gets its own branded listing page with a custom web address you can share anywhere.
Dapple also shares opportunities with partner databases, including Starving Artists in the UK and ArtDeadline in the US, so your call reaches artists beyond your own network.
Only if you choose to. Dapple's AI agents are optional and handle the admin side, such as checking entries against your eligibility rules, writing summaries, tagging and sending entries to the right judges. They don't judge the art. Your selectors view, score and choose the work, and people make every decision.
OESS promises artists "No AI". If that matters to your artists, you can run Dapple with its AI features switched off.
Yes. Dapple's monthly plans have no lock-in, and our team can pause your plan between calls, so an organisation running one open call a year only pays for the months it's open. If you run calls all year, annual billing gives you two months free.
Yes. Export your selected entries, with each work's details such as title, medium, dimensions and price, to plan your exhibition. Follow-up forms collect delivery details from selected artists, so you know how and when each work will arrive.
You tell them directly. Message selected and unselected artists in bulk or one by one from your own Dapple dashboard, whenever you want, and every reply is tracked against the artist's entry. On OESS, notifications are sent by OESS on your behalf, and artists log in to the call to check whether their work has been selected.
Yes. Dapple is Cyber Essentials certified and compliant with UK and EU GDPR, with a data processing agreement available. It runs on SOC 2-certified AWS hosting, and Pro includes single sign-on for your team.
Not hard. Our team helps you build your first call on Dapple, from the entry form and payment options to review rounds for your selectors, as we did when No Place Art moved from OESS. You can also create a free account and test your whole call before you pay, and every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Ready for your next call?
Build and test your call on a free account, or talk to our team about moving from OESS.