Severe ME Artists Project 2026 — Call for Entries!
- #MEAction
- Jun 18
- 4 min read
Quick Overview:
Submit one piece of artwork - image, writing, or video
Label your artwork with your name as you want it to appear, an underscore, and the number of years with severe ME
Example: Lastname_FirstName_14
FirstNameOnly_7
No copyrighted material
No generative AI (there are limited exceptions to this — see our disclaimer at the bottom of this article)
If you are submitting a video, it must be under two minutes.
Submission due by Friday, July 24th
***If you need help submitting your work, please email sMEartistsproject@meaction.net***
It’s that time of year again – #MEAction is thrilled to announce our Severe ME Artists Project 2026 that will feature work from those within the severe ME community and will be in recognition of Severe ME Day on August 8th! This project will be an opportunity for those with severe ME to showcase their artwork, whether through writing, photography, drawing, or any other medium that illustrates their talents. Participants can also submit past artwork created before they got sick.
The Severe ME Artists Project 2026 will feature a video compilation and an online gallery of submitted work. This project will be shared with the community around Severe ME Day with the goal that people can watch the video and/or scroll through the gallery when it is best for them.
We are asking that people only submit ONE piece of work to be featured in the video and the gallery. Over the past few years, we have received so much participation that in order to make this project feasible, we can only handle one piece of work per person.
To participate in the project, please read through these instructions carefully.
If the instructions are too much to process, please simply email us at sMEartistsproject@meaction.net and we will help you!
1. How to label the file of your piece–very important step:
Each submission must be labeled as you want your names to appear (in the video, on our site, etc.) and the number of years you have lived with Severe ME. It’s fine if you just want to use your first name, list yourself as anonymous, or use a screen name, but the labeling convention remains the same. (Note that the numbers in the examples below are simply meant to indicate where you should put the number of years you’ve had severe ME.)
The files should all look like one of these options:
LastName_FirstName_27
FirstName_11
LastName_2.5
Anonymous_32
GamerTag_4
If you have had Severe ME for months rather than years, here is the labeling convention to use:
LastName_FirstName_8months.
If you don’t properly label your file, you will just be listed as Anonymous.
2. Videos: If you would like to submit a video of a song you have written, it must be 2 minutes or shorter.
3. Absolutely NO copyrighted material or the submission will not be used. This includes lip syncing, performing a cover, or AI generated work. These must be original works and you need to own the rights to what you are sharing/performing/presenting.
4. Here are the places where you will upload your work, that has been labeled correctly using the guide is step #1. Use the first option for any piece that is not a video and the SmugMug link if sharing a video:
Upload your ONE non-video file here:
You will get a screen that says your form has been submitted.
Upload your ONE VIDEO file here:
You will get a screen that says “Hooray!” and you will know the video was uploaded successfully.
Things to keep in mind:
Please submit your contribution by Friday, July 24. Unfortunately, submissions received after that date may not be included.
Each participant may submit one piece only: either a written piece, an image, or a video. To ensure everyone has an opportunity to be featured, we are unable to include multiple submissions from the same person. If more than one piece is submitted, we will select one for consideration.
If you choose to submit a video, please note that no edits can be made after it has been published. Because your video may remain available online indefinitely, we encourage you to double-check that your files are clearly labeled so your name and years with ME are displayed correctly.
Finally, please only submit work that you feel comfortable sharing with the broader community.
Please submit your ONE piece of work by Friday, July 24th. Watch out for the video and online gallery to be released near Severe ME Day!
Art is foundational to activism. It provides a way to tell a story that connects us on a deeper level. It goes beyond the rational and connects on the emotional. We also want to acknowledge the grief that happens for those unable to practice their art or have had to change their methods due to illness. We are holding space for you and keep you at the center of all we do at #MEAction, all year long.
Severe ME Day was created by the 25% M.E. Group and you can learn more about their work here.
*We highly discourage the use of generative AI. However, if you believe the only way to submit something is by using AI, please make sure you label it as AI to maintain transparency in the community. Please read this article on the problems of using AI.
We look forward to seeing all the work submitted!