Opportunities 02/09/2023

High Country News, Jewish Currents, The New York Times, and more.

***The Study Hall Opportunities newsletter is a weekly compilation of pitch calls; freelance, part-time, and temporary gigs; events; fellowships, scholarships, awards, and grants; internships; and full-time jobs. It’s written by Chris Erik Thomas, who has spent the last three weeks fighting some illness and is very tired of it. The newsletter is released on Thursdays. Once in a while, we take a day off or publish late for mental health breaks and holidays.

►To help make the Opps better for all of our members, we introduced an Opps Feedback Form. Let us know what we can do to improve the newsletter.

►Editors, submit your time-sensitive or evergreen pitch calls to our Pitch Webform.

►Work at a publication that’s hiring or found a job we should see? Send it to our Jobs Webform.

►Need more info on Study Hall or want to check out our resources? Head to our Linktree.

►Have any other freelance gig, grant, internship, fellowship, or other opp you want to be included in the next Opps newsletter? Send them to [email protected] for approval with “Opportunity:” in the subject line. 

►Let us know if you got a job or landed a pitch through the Opps newsletter! Send them to [email protected] with “Opps Success Story:” in the subject line.

►Tell us what resources have helped you in your freelancing so we can share them with other Study Hall members. Send them to [email protected] with “Resource:” in the subject line.

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***THE MEDIA CLASSIFIED ADS***

>> The Classified Ads are back and better than ever. We’ve expanded our Ad model to include placement in our two weekly newsletters: Thursday’s Opportunities and our Digest newsletters. We also offer add-on placement for Slack and Listserv posts. Want to promote your job opening / pitch call / new project / ecommerce brand? Click through for rates, testimonials, and to get in touch. <<

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OPPS SUCCESS STORY

Did you turn a pitch call into paid work or land a job, fellowship, internship, or some other gig you found in the Study Hall Opps newsletter? Let us know and we’ll give you a shoutout. Send the details to [email protected] with “Opps Success Story” in the subject line.

RESOURCES

Mastering the art of freelancing requires more than just perusing the Study Hall Opps newsletter every week. To help you get the most bang for your buck, we keep track of many resources designed to help media workers. Have a resource you’d like to see included? Send it to [email protected] with “Resource:” in the subject line. 

NEW: -The Job Board by Kati Kokal and Alex Ptachick organizes over 30 pages of resources — including twitter accounts, newsletters, and job listings — to help laid off Gannett journalists find new jobs.

-The Fund for Investigative Journalism provides emergency grants of up to $10,000 for stories on threats to democracy in the US. The fund reviews proposals on a rolling basis and ends on December 31st, 2023.

-The Reporting Job Board by Investigative Reporters and Editors is a continually updated website for jobs in reporting, editing, academia, and more.

-”Knowing the News” is a new study by the American Press Institute about how Gen Z and Millennials get information on essential topics. The study focuses on six topics: national politics and government; social issues; crime and public safety; traffic, transportation, and weather; COVID-19 information; and health or mental health.

–Accessible Social is a free resource hub that helps make your social media content more accessible to people with temporary or permanent disabilities, including vision and hearing impairments.

Want more resources? Check out Resources For Journalists Seeking Therapy; Trans Journalists Association’s Style Guide; NBCC Book Coverage Publication List; Who’s Behind This Website Checklist; SpotlightDC Investigative Journalism Fund; United States Journalism Emergency Fund; Transcription Tool Safety Guide; Labor Action Tracker; Rate Sharing Database; NPR Diverse Sources Database; Online Violence Response Hub; Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Journalists Therapy Relief Fund; Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund; Developing An Investigative Pitch Guide; Britany Robinson’s Big List of Writing Deadlines; Study Hall Transcriber Database; Study Hall Fact Checkers Database; Freelancing Guide/Editorial Contacts spreadsheet; #FreelancerPayGap spreadsheet; Pitch Guide Database; Chelsea’s Guide to Freelancing doc; PACER; Priya Krishna’s resources for food writing; Election SOS Report; and the Extremism Coverage Prep Guide.

