Organizer Information
ZONE / The Zone Magazine is an independent, globally-oriented visual arts platform and publisher. Started as a personal research project (in 2018), ZONE aims to create dialogues between artists and audiences by publishing collective artist books — print and online — bringing together diverse visual art voices from around the world. The platform is run by its founder and operates with a commitment to giving visibility to artists regardless of background or prior recognition.
Title & Description
Open Call / ZONE 5 — Collective Book (no theme)
This open call invites artists to submit images for inclusion in ZONE’s fifth collective book. Rather than following a set theme, ZONE is interested in the “dialogues that emerge when images from different contexts begin to act like parts of a larger organism” — in other words, they look for visual works that resonate across different contributions and create new meaning when combined.
The collective book functions more like an artist book than a traditional curated magazine: each edition’s concept, size, materials, and approach may vary depending on what the submitted works evoke together.
Categories
- Visual Arts (broadly)
- Photography, Illustration, Painting, Sculpture, Design, Film-stills, Mixed-media — in short: any visual work that can be printed in a book.
Eligibility
- Open worldwide — no restrictions on nationality, age, or background.
- No prior institutional recognition or credentials required; the selection is based solely on the quality of submitted images, not on past achievements.
- Works from both emerging and lesser-known artists are explicitly encouraged.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Selected artists’ works will be published in the fifth collective book by ZONE, a high-quality offset-printed publication shared internationally.
- Even for artists not selected for the book, ZONE may share favourite works on their social media — offering visibility and exposure.
- Selected artists will have the opportunity to purchase copies of the book at 50% off.
Application Fee
- Submission fee: €10 for up to 10 images.
- Alternatively, instead of paying the fee, applicants can pre-order the book at a special discounted price — in that case, the fee is waived (or savings of €10 apply).
Application Requirements
- Up to 10 images per submission.
- File naming: each image must follow the naming convention:
FirstName_LastName_Number.jpg(e.g.Diane_Arbus_01.jpg,Diane_Arbus_02.jpg, etc.) — important for archiving contact details. - Maximum file size: no more than 2 MB per image.
- Include your Instagram username (or other contact details) as part of the submission.
- You may submit images from one or more projects; each image will be considered individually.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 31 January 2026
- Announcement of featured artists: 28 February 2026
- Book release: Expected April/May 2026
Location
Italy
Additional Details
- There is no fixed theme. The open call intentionally avoids thematic constraints — the emphasis is on the resonance between images from different contexts.
- Submission implies consent for the curator to select, sequence, and place images in the collective book at their discretion. However, ZONE commits not to crop or substantially alter images without consent.
- The print-run, design, format, and size of the collective book will depend on the character of the selected works; these variables are decided after selection.
- Submitting more than one entry is allowed — you may send multiple submissions.