*A free, digital-only art publication. Released quarterly, or as close as possible. Each issue, one theme.*

What this is

Blight Collective is a free PDF art magazine built entirely from donated work by independent artists. Each issue is organized around a single shared theme, assembled into one downloadable publication, and released for free to anyone who wants it. No paywall, no ads, just a curated collection of work distributed as widely as we can push it.

This is a labor of love. Contributors donate their time and work; in return, your art reaches a new audience and lives in a permanent, freely shared issue alongside other artists working in the same space.

Why Blight Collective exists

Blight Collective is, in part, a homage to *Beast Magazine* by Thomas Schostok — a free PDF publication that was a huge influence on me when I was first finding my footing as a graphic designer. The point isn’t to copy it. It’s to carry forward the same spirit: a free, experimental, no-rules space where artists push their work and share it as a collective experience rather than a commercial one. Think of Blight Collective as a playground…a place to try the thing you’ve been meaning to try, alongside other people doing the same.

this issue’s theme: vacancy

Every space in this issue was built for someone who isn’t there. Empty rooms, dead signage, the threshold you only exist to pass through — the liminal places that hold the shape of the people who’ve gone. Interpret it literally or abstractly; we’d rather see your read on it than a safe one.

Submission window opens: open now!

Submission deadline: July 31, 2026

Issue releases: august 31, 2026

who can contribute?

Open to anyone. We run an open call but will cap each issue at roughly 15-20 contributors to keep the publication coherent, so spots are first-come within the submission window. If we fill up before the deadline, we’ll roll you into consideration for the next issue. This number may also change in the future as we continue to adapt along the way.

what you’re committing to

• 1 to 3 finished pages.
  More artists = fewer pages each, so 1–3 keeps it sustainable for everyone.
• Completed, ready-to-publish work only.
  We arrange the issue but do not edit, retouch, recolor, or redesign submissions. What you send is what appears. Submit it exactly as you want it printed.
• Hitting the deadline.
  This is the one hard ask. A free project lives or dies on people delivering on time. If you can’t make it, just tell us early.

Technical specs (please read carefully)

Because we don’t adjust submissions, your files have to drop straight into the layout. Anything off-spec can’t be included.

• Format of each page: A4 portrait
• Exact dimensions: 1240 × 1754 — build your canvas at this size, full-bleed, art running to all four edges.
• Resolution / color: 150 DPI, RGB (this is screen-only — do not send CMYK).
• file type: flattened PNG or TIFF at the exact dimensions above. (Full-page PDFs accepted if exported at the same size with no crop marks or bleed.)
• File naming: `lastname_piece01.png`, `lastname_piece02.png`, etc.
• One page = one file. If you’re doing a two-page spread, contact us first so we know to keep them paired.

Creative & content guidelines

• Work must respond to the issue’s theme in some way.
• Content rating: Mature themes, dark imagery, and tasteful nudity are welcome — flag anything NSFW when you submit so we can label it. absolutely No content that is illegal, hateful, or sexualizes minors.
• Work must be original, or built from source material you have the right to use. Collage and mixed-media artists especially: you are responsible for clearing your own source material, because this gets published and distributed publicly. If you’re unsure whether something’s cleared, leave it out.
• no fully ai-generated artwork. you can use ai to generate a photo to alter or cut out, but you cannot use ai to generate the entire art piece. 

Rights & ownership

• You keep your copyright. Always. Submitting here doesn’t sign anything away.
• By submitting, you grant Blight Collective a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, display, and distribute your work in this and future issues and in related promotion of the publication; you retain full copyright and all other rights to your work.
• That’s the whole grant. It lets us publish your piece, keep the issue available for download over time, and post it when we promote the issue — nothing more.

How you’ll be credited

Every contributor gets a credit in the issue. When you submit, send:

• Name / artist name as you want it credited

• One link (portfolio, Instagram, shop — your choice)

• A short bio (1–2 sentences, optional)