 

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CALLS FOR PITCHES 

Please note that we are not endorsing every publication or company listed here. Engaging with a publication or company is entirely up to the reader. Regarding pitch calls, we try to only share opportunities with fair rates based on publicly available information. While we currently define “fair rates” as being above $100 USD for around 700-800 words and above $0.10 per word for longer pieces, we cannot guarantee that every publication pays this rate. If you have more information on a rate or exploitative business practices from a publication posted, email [email protected].***

TIME-SENSITIVE PITCH CALLS, SORTED BY HIGHEST TO LOWEST RATES

–The Parliament is looking for pitches of reported features on the theme of “rural Europe” for their upcoming edition. They are also interested in book reviews, author interviews, and culture pitches about rural Europe and other topics. The rates start at €0.50 ($0.55 USD) per word for interviews and reviews and €0.55 ($0.60 USD) per word for reported features. See their pitch call for more info and send pitches by TOMORROW, February 10.

–High Country News is looking for pitches of reported pieces, essays, and other content “that [can] offer insight on the news of the moment/day/week/month” in the Western US. They are particularly interested in stories from Black, AAPI, and Latino communities. The rate is $0.50 per word for essay and perspective pieces, and $1 per word for reporting. Send pitches to [email protected].

–Trails Magazine is looking for pitches of outhouse reviews, trip reports, service journalism, opinion pieces, features, and gear reviews related to backpacking for their upcoming issue. The rate starts at $0.50 per word. See their pitch guide for more info (including who to pitch to) and send pitches “in the next week or two.”

–Art Düsseldorf Magazine islooking for pitchesof essays on the theme of “diversity in contemporary art.” They are particularly interested in pitches from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or from other underrepresented groups. The rate is around €400 ($430 USD) for 800-1,000 words. See their pitch guide for more info and send pitches to their digital editor, Chris Erik Thomas (aka me), at [email protected] by Friday, February 17.

–Gloria is looking for pitches of essays, interviews, and reported features on “what getting older means in a youth-obsessed society.” They are also specifically looking for pitches of “essays on starting over in or near midlife.” The rate is $400 for pieces of less than 1,500 words. Send pitches to @inLaurasWords on Twitter via DM.

–Distillations, the magazine of the Science History Institute, is looking for pitches of interviews, essays, columns, profiles, and features on “historically grounded stories about science and the environment.” They are particularly interested in pieces on scientific racism. The rate is $400 for interviews, $750 for essays, columns, and profiles, and $1.25 per word for features. See their pitch guide for more info and send pitches to [email protected].

–IGN is looking for pitches of features on video games, movies, TV, and comics. The rate is $300 per feature. Send pitches to [email protected].

–Going is assigning travel guide stories to writers who live in or spend extensive time (and are deeply familiar) with the following locations: Guatemala, Finland, Nantucket, Atlanta, Egypt, South Korea, Austria, Lebanon, Kuala Lumpur, Latvia, Kerala, and Faroe Islands. The rates start at $300 per guide. Fill out their pitch form to apply.

–Fodor’s Travel is always looking for pitches of personal narratives, slideshows, destination pieces, and other content related to travel. The rates range from $300-$375 “depending on the story/writer’s experience.” Send pitches to [email protected].

–Jewish Currents is looking for pitches of reported features, investigations, profiles, conversations, and essays that focus on the state of Florida. The rates start at $300 for long conversation pieces, $400 for analysis and review pieces, $500 for news reports, $1,000 for in-depth web features, and $1 per word for print features. See their freelancer agreement for more rate info and their pitch guide for the Florida issue. Send pitches to [email protected] by April 24 with the subject line “FLORIDA ISSUE: [description of pitch].”

–Polygon is always looking for pitches of original reporting, essays, op-eds, reviews, and features on “fandom, people focused, trend, streaming, [and] subculture stories related to video games and blockbuster film/TV.” They are specifically not looking for reviews. See their pitch guide for more info and send culture pitches to [email protected].

