Last updated: December, 2025
Pitch to us at info@smashboard.org
TOPICS WE ARE PRIORITISING RIGHT NOW:
(Please see the separate list for submissions accepted on a rolling basis)
- Ableism/Disablity Justice: from disabled or chronically ill writers on ableism and disability justice
- Tech/Digital activism: on surveillance, privacy, vectoralism, and emotional or relational safety online.
- Culture: on cisheteronormative tropes, on what counts as “entertainment.”
- Climate Justice: from journalists, activists, or frontline communities on the ongoing impacts of the climate crisis.
DEADLINE: 10th January, 2025
WHAT WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR ON A ROLLING BASIS: Features, listicles, reports, essays, interviews that are feminist analyses or accounts of liberatory politics, culture, sexual harassment/abuse/assault, technology, dissent, mental health, casteism, racism, sexuality, disability, relationships, art, and intersectionality.
First-hand narratives are not ideal and are only considered for stories of genocide, abuse/assault, illnesses, disability, or grief.
Please make sure you are not jeopardising anyone in any way or outing anyone with your writing. Editors may want to see written consent from people being mentioned.
WHAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCEPT:
- Dissertation style writing or previously published articles/blogs- Submissions from writers whose politics are liberal, centrist, or right-wing
- Fiction or poetry
- Cis writing on trans subjects, cishet writing on queer subjects, Savarna writing on caste (unless they're questioning themselves/upper caste readers)
- Unsigned/anonymous pieces. (If you need to send anonymous tips to journalists if you are being sexually harassed or facing workplace harassment, we will definitely try to help you)
ALL CONTENT SHOULD BE ROOTED IN VALUES ALIGNED WITH COLLECTIVE LIBERATION:
- 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, + represent all other ways in which people may self-identify), neurodivergent affirming
- Centring DBAV (Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi, Vimukta), PGM (People of the Global Majority), BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of colour), African, Asian, Asian Pacific-Islander, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Middle Eastern, multiracial, and/or South Asian
- Anti-casteist, anti-racist, anti-ableist, anti-carceral, anti-capital punishment, anti-ageist, anti-genocide, anti-capitalist
- Trauma aware, supportive of survivors of sexual violence
- Aligned with disability justice, indigenous sovereignty and landback, transformative justice, transgender justice, immigrant/refugee justice,
PLEASE LET US KNOW:
If you are using any photos, quotes, or stories of individuals, please let us know if you have their clear consent. Please add sources for all images and avoid using commercial sources that sell photos to avoid copyright issues.
WHO SHOULD DESIST:
- People who have any ongoing complaints 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
- People under 20 (unless they are writing about a subject that pertains to childhood or teenage years).
- Authors who see editing as critique and find it challenging to participate in a collaborative editing process.
PRIORITY REVIEW:
stateSubmissions from the following will be reviewed on priority:
- Trans persons
- Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi, or Vimukta individuals
- BIPOCs living in Europe, or any settler colonial state, or Palestine
- Chronically ill/disabled folks
- Please let us know if you belong to these groups, and mark your pitch as "Priority." Articles already at different stages of editing will take precedence on our agendas, but we will definitely treat your pitches before other pitches.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN ARTICLE:
STEP 1Write a short description of 200 words introducing your piece in the body of the email.
STEP 2Attach at least two previously published articles or television news reports in PDF or DOC formats, along with links from news platforms or feminist publications.
STEP 3Add any other details that help us know why you are in a good position to write this article. Tell us why what you are writing is important for readers.STEP 4If you have a final draft that you are keen to share (=/< 1200 words) please do attach it but also write a 200 word description in the body of the mail to tell us what it contains.
STEP 5In the subject line of the mail, please mention: PITCH/Your First Name/Short Working TitleFor example:
PITCH/Carmela/Technofeminism/PriorityorPITCH/Akshi/Dissent/UrgentorPITCH/Rubina/HealthPlease mark your piece as "Urgent" only if the article is very time sensitive, and tell us why it is so in your email.
STEP 6: Send your mail to info at smashboard dot org
WHAT TO EXPECT ONCE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED YOUR PIECE:It takes us time to read your pitches and reply—sometimes just a couple of days, and sometimes three to four weeks. If your piece is pegged to news or is time-sensitive for readers, we will try to get in touch sooner. If you don't hear from us, you are welcome to send a reminder (after 2 working days for time sensitive pitches, otherwise after three weeks.) Once we read your draft, we will send you edit queries. If all goes well, we will commission the story and begin editing with you. This can sometimes be long and involve a lot of back-and-forth in an intensive collaborative copyediting process. The editing process is often like feminist brainstorming sessions. If you tend to see your drafts as pieces of art that can't be touched, this may not be the ideal space for you. Please be very careful with fact-checking and make sure you use your own words and add references where required.
We are a very small team at Smashboard, so please do not expect turnaround times like those at larger publications. You'd need to be mindful of editing protocols (send edits with tracking on, resolve edits to help editors go faster, and don't leave edit queries unanswered). We don't chase authors with hard deadlines, but we do require you to be mindful of our timelines. Any article published on smashboard.org should not be republished anywhere without prior permission, which would be at our discretion.
REMUNERATION If you are willing to write pro bono for our non-profit, naturally, you are most welcome! Otherwise, the remuneration for published pieces for this round of submissions will be: 4000 INR (or the equivalent in foreign currency) for a 800-1200 word piece
*The work of new writers or drafts that require significant copy editing will be remunerated 2000 INR (or the equivalent in foreign currency).
*Inhouse rates are different and shared with inhouse members.
You'll be asked to send an invoice once the article is online, and payments will usually reflect in your account within a week. In case of unforeseen circumstances, we will try to limit the delay to a month.
-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 required.
-Submissions or pitches are not paid for. Only published articles are remunerated.
-We only decommission pieces as a last resort, if we can’t resolve an issue together with you during editing.
Pitches sent early may go into the editing process on a priority basis, and articles may be published sooner if edits proceed more quickly.
Waiting time for articles to be published can range from a few days to a few months. If you have any questions that aren’t answered here, please write to us.
We love working with our writers and are always very excited to read pitches and drafts! And we look forward to hearing from you.
