Transparency About Submission Fees
DELIRIUM exhibition, Worcester, MA by Matt Wright Photography. 4 pieces sold to lead cast members of The Walking Dead, 1 commission opportunity to a lead cast member and other sales.
Why Juniper Rag’s $35 Submission Fee Matters — and Who It Serves
At Juniper Rag, our mission has always been simple but powerful: to advocate and elevate all visual artists, create inclusive and meaningful opportunities for visibility and sales, and build a platform rooted in integrity, intentionality, and care. As we grow, we’ve had thoughtful questions about our $35 submission fee and we believe transparency is the foundation of trust within any creative community.
Unlike large art platforms backed by venture capital, ad revenue, or corporate sponsors, Juniper Rag is currently entirely community-funded. This independence allows us to prioritize artists over algorithms and board decisions and a commitment to our risk-taking vision. We don’t rely on intrusive ad campaigns, and we only run paid promotions when they directly support a collaborator, sponsor, or partner whose values align with ours. That means the majority of what’s built here exists because artists choose to invest in it, together.
Each virtual Juniper Rag exhibition takes well over 100 hours to execute, live shows take more time and physical labor and logistical planning. This time includes the careful review and jurying of submissions, curation and placement, web design, written features, social and email promotion, collector outreach, press pitching, and sales support. The $35 submission fee is not a pay to show model, it’s a practical contribution that allows us to maintain the quality, intention, and reach that Juniper Rag artists expect and deserve.
Our overhead has increased considerably in recent years, almost doubled. Our website platform technology, submission software, website hosting, editorial labor, Adobe design tools, and our marketing time continue to rise in cost. Despite this, we have made a deliberate choice to keep our submission fee accessible. Why? Because access to opportunity should not belong solely to the privileged or institutionally backed. Our goal is to create a space where emerging, underrepresented, and independent artists can stand alongside established names without prohibitive barriers to entry. We have feedback from repeat artists that we are accessible and we are also asked how we manage with this model.
When artists invest in Juniper Rag, they are not just submitting their work for consideration, they are actively participating in the creation of an artist-centered ecosystem, one that prioritizes ethical practices, real human curation, and opportunities that extend beyond an exhibition page. Many artists represented through Juniper Rag have gone on to connect with collectors, designers, collaborators, new audiences, and future opportunities far beyond a single show. That is not accidental, it is the result of our intention, time, and a F-ton of invisible labor.
We understand that submission fees are not attainable for everyone at every moment. And we honor that, and we also believe that artists deserve professionally run, sustainable platforms that take their work seriously. Your $35 is not just a fee — it is a vote for curated spaces that can be seen globally, accessible opportunity, and a creative future that values artists as professionals.
Juniper Rag is still growing—we are only 5 years old. We are still building and figuring out how to service artists better every day. We are doing it together. Every submission, every shared opportunity, every artist who places their trust in Juniper Rag is part of something larger than an exhibition — they are shaping a more equitable, thoughtful, and empowered creative landscape.
Thank you for being part of it.
Thank you for believing in it.
We thank you for investing in art, community, and the future.
— Juniper Rag
