Every week our editors go through hundreds of submissions for Marika, Artells, Artego, Figgi and Quadro. Roughly half get declined, and almost always for the same handful of reasons. None of them have to do with talent. Here is what actually decides whether your work makes it into print.

Start with a cohesive series, not your greatest hits
The most common mistake we see: a submission with one stunning beauty portrait, one street-style shot and one moody landscape. Each image might be strong on its own, but a magazine publishes stories, not folders. Pick 2-16 images from a single shoot: same concept, same styling, same light. An editor should be able to look at your series and imagine it as a spread.

Read the technical requirements before you shoot, not after
We ask for JPG, sRGB, and specific sizes: portrait 8.5x11 in at 300 dpi (2550x3300 px) or landscape 17x11 in (5100x3300 px). This isn't bureaucracy. Print is unforgiving, and a file that looks fine on Instagram can fall apart on paper. If you shoot with print sizes in mind, you'll never have to crop a good frame to death later.

Credits are part of the work
List everyone: photographer, model, makeup artist, hair stylist, wardrobe. If you did everything yourself, credit yourself and put a dash in the rest. Wrong or missing credits are the number one reason for post-publication headaches, and editors know it. A clean credit list quietly tells us you're professional.

Clear the rights before you submit
You need to own the copyright and have model releases from everyone recognizable in the frame. If a magazine can't be sure the rights are clean, it won't take the risk, no matter how good the photos are.

What happens after you hit "submit"
At Artells Media the editor reviews your application and, if the series is approved, it's scheduled for the next issue, usually the following month. Publication on interior pages is free. After release you can order a print or digital copy, and 30 days later you receive your tear sheets: the official pages with your work that go into your portfolio.

If you get declined
It happens to everyone, including photographers who have shot for major titles. A decline is almost never "you're not good enough". It usually means "this particular series doesn't fit this particular issue". Submit a different project. Editors remember persistent authors, in a good way.

Ready to try? Choose your magazine on artellsmedia.com and send your series to Marika, Artells, Figgi, Artego or Quadro. The submission takes about ten minutes.