Source is a quarterly photography magazine, available in print and as a digital edition, published in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We publish emerging photographic work and engage with the latest in contemporary photography through news, thoughtful features and reviews of the latest exhibitions and books from Ireland and the UK.

Writing Prize:

We are always looking for new writers to contribute to Source. If you've not written for Source before we invite you to send us an article. The winning entry will receive £500 / 570 Euro and we will either publish it or commission you to write an article for us in the future. All short listed entries will also be considered for publication or for future commissions. (paid)

Most of the writing in Source takes a specific form: book reviews, exhibition reviews or texts introducing sets of pictures, so these would be good models to follow. But we are also interested in others forms of writing so if you want to submit something in a different form then please do. Our interest in photography is not only about the photographs that appear in books and exhibitions; it touches most aspects of life and we like to read about those encounters too. This could be an article about a particular photograph of historical, aesthetic or biographical interest to you. It could be about some cultural or philosophical aspect of photography. It could be something we've not thought about. We enjoy writing that is thoughtful, funny, well researched and surprising. It could be personal or dispassionate. It could be fun, or deadly serious. It might shed new light on something we thought we knew or introduce us to something we've never heard of before.

Who can submit?

To submit you must either be a subscriber (print or digital) or have bought a copy of Source within the last 12 months. (Subscriptions and single copies are available via our online shop ▸). For proof needed see below.

The rules:

1. You should not have written for Source before.
2. The article must be no more than 700 words.
3. The article should not have been published previously.
4. It should include your name and contact email.
5. In addition, 50 words (approx.) telling us about something you enjoyed in a recent issue of Source and why. You must include proof of your subscription or recent purchase (such as a photograph of your copy or screenshot of your order receipt).
6. Your submission should reach us by 5.30pm (GMT) on the 1st August 2025.

What will happen next:

Everything submitted will be read by Source editor Richard West. The articles he likes will also be read by the other members of the Source staff. The Source staff will collectively choose the winner. We will aim to reply to everyone who has submitted an article by the 20th September (depending on how many submissions there are and how busy we are). We may ask you about your article but we probably won't be able to enter into correspondence about it.