Pencil Magazine is a themed print publication featuring work created entirely with graphite pencil and paper. Artists and writers are invited to respond to each publication theme through visual art, writing, or a combination of the two. The mission of Pencil Magazine is to create an opportunity for artists and writers to connect or reconnect with an unsung, basic tool for creative expression — the pencil — and to inspire our readers to make time and space for analog experiences.

SCHEDULE

• We will accept submissions from June 1 - July 7, 2026. Submissions close on July 7, 2026 at 11:59 pm in the Eastern Time Zone of the US (UTC - 4).
• Submissions are open! Please use this link to start your submission on Subfolio. We no longer accept submissions by email.
• If your project is an essay and you would like to pitch it before writing it in its entirety, please submit your pitch using this link by June 8. Please include writing samples.
• It is free to submit. If you have trouble submitting, please let us know by email. Thank you!

THEME

• We were inspired to create Pencil Magazine by the observation that entire worlds can emerge from pencils, the most humble and universal of tools.
• The theme for Issue Four is “How-To.” From nuts & bolts to imaginative instructions. Suprise us; teach us — all how-tos are welcome! We accept submissions that also touch on themes around attention and/or pencils.

WE ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING:

• Images, writing in your handwriting, or a combination of both – all created with graphite pencil. We welcome collaborations. We welcome essays, poems, fiction, comics, drawings, diagrams, text-image experiments, and more. The text could be the image. The parameters are truly open-ended.

SPECIFICATIONS / DIMENSIONS

• Each double-page spread is 12″ x 9″ (304 mm x 229 mm), so you can use the entire spread as one continuous area or two facing 6″ x 9″ (152 mm x 229 mm) pages. There is a gutter in the middle, so please avoid placing crucial information down the center line.
• If you wish your artwork to bleed off the edges of the paper, use these dimensions for each spread: 12.25″ x 9.25″ (310 mm x 235 mm). See diagram, above, for guidance.
• You may download a left page diagram and a right page diagram in inches here and print them out at actual size if that is helpful. 
• Here is an A4 millimeter versions of the spread diagram, the left page diagram in millimeters, and the right page diagram in millimeters.
• IMPORTANT: We prefer double-page spreads or at least 2 single pages as we generally devote each spread to one contributor. So please send us an even number of pages, between 2 and 8 pages. (between 1 and 4 spreads.)

PAGE COUNT

• Please send us an even number of pages, between 2 and 8 pages. (Between 1 and 4 spreads.)

MATERIALS

• Use any graphite pencil. No colored pencils, pens, typed text, or charcoal.
• Please use white or light paper for optimal legibility.
• We prefer to include work at 100% or close to 100%, rather than reproducing larger works at a small scale.

A NOTE ON SCANNING

• Please scan at high-resolution. (300 dpi or greater.)
• Please scan in COLOR. If the scanner has automatic settings, please turn them off, as automatic settings sometimes result in a low-quality scan.
• We accept JPEG, PDF, or TIFF files.

HONORARIUM

• If we select your piece, you will receive an honorarium of $75 US after the issue has been printed, as well as one printed copy of the magazine.

NOTIFICATION

• Unfortunately, we are not able to publish all submissions. We will notify you about your submission in August, 2026.

QUESTIONS?

• Feel free to send an email.

THANK YOU!

• We thank you in advance for your submission to Pencil Magazine, and we hope this assignment is inspiring!