Open Call | A Look Into the Theme of Women in Arts Magazine: Issue 02

At Women in Arts Network, we have always believed in the importance of creating spaces where women artists can share their work, tell their stories, and feel seen. Over time, this belief has grown into exhibitions, conversations, and opportunities that bring artists together from different parts of the world. Now, we are taking another step in that journey by bringing these stories into print through our very own magazine.

We wanted to create something artists could hold, return to, and keep. A publication that brings together different artistic voices, perspectives, and experiences in one place, giving women’s work a space beyond the digital world.

Last month, we announced the open call for the very first issue of Women in Arts Magazine. The response was incredibly heartwarming. The interest, encouragement, and love we received from artists made us even more excited about what this magazine could become. Seeing so many women eager to be part of this new chapter encouraged us to open the doors once again, this time with a theme to bring all the stories together.

For our second issue, we are inviting women artists from around the world to explore a theme that is deeply personal, yet means something different to each of us: Home.

Exploring the Theme: Home

Home can mean so many different things, and not all of them have four walls and a roof.

It might be the house you grew up in, the people you love, a city you still miss, or a place you have never quite stopped thinking about. It can be somewhere you feel safe, somewhere you had to leave, or somewhere you are still trying to find. Sometimes, home is not even a place. It is a familiar voice, a childhood memory, a language, a tradition, or simply the feeling of being yourself.

We chose Home as the theme for Issue 02 because it is something many artists have explored in their work, sometimes without even realising it. A portrait of your mother, a painting of the street you grew up on, a familiar view from your window, or a piece made using something passed down through your family can all tell a story about home.

There are so many ways to approach this theme, and we want artists to feel free to explore it in their own way. You can think about home through the places you have lived, the people who have shaped you, the memories you hold close, or the places and moments that make you feel a sense of belonging.

Here are a few directions you might explore:

The Places We Call Home

Think about the spaces that have been part of your life. A childhood bedroom, your grandmother’s kitchen, a garden, a familiar street, or the city or village you still carry with you. Sometimes, even the smallest details of a place can bring back a whole part of our lives.

The People Who Feel Like Home

For many of us, home has more to do with people than places. It might be a mother, a grandmother, a daughter, a partner, or a friend. The people who make us feel understood, safe, and loved can become our sense of home, wherever we happen to be.

Where We Come From

Our earliest memories, family traditions, cultural roots, and the little things passed down through generations can all shape our understanding of home. You might find inspiration in an old family photograph, a familiar piece of fabric, an object that has been in your family for years, or a memory of a home that no longer exists as it once did.

Leaving and Finding Home Again

Home can also be about change. Moving to a new country, leaving a familiar place behind, starting over somewhere unfamiliar, or trying to find a sense of belonging in a new environment. There are stories in the homes we leave, the ones we build, and the ones we continue to look for.

The Home We Carry Within

Sometimes, the closest thing we have to home is something we carry inside ourselves. It could be our language, our identity, our beliefs, our creative practice, or the comfort of spending time in our own company. Your artwork might explore what it means to feel at home within yourself.

Nature, Community and Belonging

Home can extend far beyond our personal spaces. It can be a familiar landscape, a coastline, a tree, an animal, a neighbourhood, or a community that makes us feel connected to the world around us. It can be about the places and living things we feel a part of.

These are simply a few ways to think about the theme, not a list of rules to follow. You might find yourself connecting with one of these ideas, combining several of them, or approaching Home in a way we haven’t mentioned at all.

We would love to see what this word brings to your mind, the memories it brings back, and the stories you choose to tell through your art. There is no single right way to represent home, and that is exactly what makes this theme so interesting.

How Do You See Home Through Your Art?

For this issue, we are interested in the many ways women artists interpret and experience the idea of home.

We want to see the personal stories, memories, emotions, and interpretations that this theme brings forward. Perhaps your work reflects the place you grew up in, the people who shaped you, or the traditions you carry with you. Maybe it explores migration, displacement, nostalgia, belonging, or the experience of building a home somewhere new.

