Organizer Information
NOIA, taking its title from the Italian word for boredom, is an independent, ad-free contemporary art and print publication founded in 2021. Rooted in horizontal collaborations among a global network of artists, designers, photographers, and critical writers, the magazine brings together diverse creative voices to engage with pressing societal themes. For each publication cycle, the core editorial team invites a different visiting art director to join the collective, shaping a distinct visual identity, typographic voice, and curated aesthetic experience for every printed edition.
Title & Description
NOIA Magazine Issue 5 Open Call.
The editorial board is officially accepting entries for its upcoming print edition, designed around the central theme: "Deviation as method." This issue investigates the conceptual and practical steps of intentionally diverging from established standards, maps, and conventions to explore uncharted intellectual and physical territory. The project examines deviation not merely as an accidental error, but as a calculated process of sustained effort that exists in active tension with "the norm." By treating mistakes, glitches, and unexpected meetings as expected components of a creative practice, this cycle questions how deviations compound over time to create entirely new meanings, scientific breakthroughs, or alternative visual systems.
The Two Strategic Entry Tracks:
To build a cohesive aesthetic dialogue across the printed pages, the open call operates via two separate entry pathways:
- The Track for Images (Diptych Curation): Seeking compelling photographs, digital prints, documentation of material sculptures, and fine art graphics. Selected imagery will be paired side by side to create striking, cross-disciplinary visual diptychs, forging unexpected thematic convergences between two independent artists.
- The Track for Texts (Creative Interventions): While traditional text-based essays are welcomed, the publication highly encourages boundary-pushing, hybrid proposals that challenge the printed page. Eligible formats include visual essays, experimental poetry, graphic text interventions, deconstructed prose, and layout-driven research.
Categories
- Visual Arts, Photography / Graphic Design
- Writing / Literature, Poetry
Eligibility
- Global Scope: Open to international artists, writers, poets, designers, and creative researchers of any age or background.
- Linguistic Mandate: All applications and final works must be submitted exclusively in English. Because the magazine operates with a multi-national team, non-English text entries or files cannot be considered and will be automatically rejected.
Program Benefits and Author Remuneration
Selected contributors participate in a grassroots publishing project dedicated to ethical creative dissemination, receiving:
- Print Publication Feature: Inclusion within the highly curated, beautifully produced physical pages of NOIA Magazine Issue 5, printed without commercial advertising clutter.
- Global Distribution: Dynamic visibility across international contemporary art spaces, independent bookshops, cultural presentations, and the magazine's digital platforms.
- Remuneration Models: Operating as a self-funded, grassroots project working toward fair compensation, NOIA offers selected participants the following options:
- For Selected Artists (Images): A token appreciation payment of 8€ (which can be accepted directly or pooled into a collective bulk donation made by the magazine to a designated charity).
- For Selected Authors (Text): A symbolic payment of 30€ (available for direct transfer, charitable donation, or exchanged for a free printed copy of the magazine delivered as a token of gratitude).
Fees
- Application Fee: None (Completely free to submit).
Application Requirements
Dossiers must be logged through the official digital registration form. Ensure your textual or visual layout files are fully prepared and saved before opening the interface.
- Complete personal profile details and accurate contact coordinates.
- Selection of your specific submission stream (Track for Images or Track for Texts).
- Upload of your creative assets in a high-quality PDF format.
- Technical System Constraints: Image files or text PDFs must be optimized for direct review. To streamline evaluation, links to external cloud services (such as Google Drive or Dropbox) or personal website domains inserted in place of file uploads will not pass administrative review.
How to Apply?
Fill out the central application form, define your targeted submission track, upload your curated portfolio or text layout as a single PDF, and lock your entry. Apply to the NOIA Magazine Issue 5 Open Call.
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: Saturday, June 20, 2026.
- Evaluation Window: Approximately 4 weeks following the deadline cutoff. Every submission receives detailed curatorial care, and official selection results will be dispatched to all applicants via email.
Location
Online / Virtual Application with international print distribution headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Additional Details
By finalizing your entry, you verify that you hold exclusive copyright ownership over all shared text and visual elements. Selected print content will be reproduced exactly in the structural layout and form in which it was originally submitted. While authors and image makers retain full long-term copyright over their individual practices, submission grants NOIA Magazine a non-exclusive license to utilize, adapt, share, and publish the pieces for international promotional features across web domains, public presentations, and social media channels.