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Submission Guidelines

Last updated: 27th June 2026

1. WHO CAN SUBMIT AND WHAT MIDLE IS LOOKING FOR

MIDLE is an independent creative publication and platform supporting people moving between education and professional practice.

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We publish creative work, processes and perspectives that deserve a public life beyond assessment, portfolio PDFs and degree shows.

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Submitting work to MIDLE is free.

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MIDLE welcomes submissions from:

  • current university and college students;

  • recent graduates;

  • postgraduate students;

  • self-taught emerging creatives;

  • early-career practitioners;

  • collaborative student or graduate groups;

  • people developing a new creative practice or changing disciplines.

You do not need to study Graphic Design or attend a particular institution.

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MIDLE welcomes work across creative disciplines, including:

  • graphic and communication design;

  • illustration;

  • editorial design and publishing;

  • zines and artist books;

  • branding and visual identity;

  • typography and type design;

  • packaging;

  • campaigns and socially engaged design;

  • photography;

  • fine art;

  • animation;

  • film and moving image;

  • costume, production and set design;

  • product and object design;

  • interiors and spatial practice;

  • fashion and textiles;

  • games and interactive work;

  • sound and music projects;

  • performance documentation;

  • creative writing;

  • research-led and process-led practice;

  • collaborative and cross-disciplinary projects;

  • experimental or unfinished work where the process is meaningful.

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Each submission call may include a specific theme, question, deadline or format. These details will be shown on the relevant submission page.

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MIDLE is particularly interested in work that demonstrates:

  • a clear idea or point of view;

  • originality and personal voice;

  • thoughtful experimentation;

  • evidence of process and development;

  • relevance to the current issue or MIDLE’s wider purpose;

  • an ability to explain why the project matters;

  • potential for strong print or digital presentation;

  • an honest reflection on creative development.

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MIDLE is not only interested in highly polished commercial work.

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A developing project, personal experiment, research process or unfinished idea may be as relevant as a fully resolved outcome.

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MIDLE also aims to represent a broad range of:

  • creative disciplines;

  • educational routes;

  • institutions;

  • identities;

  • experiences;

  • locations;

  • working methods;

  • and perspectives.

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Selection is based on the quality and relevance of the submission, but also on creating a balanced and coherent publication.

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Contributors under 18

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People under 18 may submit work but should state this during the submission process.

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Before publishing identifiable work, images or personal information from somebody under 18, MIDLE may require permission from:

  • a parent;

  • a guardian;

  • a responsible educator;

  • or an authorised representative of their institution.

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Contributors under 18 should not submit a home address, private telephone number or unnecessary sensitive personal information.

2. WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR SUBMISSION

Unless a particular submission call states otherwise, you should provide the following information and material.

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Your details

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Please include:

  • your full name;

  • your preferred published name;

  • your email address;

  • your location;

  • your institution, course and year, where relevant;

  • your graduation year, where relevant;

  • your portfolio, website or social-media link, where available.

Pronouns may be included but are optional.

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Your biography

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Provide a short biography of approximately 80–150 words.

This could explain:

  • your creative discipline;

  • your current stage of education or practice;

  • the themes you are interested in;

  • the methods or materials you use;

  • what you are currently exploring;

  • where people can find more of your work.

The biography does not need to sound overly formal or corporate.

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Your project information

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Please include:

  • the project title;

  • the discipline or format;

  • a description of approximately 150–300 words;

  • the context in which the project was created;

  • your role, particularly if the project was collaborative;

  • why the work matters to you;

  • what you learned through the process;

  • how the project relates to your development as an emerging creative.

You may also be asked to respond to additional questions connected to the theme of a particular issue.

Images and supporting material

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Where relevant, submit approximately 5–10 strong images that clearly communicate the project.

Preferred image guidance:

  • JPG, PNG or TIFF;

  • at least 2,000 pixels on the longest edge;

  • ideally suitable for reproduction at 300 dpi;

  • sRGB or CMYK colour mode;

  • no unnecessary watermarks;

  • clearly named files.

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Use file names such as:

SURNAME_PROJECTTITLE_01.jpg

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For collaborative projects, use:

GROUPNAME_PROJECTTITLE_01.jpg

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Avoid unclear file names such as:

  • final-final-2.jpg;

  • screenshot123.png;

  • IMG_4578.jpg.

