Open Call — 2025 Visible Mag Contemporary Art Essay Prize
A celebration of the diverse perspectives in the arts
About the Magazine
Visible is an experimental, open-ended magazine. From personal to systemic challenges, creatives share the invisible parts of their lives — and offer hope for change. Philosophical and theoretical discourse are welcomed but not required. These are the stories from the makers on the vanguard of culture.
About the 2025 Visible Mag Contemporary Art Essay Prize
Writers play a critical role in the art and culture ecosystem. They help us make sense of who we are, how we live, and the goals we aspire to. The 2025 Visible Mag Contemporary Art Essay Prize looks for unexpected insights on art and culture today. In line with the Magazine’s experimental nature, we are happy to accept short essays that reference photography in any way for this year’s prize.
The Essay Prize is a celebration of the diverse perspectives in the arts. You are welcome to address the topic of the Prize from any perspective, such as economic, financial, sociological, historical, political, anthropological, anecdotal, legal, conservation, critical, cultural, Science, Technology, and Society (STS), and transdisciplinary.
Eligibility
The ideal essay for the Prize is around 500 - 1000 words, with no more than 1500 words all inclusive. A strong essay will present a coherent argument in an accessible, personable voice to a general audience.
Essays already published or offered for publication elsewhere (whether in print or digital e.g. websites or social media) are not eligible.
Images, illustrations, and footnotes are not supported by the submission form.
There is no age or education requirement.
Submission Materials
Personal details (name, email address, a link to your profile e.g. personal website)
Essay (title, and body)
Submission form: https://visible.fillout.com/t/u7jtCfLXmKus
Timeline and Awards
Submissions are due 31 December 2025. We will announce the shortlist and invite shortlisted authors for an interview to discuss their essays with the jury in January 2026. The finalists and winner of the Essay Prize will be announced around March 2026.
Essays by the finalists and winner of the Essay Prize will be published by Visible.
The winner of the Essay Prize will be awarded membership to Visible’s Founding Patron program.
Fees
You are welcome to submit as many essay entries as you would like. The first entry is pay-what-you-can. You may select 0 GBP at checkout to submit your first entry to the Essay Prize for free. Each additional entry is 15 GBP.
Jury
The Essay Prize is adjudicated by the founding editor of Visible Mag, M. Freddy. Author of 5 Ideas from Global Diplomacy, he has been an advocate for the idea of culture as critical infrastructure and presented at venues including MIT, Boards Impact Forum, as well as the United Nations. He currently co-directs the Center for Global Agenda (CGA) and directs the Venture Strategy Group (VSG) at Unbuilt Labs, serves as an Expert at UNESCO, and mentors at the Yale University Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking. As part of his contemporary art practice, he draws, conducts instant film photoshoots, co-organizes the “Instant Film as Contemporary Art Monthly Series”, and edits Visible Mag. He holds a B.F.A. from the Parsons School of Design as well as an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University. He was a Departmental Visiting Student at the University of Oxford, and a student of James Romberger, an artist in the East Village canon alongside Basquiat, Wojnarowicz, and McGinley.
Questions
Please email MFreddy.studio@gmail.com.