Open call to submit to a zine. Grim is all about art from, by, and about the North of England. Open to any 2D art form - painting, printmaking, photography, writing, collage, and poetry

In the spirit of creating our own communities and opportunities, Grim is a zine by and for artists from, living in, or working in the North of England.

This is loosely defined as Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham, Teesside, Yorkshire, Cumbria, and Lancashire. 

We invite you to reflect on contemporary life and art in the North.

The brief is deliberately wide as we want to know what is out there and what people are working on rather than dictate the direction.

We're really keen to hear from new artists who haven't had exhibitions or publications before, or artists looking for a space for raw self expression outside of needing to tick boxes for funded projects. 

Some of the zine may be printed in black and white, please make it clear in your application if you're happy for your work to be printed in black and white or not.

Criteria for Artists: 

• Artists of any experience level, age 18 and over
• Living, working, or with a significant connection the the North of England
• New and existing work welcome
• Must be the creator and copyright holder of submitted work
• Must be able to provide print quality (300dpi) images if selected

Criteria for Artworks:

• Relevance to the theme of living and creating art in the North
• Feasibility to print in a zine
• Strength of creative voice and quality of work
• How the work sits as a whole with other selected submissions
• The work can have challenging themes and language but should not be hateful or discriminatory

Key dates: 

Open call 25th November 2024. 

Closes 14th February 2025.

Applicants notified by 21st Feb. 

High res images to be provided by 27th Feb 2025.

Zine available March / April 2025.

Transparency 

This project is unfunded, and this opportunity is unpaid. 

Copies of the zine will be abvailable at cost + p&p for contributing artists (exact price TBC).

Any profits from zine sales will be ring fenced to fund micro bursaries for unfunded Northern artists. 

If you face any barriers to application or taking part, please contact us. 

Work will not be edited without permission, but some minimal cropping may be required, and we cannot guarantee exact colour replication due to printing constraints and paper-type. 

Artists may use a pseudonym; please make this clear in your application.