PULSE Magazine Front Cover ARTIST OPEN CALL

Pulse Issue 5 is coming out in March 2026! And we want you to design our front cover!

Issue no. 5 of Writing East Midlands’ digital and print magazine, Pulse, releases in March 2026, and we thought it’d be fun to get you, the readers, involved. We’re looking for an image to use as the front cover of this edition—whether that’s a photograph, a drawing or something else entirely—that really captures the theme of Issue 5: Masks.

We want you to send your own original designs so that we can pick our favourite! The winner of this competition will be offered a prize of £75 cash as well as a full credit and biography published on our website, in the magazine itself and across our social media. If you’d like to give it a go, make sure to submit your idea by the deadline: Wednesday 25th February 2026 at 12 pm noon.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Theme

The theme for this edition is Masks (writers TBC.)

Our writers will be looking at concepts such as cultivating a public image as a writer, especially when writing under multiple guises. How is it done, how do you do it well and what is the impact professionally, personally and creatively? How much of your true identity do you owe to your reader? Or they may examine artificial intelligence: What happens to the integrity of writing itself if AI takes a writer’s work, and their identity, as its own? From emotional vulnerability in poetry to Neurodivergence and masking through writing, we’ll be casting a light on just a few of the many dimensions of this rich theme.

We want you to capture this theme in just one image. This could be a more literal interpretation of the theme ‘masks’; it could mean focusing on one of the topics listed above; or you could relate it to your own personal experiences and associations with the word. We’re open to all sorts of ideas—the more creative, the better! And we’re more than happy for you to respond as closely or as loosely as you desire. It can be as abstract as you’d like. We can also arrange for an associated narrative to be included in the magazine if required.

Click here to take a look at some of our previous editions and get a feel for how we’ve captured our themes in the past: https://writingeastmidlands.co.uk/for-writers/pulse-magazine/

Specifications

·        High-quality JPG, PNG or PDFs only

·        2480  x 3508 pixels resolution minimum

·        300 dpi

·        Blank space (can be coloured) around one central feature is ideal but not vital—see previous editions here for inspiration

·        No text on the image—we’ll be adding this in

·        The design must be an original piece and must be your own: we will not accept art produced by AI

KEY INFORMATION

Please email your completed artwork to Lola via comms@writingeastmidlands.co.uk before the deadline. Make sure to attach your image to the email and let us know how you’d like to be credited. If you are successful, we will be in touch with you through this email address to arrange payment.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday 25th February 2025 at 12 pm noon.

If successful, you will receive a cash prize of £75, publication on the front cover of Pulse Issue 5 and full credit in the magazine, on our website and across social media.

Do get in touch if you have any questions. You can contact Lola via comms@writingeastmidlands.co.uk or Molly via hello@writingeastmidlands.co.uk

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!