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For film, animation, sound, games or interactive work, provide:

  • a reliable viewing link;

  • any required password;

  • a short explanation of how the work should be experienced;

  • still images suitable for print;

  • credits for music, performers, collaborators and other material.

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For writing, provide an editable text document rather than text contained only within an image.

Do not send original artwork, objects or irreplaceable material unless MIDLE has specifically requested and agreed to receive it.

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Captions and credits

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Provide accurate captions and credits for all submitted material.

This may include:

  • photographer credits;

  • collaborator names;

  • models or performers;

  • tutors or institutions where relevant;

  • commissioners or clients;

  • materials or production methods;

  • copyright owners;

  • music, writing or third-party assets.

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Accessibility information

Where possible, include:

  • short descriptions of important images;

  • captions for visual work;

  • transcripts for audio;

  • captions or transcripts for moving-image work;

  • warnings for flashing imagery or loud sound;

  • content notes for potentially distressing material.

MIDLE may adapt submitted descriptions for alt text, captions and accessible digital material.

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You can also tell MIDLE about any communication or access requirements connected to:

  • submitting work;

  • attending a meeting;

  • taking part in an interview;

  • reviewing edits;

  • attending a photoshoot;

  • or participating in an event.

Contact hello@midle.co if you need an alternative way to submit.

3. COPYRIGHT, PERMISSIONS AND PUBLICATION

You retain ownership and copyright of your original work.

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Submitting work to MIDLE does not transfer copyright to MIDLE.

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By submitting, you confirm that:

  • the work is your own or you have authority to submit it;

  • the information you provide is accurate;

  • all collaborators have been informed;

  • you have permission to publish identifiable people;

  • you have permission to use commissioned, client or third-party material;

  • publication will not breach confidentiality;

  • publication will not breach an employment, client or institutional agreement;

  • the work does not knowingly infringe another person’s rights.

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Selected submissions

If your work is selected, MIDLE will ask you to confirm a contributor agreement or publication permission.

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This will normally give MIDLE non-exclusive permission to:

  • reproduce the selected work;

  • edit and design the feature;

  • crop, resize or reformat images;

  • edit written material for clarity, length and house style;

  • publish the work in the relevant printed edition;

  • publish the work in a digital edition;

  • display selected material on the MIDLE website;

  • use reasonable images, quotations or extracts to promote the publication;

  • include the feature in MIDLE’s publication archive.

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A non-exclusive permission means you remain free to publish, display and use your work elsewhere.

MIDLE will not sell or license your work to an unrelated commercial third party without discussing this with you.

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MIDLE will not use selected work on unrelated merchandise without separate permission.

Editing and approval

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MIDLE may edit written material for:

  • spelling;

  • grammar;

  • clarity;

  • length;

  • consistency;

  • accessibility;

  • editorial tone.

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MIDLE will not intentionally change the meaning of your words.

Significant changes, rewritten quotations or substantial editorial additions will be shown to you before publication.

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Selected contributors will normally have an opportunity to check:

  • their name;

  • biography;

  • course or role;

  • project title;

  • factual information;

  • credits;

  • quotations;

  • and the use of their submitted work.

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Final decisions about layout, sequencing, typography, cropping and editorial presentation remain with MIDLE.

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Third-party material

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You must clearly identify anything you did not create.

This may include:

  • photography;

  • illustration;

  • music;

  • film clips;

  • typefaces;

  • writing;

  • logos;

  • client assets;

  • research data;

  • images of identifiable people;

  • archive material;

  • stock imagery.

Provide correct credits and explain what permission you hold.

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MIDLE may ask for evidence of permission or remove material that cannot be cleared for publication.

Generative AI

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AI-assisted projects may be considered where the use of AI is intentional, relevant and clearly disclosed.

Tell MIDLE:

  • which tools were used;

  • which parts of the work were generated or assisted;

  • how you directed and edited the output;

  • how the work developed beyond the initial output;

  • why the technology was appropriate to the project.

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Do not submit AI-generated work that:

  • imitates a living artist without permission;

  • misrepresents your creative contribution;

  • falsely presents generated material as documentary evidence;

  • uses confidential or private information;

  • includes material you do not have permission to publish;

  • creates misleading representations of identifiable people;

  • cannot be explained in terms of authorship and process.

