Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What can I submit to the magazine?

A: Anything! We don’t care if you’re a potter, a painter, a photographer, or a pianist; we love creativity, and theonlyshape exists to showcase it. As long as you made it (or own the copyright to it) and it’s not offensive or derogatory. Basically, anything goes!

Q: What’s in it for me?

A: Well, for a start, you’ll be a published artist/photographer/writer. It’s always nice to see your name in print. And it’s even nicer when others do too; our website gets around 2000 hits per month, and each magazine gets over 17000 unique pageviews. That’s great publicity, especially when we fully credit you and your work, and link through to your website.

Q: How does it work?

A: Every three months, theonlyshape is published, both in print and online, in a browsable .pdf format. Within it’s lovingly crafted pages will be your work, alongside that of other artists. If you’re an illustrator or artist, then your work might have been twinned with the work of a poet or writer, and vice versa.
However the work has been organised, it will be all be linked by one theme…one that you, as a contributor, will have received a “briefing” on via email three months previously. Chances are, the theme will be one word, an emotion, or maybe a colour, or temperature, or object, or….you get the picture. The interpretation of that issue’s theme can be as loose or as rigid as needs be, and we’re always open to suggestion for upcoming themes!
The work will have been submitted to us before a certain deadline, in an editable format, and accompanied by the details that you wish to be included alongside your work, and if necessary, a little explanation of the link between your work and the theme.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: Nothing! It doesn’t cost you a penny. It only costs the amount of time it takes you to make and send us your creative work!

Q: What do you need to show my work?

A: Firstly, we need your work in a suitable format. As a rule of thumb, your images should be no smaller than 30cm (12″) at 300dpi, or 2000px at its longest edge. If you’re submitting music or video, then having it compressed for internet playback is best.

We also need the following details; Your Name, Your Contact details, Your Website (if you have one)

You need to make sure that you own the full display rights to your image. If you’re unsure about this, get in touch and we can help you find out.