What it does
- Finds legitimate open calls for your medium.
- Checks fees, rights, and AI rules in the fine print.
- Helps you avoid pay-to-play and scams.
- Tracks every submission and result.
Not legal or financial advice. This page shares general information and links to official sources. Always read each call's own terms, and ask the organizer if anything is unclear.
Scam safety: Never tap links or call numbers from a surprise text, email, call, or chat message. Look up the official website or number yourself and contact them there.
Open call scams: Legitimate calls don't DM you out of the blue saying 'you've been selected!' and then ask for a fee, and they don't ask for bank details to send prize money. Never tap links or reply to a surprise 'you've been chosen' message; look up the organizer's official site yourself and contact them there. Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Getting to know you
- It starts with your medium, style, themes, career stage, and location.
- An introvert-friendly filter can skip calls that require you to be there in person.
- You choose a budget: free calls only, a fee cap, or open.
- It also asks about your AI use and your goals.
Finding open calls
- Juried shows, exhibitions, magazines and anthologies, writing and chapbook contests, music showcases, residencies, public art, film festivals, and online features.
- Every call is checked on the organizer's own page.
- If you'd like, it can send a weekly digest.
Checking the fine print
- Fees, rights and usage, exclusivity, and whether simultaneous submissions are allowed.
- AI rules and prize terms.
- Any red flags, explained in plain words.
Your dashboard
- One page shows each call's deadline and time zone, fee, status, the piece you're sending, and your next step.
Submission tracker
- It makes sure one piece isn't sent to two calls that each want it exclusively.
- It notes when a piece is free to send somewhere else.
Your materials library
- Keep your bio, artist statement, CV, and portfolio links in one place.
- It helps you adapt them to each call.
Reminders and results
- Reminders before deadlines, and a record of every result.
- Rejections are part of every artist's path. It helps you keep going.
Spotlight posts
- It can draft a post that celebrates fellow artists. You review it and post it yourself.
No pay-to-play: protecting yourself
Organizer check
- Look for a real track record: past shows or issues, named jurors or editors, a physical address or a real organization, and genuine reviews from artists.
- Be careful with organizers that are brand-new, anonymous, or can't be checked.
Fee-to-value test
- A fee just for online exposure, a social media feature, or a gallery's 'online exhibition' is a red flag.
- A modest fee for a juried show with a real venue, a named juror, and real prizes can be fair.
Hidden costs
- Watch for acceptance fees, hanging or wall fees, a required catalog or book purchase, or membership required to enter.
- Also watch for shipping, insurance, or framing costs that appear only after you're 'selected'.
Impersonation watch
- Scammers copy real organizers' names and logos in DMs and emails.
- Check any message on the organizer's own website before you reply.
Commission and buyer scams
- If someone you don't know sends a check or payment and asks you to send some money back, it's a scam. Fake checks can look real, and by the time the bank finds out the check is fake, you'll owe the bank the money you withdrew (FTC).
- Never accept a check for more than the price.
- Be careful with commission offers that ask for up-front shipping or 'agent' fees, or buyers who insist on using their own shipper.
- More help: FTC: fake check scams and FTC: fake 'artist' check scam.
Rights protection
- Read the rights terms closely. Watch for perpetual, exclusive, or all-rights grabs.
- Check whether your work could be used for NFTs, merchandise, or AI training data, and whether you'll be credited.
- Copyright basics: U.S. Copyright Office: what is copyright. On AI: U.S. Copyright Office: copyright and AI.
Report and warn
- Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the platform where you saw them.
- It can draft a calm warning post for you to share yourself.
Ground rules
- It never asks for passwords, bank details, or sensitive ID numbers.
- It never submits, pays, signs, or posts anything without your yes.
Official links