2026 Issue 3 Callout

CALLOUT FOR VOLUME 18, 2026, ISSUE 3: BLUSH

Due 25 March 2026!

 

“And suddenly, all the songs were about you.”

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Intimacy and love are often inseparable. For our annual sex issue, Grapeshot is making you Blush. This edition is all about romance, blending the physical with the emotional.

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Whether attraction arrives like an arrow to the heart, or builds over years spent growing closer, each relationship is its own captivating journey worthy of tribute.

 

This is your chance to pour your heart out to your partner through a sensual sonnet, put paint to canvas to capture your muse, share your tips for a loving relationship, or recommend your favourite songs of heartfelt yearning.

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Haven’t fallen yet? Spill your crushes, write a recipe for something sweet, speak about your ideal type, take us through your dreamy make-up routine, or review a rave-worthy romantasy.

 

Blush is for anyone who has ever felt a stirring in their heart for another human being—or even a fictional character. It’s also for those who don’t, whether aromantic, asexual or otherwise. Share your experience, your thoughts and your wisdom on love, lust and all the things in between.

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So, put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard or eye to camera and most importantly, slide on those rose-tinted glasses.

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Grapeshot accepts everything that can be printed, from feature articles to news pieces, short fiction, guides, comics, artworks, poetry, photography, reviews, essays, memoirs and more—so get creative and feel free to DM us with any questions!

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Using your student email, send written contributions with APA 7 referencing as Word documents, and images as PNGs to grapeshot@mq.edu.au. Please note that written submissions exceeding four pages are likely to be online only. If the same contributor supplies more than one submission, only one is likely to be printed.

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Submissions due Wednesday, 25th March, 2026 

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WHO CAN SUBMIT?

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We welcome submissions from any and all currently enrolled Macquarie University students. 

 

All types of submissions are welcome, for publication in the physical magazine, on the website, and in our newsletter,  Grapevine. If we cannot publish your piece in the physical magazine, we will do our best to publish it online, though this cannot be guaranteed.

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Each physical magazine has a theme, which is used as a means to inspire and provoke thoughts, opinions, and questions surrounding a particular concept. Although Feature articles must be directly related to the issue’s theme, submissions for other sections (especially in News) need not adhere to the theme.

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If you submit work, be prepared to work with a Section Editor from the Grapeshot team to make structural changes to your article if the editor thinks that is necessary.

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THE SECTIONS OF THE MAGAZINE

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If you want to submit a piece for publication, think about what section you would like your piece to be in. Physical Grapeshot magazines are divided into the following sections: 

 

NEWS

Short news pieces, campus news, and national and international feature-length pieces that might be of concern to MQU students.

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FEATURES

Lengthier topic-specific articles which have a ‘human side’ to them, soft news pieces, personal essays and memoir pieces. 

 

CREATIVES

This section houses works from our talented creatives on campus. It includes fictional short stories, poetry, artwork, photography, comics, etc.

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VARIEGATED

Fun, short and miscellaneous. Variegated is where we put the pieces that don’t fit in other sections but are just too good to pass up. This includes short biographical pieces and fun articles.

 

REPEAT OFFENDERS

Recurring sections with a theme or objective. These include MOB, Pop-culture rewind, Challenge, I Don't get it, You Are Here, Nic’s Flix, Grapey Book Club, Horoscopes, Grapey Playlist, Aunty Grapeshot and more.

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Sometimes it is a bit of a blurry line between a feature article and a news piece, or a review and an opinion piece. Your opinion and intention as the creator of the piece is therefore most important to how we decide where to place your submission within the magazine. Think about including this in the body of your submission email.

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HOW TO SUBMIT

 

Written Articles/Creative Pieces:

• Save the word document as titleofpiece_yourname.docx

  • ​Example: NationalNews-Ukraine_NikitaByrnes.docx

• ​Email the article to grapeshot@mq.edu.au with the subject line: “Issue #[X]  Submission + [Composer’s Name] + [Form of Work]”. 

  • Example: Issue #4 Submission Nikita Byrnes News Article 

 

Other Types of Submissions: 

• Grapeshot welcomes all types of creative works, especially if they fit the theme of our upcoming issue! 

• “Other Types of Submissions” encompasses visual works that can be printed:  photo essays, and physical and digital artworks. 

• Please send an email to grapeshot@mq.edu.au and in the email write a short synopsis of: who you are, and what your work is about/showing. Indicate your interest to be published in the upcoming issue. We will get back to you about what form in which to send your work through.

• Be prepared to work with a design assistant or the Creatives Section Editor to make sure your work is published in the way most faithful to your intention!​

 

WORD LENGTH

 

Our word count is flexible but for a general guide:

• 1-page in our magazine = approximately 800 – 1000 words.

• 2-page spread = 1200 – 1800 words.

• 3-pages and above = over 2000 words. 

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Works exceeding 4 pages are unlikely to be published in print but may be published in our magazine.

Send submissions to grapeshot@mq.edu.au

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*A reminder also that only Macquarie University students can contribute, so please submit your articles using your Macquarie University student email in order to be eligible for publication.