Last date 15th November, 2022 (SUBMISSIONS CLOSED)
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
-Features
-Listicles
-News reports
-Essays
-Interviews
We are keen to have more articles on feminist praxis, intimate partner violence, technology, culture, and health for this round, but we will also be looking at all other pitches.
ALL CONTENT SHOULD BE FEMINIST AND ROOTED IN INTERSECTIONAL VALUES: Anti-casteist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, LGBTQIA+ affirming, anti-sexist, anti-carceral, anti-capital punishment, anti-ableist, anti-gender binary (you get the drift!). First-hand narratives are not ideal unless they are unique.
WHAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCEPT: -Dissertation style writing or previously published articles/blogs-Submissions from writers identifying as centrist or right-wing-Fiction, or poetry-Unsigned/anonymous pieces will not be published nor remunerated. If you need to send anonymous tips to journalists, we will try to help you.
WHO SHOULD DESIST:-If you are not aligned with the values listed above.-Cishet men: we are holding the space for women, non-binary, and trans folk. -People who have an ongoing complaint of sexual harassment, assault, or abuse against them.-Anyone with an abusive past who has not repaired the harm inflicted or participated in some form of restorative justice with the survivor.
PRIORITY REVIEW: Your submissions will be reviewed on priority* if you identify as:-Trans/Intersex -Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi, or Vimukta-Disabled-South Asian-BIPOC living in Europe, United States, United Kingdom, Australia. Please let us know about your intersections/location in your mail.*Articles that are already in different stages of edit will get precedence in our agendas. Still, we will treat your pitches before other new pitches.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN ARTICLE:
STEP 1 Please write a short description of 200 words introducing your piece in the body of the mail. We will not be able to read long emails.
STEP 2 Link to or attach (PDF or .doc) at least two previously published articles or television news reports you have scripted. We won't be able to read articles behind paywalls.
STEP 3 Let us know why you are in a good position to write this article. Tell us why what you are writing is essential for readers. STEP 4 If you have a final draft that you are keen to share (=/< 1200 words), please attach it but also write a 200-word description in the body of the mail to tell us what it contains.
STEP 5 Please mark your piece as "Urgent" only if the article is very time sensitive, and tell us why it is so in your mail. Do not unnecessarily mark your piece as urgent, as that won't push it up in our process.
This is what your subject line should look like:
SUBMISSION/Your First Name/Topic of your pitch or draft
Examples:
SUBMISSION/Carmela/Technofeminism/Priority
or
SUBMISSION/Akshi/Dissent/Urgent
or
SUBMISSION/Rubina/Health
STEP 6: Send your mail to info@smashboard.org
WHAT TO EXPECT ONCE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED YOUR PIECE: It can take anywhere between a couple of days to three weeks for us to read pitches. We are a very small team so all depends on the number of pitches we receive. If your piece is pegged to news, we will try to get in touch faster. If you don't hear from us, you are welcome to send a reminder after three weeks. If you suffer from post traumatic stress and the wait is triggering, please mark your piece as urgent.
Once we read your submission, we will get in touch and send you edit queries. If all goes well, we will start the editing process with you. This is a collaborative process and can sometimes be lengthy.
Please be very careful about fact-checking and making sure you use your own words and add references carefully where other sources need to be credited.
Articles published on smashboard.org should not be republished anywhere without prior permission.
REMUNERATION: If you are willing to write pro-bono for our non-profit, naturally, you are most welcome! We have kept our content free for readers and that is not easy.
Otherwise, the remuneration for published pieces for this round of submissions will be 4000 INR for an 800-1200 word piece. We pay 2000 INR for interviews.
*Important for newer writers: Drafts that require significant copy editing will be remunerated at 2000 INR. [Please note that social media, community blogs, university/non-news/right-wing or anti-feminist publications will not be counted].
You'll be asked to send an invoice once the article is promoted on social media. Payments will usually reflect in your account within a week. We have an excellent record for quick payments!
*Important for writers who will receive payments outside India: Bank transfers can be made to accounts in India only and payments in the rest of the world will be made via PayPal for the time being. Please use this currency converter if needed.
Submissions or pitches are not paid for. Only published articles are remunerated.
We look forward to hearing from you! Last updated: 13th October 2022