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MIDLE may decline work where authorship, originality, permissions or creative contribution are unclear.

Sensitive or potentially harmful content

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MIDLE may publish work addressing difficult personal, political or social subjects where it is handled thoughtfully.

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Submissions must not contain unlawful, threatening, hateful, discriminatory, exploitative or deliberately misleading material.

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Tell MIDLE where content may require a clear reader warning.

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MIDLE may decline or remove a submission where publication could:

  • create unreasonable harm;

  • breach someone’s privacy;

  • expose an identifiable person without permission;

  • infringe copyright;

  • create legal risk;

  • conflict with MIDLE’s community purpose.

4. SELECTION, CONTRIBUTOR SUPPORT AND WITHDRAWAL

Submitting work does not guarantee publication.

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MIDLE is independently produced and may receive more suitable submissions than can fit within a single issue.

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The editorial process may include:

  • reviewing all eligible submissions;

  • assessing relevance to the issue;

  • considering visual and editorial quality;

  • checking permissions;

  • balancing disciplines and perspectives;

  • requesting additional information or files;

  • contacting selected contributors;

  • developing text and layouts;

  • providing a contributor proof;

  • confirming final credits and permissions.

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Editorial decisions are made by people.

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MIDLE does not use automated systems to make final selection decisions.

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MIDLE may be unable to assess a submission where:

  • required information is missing;

  • files cannot be opened;

  • links do not work;

  • passwords are incorrect;

  • image quality is too low;

  • permissions are unclear;

  • credits are incomplete;

  • attempts to contact the contributor receive no response.

Submissions received after a stated deadline may be considered for a later issue but this cannot be guaranteed.

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Feedback

MIDLE aims to make the submission process supportive and approachable.

However, because MIDLE is independently produced, individual feedback may not be available for every unsuccessful submission.

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Where possible, contributors may receive:

  • a short decision message;

  • requests for clarification;

  • guidance about missing files;

  • suggestions for a future submission;

  • or an invitation to develop the project further.

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An unsuccessful submission does not mean the work lacks value or quality.

A project may not be selected because of:

  • limited space;

  • similarity to another feature;

  • the balance of the issue;

  • image quality;

  • permissions;

  • theme relevance;

  • production limitations.

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Fees, payment and contributor copies

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There is no fee to submit work.

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MIDLE will not ask contributors to pay for editorial selection or publication.

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Selection does not automatically create employment or guarantee payment.

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Any contributor fee, commission, expense arrangement or complimentary copy will be explained and agreed before publication.

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MIDLE aims to be transparent about available budgets and resources.

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Promotion

Selected contributors may be asked to approve the use of limited images, quotations and project information to promote:

  • the relevant issue;

  • pre-orders;

  • launches;

  • exhibitions;

  • events;

  • the MIDLE website;

  • MIDLE social-media channels;

  • future reporting on the publication’s reach and impact.

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Promotional use will remain connected to MIDLE and the contributor’s published feature.

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Withdrawing a submission

You may withdraw an unselected submission by emailing:

hello@midle.co

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After selection, contact MIDLE as soon as possible if you need to withdraw.

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Once material has entered final production, printing or public distribution, complete withdrawal may no longer be possible.

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MIDLE cannot normally recall:

  • physical copies that have already been printed;

  • copies that have already been sold or distributed;

  • archived copies held by libraries, institutions or contributors;

  • promotional material already lawfully published and shared.

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MIDLE will consider reasonable requests concerning future digital and promotional use.

Privacy

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Personal information submitted to MIDLE will be handled in accordance with the MIDLE Privacy Policy.

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Only information agreed for publication will appear publicly.

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MIDLE will not publish private contact details such as:

  • personal email addresses;

  • private telephone numbers;

  • home addresses;

  • billing information;

  • private correspondence.

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Questions and alternative formats

Contact hello@midle.co if:

  • you are unsure whether your work is suitable;

  • you cannot use the standard submission form;

  • you need an alternative submission format;

  • you require assistance preparing files;

  • you want to discuss accessibility requirements;

  • your project includes complex permissions;

  • your project contains sensitive material;

  • you need clarification about copyright or credits.

Asking for help or clarification will not count against your submission.

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