Inspired by A.F.Freeman’s poem in a 1921 Shalford Women’s Institute scrapbook,
we’re calling on artists, writers, filmmakers, and creatives to reflect on our prompt:

“Woven into the days of stress
The golden threads of thankfulness”
– ‘Shalford, 1921’ by A.F. Freeman

Between wandering and wondering lies opportunity.
Share how you navigate what keeps you well.

Enter here
Deadline: Sunday, 18 January 2026, 11:59pm (GMT).

WHAT CAN I ENTER?

We welcome any form of creative response, including:

• Visual art (illustration, photography, mixed media, digital art, film, etc.). Film/video should be submitted via Vimeo or YouTube link, work should be 3 minutes or less.
• Written work (poetry, short reflections, prose, etc.). Written work of any genre should be a maximum of 500 words or less. Written work should be submitted as a Word document with double spacing, in font Arial, size 12.

CATEGORIES

1. Over 18s – Visual
2. Over 18s – Written

WHO CAN ENTER?
We welcome submissions from writers and artists across a broad spectrum of
disciplines and experience. Young artists/writers, students, early career artists/writers, and those with a more established practice are all encouraged to
enter. We are seeking high-quality, engaging work that clearly responds to the brief.

Entry is free of charge. (We also have an Open Call on the same theme for under 18s here.)

WHAT CAN I WIN?
We invite submissions from visual artists and writers, with separate prizes for each
category.

• The winner of each category will receive:£750
• The opportunity to be exhibited in the final What Keeps Us Well exhibition
• An exclusive invite to a vast and incredible archive of wonder containing traces of lives over the last 800 years in millions of documents held behind the scenes at Surrey History Centre in Woking.

HOW DO I ENTER?

• Enter here by Sunday, 18th January at 11.59 pm.
• Entrants can enter multiple pieces of work to more than one category.
• All artwork must initially be submitted as a high-quality digital image (300dpi). If your work is successful in being selected, we will be in touch to discuss exhibiting original works.
• An independent panel will select the winning works and pieces. We will let you know if your work has been selected by the end of February 2026.

If you have any questions or need any additional support when entering, please
contact Samantha: hello@itsnotyourbirthdaybut.com

WHAT KEEPS US WELL PROJECT
This open call is part of the What Keeps Us Well heritage project by It’s Not Your
Birthday But… (INYBB), in collaboration with The Surrey History Centre. The project explores how people have cared for their wellbeing throughout history, how we continue to do so today, and how we may continue to do so in the future.
If you would like to explore the terms and conditions you can do so here 

The project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Sounds interesting?  Enter here