Originally launched as Exposure Magazine in 2018, our publication entered a period of dormancy during the pandemic. However, with a fresh new committee and a touch of rebranding, Spotlight Magazine was successfully relaunched in 2021. After a slow start and unforeseen challenges, our first print issue finally launched in March 2024, and it quickly became a success. Following this milestone, Spotlight was honoured with the ‘New Student Group of the Year’ award at the YUSU (now YORKSU) Activities Awards in May 2024.

Today, our committee of thirteen is dedicated to expanding our society and reaching an even wider audience. We are always looking for new writers who share our passion for cinema. If you’re eager to contribute, we’d love to have you on board! We deeply value every submission and take great care to ensure high-quality design and presentation.

Spotlight Magazine’s core values are freedom of expression, international representation, diversification, and critical integrity. But most importantly, we strive to create an open-minded and respectful space—one that serves both as a creative outlet and a stepping stone into the world of publishing and writing.

We offer our writers two publishing platforms. The first, and perhaps the more traditional, is our print edition, which is published three to six times a year, depending on the number of submissions we receive. These issues follow specific themes and guidelines, including set word counts. The second platform is the Spotlight Blog, accessible through our website. This digital space offers writers complete creative freedom, with no set themes or word limits; however, general guidance is available in our Writer’s Guide.