You might also approach the theme in a more abstract or unexpected way. Home could be represented through colours, textures, familiar objects, imagined spaces, or feelings that are difficult to put into words.

There is no single way to interpret this theme, and we don’t want there to be. We are interested in the different perspectives women bring to it and the many stories that can exist under one shared idea.

Who Can Submit?

The open call is open to women and non-binary artists aged 18 and above, from anywhere in the world. Whether you are an emerging artist or have years of creative experience, we welcome you to apply.

You do not need gallery representation or an extensive exhibition history. What matters is your work and how it connects with the theme of Home.

We welcome a wide range of artistic practices, including painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, mixed media, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, photography, digital art, installation, and conceptual art.

Artists can submit up to 3 artworks, in any medium, that best represent their interpretation of the theme.

What Every Selected Artist Receives

Being featured in a print publication gives your work a place beyond your studio and social media. Every artist selected for Issue 02 will receive:

01. A Feature In The Printed Magazine

Your artwork, artist biography, and statement will be published with full artwork credits.

02. A Listing In Our Artist Index

Your name, country, medium, website, and Instagram will be included in the magazine.

03. Dedicated Social Media Promotion

A dedicated video feature and editorial post on Women in Arts Network’s Instagram.

04. A Feature In Our Newsletter

Your work will be introduced to our email subscribers.

05. A Publication Credit

A citable credit for your artist CV, portfolio, website, and future applications.

06. Consideration For The Magazine Award

Every selected artist will automatically be considered for the $500 Women in Arts Magazine Award.

Printed copies will also be available to selected artists at a contributor rate. The submission fee is $35, with no additional publication or selection fees after acceptance.

The Women In Arts Magazine Award

One selected artist will receive the Women in Arts Magazine Award, recognising an outstanding interpretation of Home.

The award includes:

• $500 cash prize
• A four-page feature in Issue 02
• A published interview about the artist’s practice and creative approach

All selected artists are automatically considered, with no separate application or additional fee. The award will be given to the artist whose work makes a particularly strong connection with the theme.

The prize will be paid through bank transfer or PayPal within 30 days of the announcement.

How Does The Selection Process Work?

Every submission will be reviewed by the Women in Arts Network editorial team through three rounds:

Round 01: Review

Submissions are checked for eligibility and image quality.

Round 02: Shortlist

Selected submissions move forward for a closer review of the artwork and the artist’s wider practice.

Round 03: Final Selection

The editorial team selects the artists for Issue 02 and the recipient of the Magazine Award.

Our selection considers four key areas:

• Quality: Thoughtful execution and development.
• Voice: A distinct artistic approach.
• Connection To The Theme: A meaningful interpretation of Home.
• Presentation: Clear, high-quality artwork images.

Your career stage, gallery representation, and social media following will not influence the selection.

Call Details: Everything You Need To Know

• Publication: Women in Arts Magazine, Issue 02
• Format: Print magazine
• Theme: Home
• Publisher: Women in Arts Network
• Eligibility: Women and non-binary artists, 18+, worldwide
• Artworks: Up to 3
• Image Format: JPEG, maximum 5 MB per image
• Submission Fee: $35
• Additional Fees After Selection: None
• Top Award: $500 + four-page magazine spread
• Deadline: November 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM (New York time)
• Results: To be announced

Selected artists will have seven days to confirm their participation after receiving their notification. High-resolution artwork files may be requested for print production.

An Invitation to Be Part of Issue 02

With every new issue, we hope to build a publication that feels like a reflection of the women who contribute to it. A collection of artwork and stories that allows readers to discover different perspectives while giving artists an opportunity to have their work featured in a physical publication.

Our first open call showed us just how much enthusiasm there is for a space like this. We are excited to see what artists bring to this next issue and how each of you will interpret a theme as familiar, meaningful, and personal as home.

If this theme speaks to you, we would love to see what you create. Perhaps your work tells a story of where you come from, where you belong, or a place that exists only in your imagination. We invite you to share your interpretation of home with us and become part of Women in Arts Magazine Issue 02.