–My Imperfect Life is looking for pitches of first-person and reported pieces on “fun/unusual dating stories/dilemmas/experiences” for their new column. The rate is £200 (or $243) per piece. Send pitches to [email protected].

–Passionfruit, the Daily Dot’s creator economy newsletter, is looking for pitches of think pieces, interviews, and reported features on “creator economy business news, viral labor stories, [and] investigations into unfair business practices against creators” centered around Black History Month. They are also interested in “connecting with new writers for longer term relationships.” The rates start at $250 for think pieces, $300 for interviews, and $450 for reported features. Send pitches to [email protected].

–Fifty Grande is looking for pitches of features on “the music scenes in up-and-coming cities;” “oral histories of important local music businesses;” profiles, travelogs, photo essays, or guides on accessible but under-the-radar places; and “profiles, service features, travelogs, or photo essays on up-and-coming, boutique or independent hotels.” They are specifically not looking for “high end or luxury travel pitches.” The rates start at $250. See their pitch guide for more info and send pitches to [email protected] and CC [email protected] by February 20.

–Insider is looking for pitches of stories on Coachella and Palm Springs. See their tweet for a list of topics they’re particularly interested in. The rates start at $230 per story. Send pitches to @nuclearunicorns on Twitter.

–Mergoat Mag is looking for pitches of essays, features, and poems on the theme of “transecologies” that investigate “the contemporary ecological situation of Southern Appalachia and the cultures shaped by it.” The rates are $200 for poems (each poet gets four poems published at $50 each), $250 for essays of 1,000-2,500 words, and $500 for features of 3,000-$6,000 words. Send pitches to [email protected] or [email protected].

NEW EVERGREEN PITCH CALLS, SORTED BY HIGHEST TO LOWEST RATES

-Boston College is always commissioning Boston-based writers to cover business and real estate for a new, unnamed publication. The rates start at $1.25 per word. Send inquiries to [email protected].

–The New York Times is always looking for pitches of reported stories on money that “reveals to readers something about who we are and the different ways we live” for their Business desk. The rate is $1 per word. Send pitches to [email protected].

–Quartz is always looking for pitches of “service-y stories on how to navigate the modern workplace” for their Quartz at Work section. The rate is $0.50 per word. See their pitch guide for more info and send pitches to [email protected].

–Stereogum is always looking for pitches of reviews, essays, lists, interviews, stories, and other content on music. The rates are $200 for reviews, essays, and lists, $250 for interviews, and “more for a bigger project, but those are rare with our budget.” Send pitches to [email protected], “ideally with ‘GUM PITCH:’ in the subject line.”

–i-D is always looking for pitches of features and opinion pieces on internet culture, film, and books. The rates weren’t given but in October 2021, they ranged from “£150-£200 [$182-$243 USD] depending on the type of article commissioned.” See their pitch guide for more info and send pitches to [email protected].

–Studio ATAO is always looking for pitches of “critical social justice analysis on a topic within the food, [beverage], and hospitality industry” for their Eat, Drink & Do newsletter. The rate is $150 per piece and they “welcome messy ideas that we can develop together.” Send pitches to [email protected].

***CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL LIST OF 200+ EVERGREEN PITCH CALLS, SORTED BY HIGHEST TO LOWEST RATES.***

FREELANCE, PART-TIME, AND TEMPORARY JOBS

NEW: –Inverse is hiring a freelance writer to write one story per week for their Innovation section. Candidates should be interested in “the technologies that will shape tomorrow, like renewable energy, robots, the commercial space industry, and electric vehicles.” The rates start at $300 for “straightforward 700-word study stories” and are higher for enterprise pieces. Send inquiries to @mollyglick on Twitter.

NEW: –Runner’s World is hiring a freelance writer to provide daily coverage of “elite athlete news, viral moments from races, industry trends, uplifting accomplishments from amateur runners, and more.” Candidates must be available to write one news story per day. The rate is $200 per story. Send inquiries to [email protected] in “the next week or two.”

NEW: –Podcast.co is hiring a freelance content writer to produce monthly articles for their blog. The rates range from $150-$250 per article. Send inquiries, including work samples, to [email protected].

NEW: –Bicycling Magazine is hiring a freelance writer to provide daily coverage of “irresistible stories about bikes and the people who ride them either professionally or casually, but always enthusiastically.” Candidates must be available to write one news story per day. The rate is $200 per story. Send inquiries to [email protected] in “the next week or two.”

NEW: –Insider is hiring freelance writers to produce stories on credit scores, reports, and identity theft. The rates range from $250-$600, depending on the story type. Send inquiries to [email protected] or @PaulKimWrites on Twitter.

NEW: –Popular Mechanics is hiring a freelance writer to assist with “daily military, aviation, and defense coverage.” Candidates must be available to write one news story per day. The rate is $200 per story. Send inquiries to a[email protected] in “the next week or two.”

–Today in Tabs is hiring interns to write a short blurb every day from Monday through Thursday for one month. The blurb will be on a link or topic chosen between the intern and founder Rusty Foster. The rate is $1,500 for one month, and each tab should be 200-400 words. They are looking for one intern each for April, May, October, and November, and the deadline to apply is March 5.

-Rwebel is hiring Chicago-based freelance content producers to pitch and write one monthly article in a chosen beat for their publication. Candidates should have at least two years of journalism experience and must be able to attend editorial meetings. The rate is $0.25 per word. Send a resume and portfolio to [email protected] by TOMORROW, February 10.

EVENTS

-Sterling College is hosting an eight-week workshop on food and environmental nonfiction. The course will teach students to craft compelling stories, allow them to workshop their pieces and pitches, and include multiple guest speakers. The tuition will be $1,250, but there are nine fellowships available — eight Diverse Voices fellowships and one Veteran’s Fellowship. The course begins the week of March 6.

GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS

-The International Women’s Media Foundation is accepting nominations for their paid Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award. The award celebrates women, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming photojournalists, and includes a cash prize of $20,000. Third-party and self-nominations are accepted. The deadline to nominate is March 3.

-The International Women’s Media Foundation is accepting nominations for their annual Courage in Journalism Awards. The awards honor women and nonbinary journalists who “report on taboo topics, work in environments hostile to women, and share difficult truths.” Self-nominations are not accepted. The deadline to nominate is March 3.

-The International Women’s Media Foundation is accepting nominations for their Gwen Ifill Award. The award is open to women and non-binary journalists of color working in the news media. Third-party and self-nominations are accepted. The deadline to nominate is March 3.

FELLOWSHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS

-Eyebeam is accepting applications for their paid, part-time editorial fellowship program. The fellow will develop editorial content, expand their artist stewardship program, and other tasks. Applicants should have at least three years of experience writing for a leading publication or reputable organization in the arts. The fellowship pays $35-$45 per hour, commensurate with experience, and fellows are expected to work 24 hours per week. The deadline to apply is TOMORROW, February 10 at 6 PM EST.

JOBS

NEW YORK CITY

–Reasons to be Cheerful is hiring an editorial director to manage their editorial team, write content, and other tasks. Candidates should have at least three years of journalism experience, a proven track record in leadership, and a demonstrated enthusiasm for solutions journalism. The salary range is $80,000-$85,000. Send inquiries to co-editor Will Doig at [email protected]. The deadline to apply is February 17.

CENTRAL

–The Chicago Reader is hiring for multiple positions, including a news editor to work with freelance and staff writers to publish multiple stories per week, and a managing editor to supervise their team of editors, writers, and other staff. The salary is $50,000 for the news editor and $55,000-$60,000 for the managing editor, and both positions are unionized. The deadline to apply for both positions is February 17.

REMOTE-FRIENDLY

–Gas Leaks is hiring a digital manager to manage their site and social channels, including shaping their brand strategy. Candidates should have at least two years of experience in digital, social media, or project management, and excellent writing and copy-editing skills. The salary range is $75,000-$90,000. There is no deadline to apply, but interviews will begin the week of February 20 and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.