Opportunities 04/27/2023

GQ, New York Times, Observer, 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 Marisa Clogher, who wants a vacation. The newsletter is (usually) 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 taking a break for March and April. When we return, you’ll be able to place your Ad in our two weekly newsletters: Thursday’s Opportunities and our Digest. 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.

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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. 

-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.

 -“Funding News” is a new study by the American Press Institute about how news media can create content that Gen Z and Millennial consumers are willing to pay for or donate to directly. The study outlines the Americans ages 16 to 40 who pay for or donate to news in some fashion and compares those who pay for news to those who pay for independent creators. 

–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. 

–Trusting News has launched a series of “trust kits” that are designed to help journalists build trust with their readership. 

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 theExtremism 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 

–Narratively is looking for pitches of reported features about “LatinXcellence,” specifically, “people breaking ground across the board.” Send pitches “about people shaking things up — stories that have stopped you in your tracks and inspired you.” You can find examples of the types of stories they’re looking for here. The rate starts at $1,000. Submit pitches here by this Sunday, April 30. 

-Narrative Initiative is looking for pitches of stories that “about organizers, cultural producers, activists, and other changemakers whose work is shifting harmful, dominant narratives.” The rate is $1 per word. Submit pitches here by May 15.

–The Dial is looking for pitches from writers outside the US upcoming for issues organized around the themes of “drugs” and “weapons.” The rate is $800 to $1,000 for pieces of about 2,000 to 2,500 words; the magazine is also open to hearing from translators about worthy nonfiction to bring into English. Send pitches and questions to [email protected]. 

-Long Now Foundation is looking for pitches of essays, reported features, interviews, book reviews, fiction, and poetry for Ideas, their “living archive of long-term thinking.” The rate varies for the type of piece, but starts at $600 for features, and ranges between $300 to $600 for essays, interviews, book reviews, and news articles. Find more information on what they’re looking for in their pitch guide. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Time Out New York is accepting pitches of trend pieces, features covering arts, lifestyle, theater, food and drink, and more. The rate is up to $500, depending on effort. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–InsideHook is looking for pitches on culture, especially music and TV, as well as beer. The rate typically starts at $350. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Food & Wine is looking for pitches of first-person sale round-ups and first-person reviews of products, cookware, appliances, and more. You can find more info in their pitch guide. The rate is $300 per article. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Observer is looking for pitches of arts and culture in an effort to expand their coverage over the next six months. The rate is $200 to $350. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Vulture is looking for pitches of recaps about “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” on Netflix, which premieres as a full-season drop with six episodes. They’re looking for writers with knowledge of “Bridgerton” and Shonda Rhimes. The rate is $250 per recap. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

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

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FREELANCE, PART-TIME, AND TEMPORARY JOBS 

NEW: -National Forest Foundation is hiring an associate editor to commission writers and manage the editing process for three articles in the December 2023 issue of their bi-annual magazine. The rate is $4,000 for the contract. Find more information on their website. The deadline to apply is tomorrow, April 28.

–Sentient Media is hiring a part-time or full-time negotiable social media manager. Candidates should have at least two years experience developing and implementing communications strategies. This is a remote position but candidates must be able to work on EST hours. The salary is $38,000 to $48,000, but they are also open to paying a freelance hourly rate. The deadline to apply is this Monday, May 1.

–Vanity Fair is hiring a motivated journalist to write weekend stories for The Hive, its news vertical focused on the intersection of politics, business, and technology. The ideal candidate has experience covering news on a digital platform, is self-sufficient in sourcing and pitching stories, can work hand-in-hand with a weekend editor, and is eager to build a world-class collection of clips. This is a remote freelance position, and the hours are 10 AM to 2 PM EST on Saturdays and Sundays, with the option to add more on holidays and summer Friday afternoons. If interested, please reach out to Vanity Fair’s director of editorial operations Kelly Butler at [email protected]. 

–The Drift is hiring a part-time fiction assistant to help manage their inbox, someone who “has the organizational skills to sort through submissions and respond to writers efficiently.” The hours are flexible and will amount to no more than one day per week. The pay will be anywhere from $200 to $3,000 per issue, depending on experience, hourly commitment, and number of assistants hired. To apply, fill out this form. 

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GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS

–Ploughshares is now accepting submissions for its Emerging Writer’s Contest, which is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish or self-publish a book. Candidates should not be affiliated with Emerson College or with Ploughshares. The winners of each genre will receive $2,000, publication, and a 1-year subscription to Ploughshares. The deadline to submit is May 15. 

–Grist is now accepting submissions for Imagine 2200, a “climate fiction short story contest.” It is looking for stories that are 3,000 to 5,000 words that “envision the next 180 years of climate progress” and that imagine “intersectional worlds of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope.” The first place winner will receive $3,000, second place will receive $2,000, third place will receive $1,000, and nine finalists will receive $300. The deadline to submit is June 13. 

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FELLOWSHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS

–The Business of Fashion is accepting applications for its Next Generation Black Journalists Fellowship, “a six-month, part-time, paid reporting and writing program designed to train and publish aspiring Black writers in the field of fashion business journalism.” Candidates do not need to have any journalism experience; Black writers from any country are eligible to apply. Fellows are paid a $1,500 per month stipend. The deadline to apply is tomorrow, April 28.

–STAT is accepting applications for the Sharon Begley Science Reporting Fellowship which aims to diversify the ranks of science and health journalists. This is a yearlong fellowship that will begin in August and it is based in Boston. Fellows will be paid $75,000 and receive health insurance through MIT and dental and vision benefits through STAT. The deadline to apply is this Monday, May 1.

–The Nation is accepting applications for its annual internship. The internship is full-time, five days a week, and 35 hours per week. It lasts six months, from June to December. Interns are paid $18 per hour. Remote candidates will be considered, but preference will be given to candidates in New York who can come into the office. The deadline to apply is May 12.

-MIT Technology Review is accepting applications for its emerging journalist fellowship. Fellows will spend half of their time “searching for story ideas, pitching to your editor, reporting out your ideas, and writing and revising drafts” and the other half of their time “fact checking stories written by other reporters,” as well as attending three meetings a week. Fellows can work remotely or from the Review’s offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is a full-time position that lasts six months, and the pay is $20 per hour. The deadline to apply is May 15.

–The 19th is accepting applications for its yearlong Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Fellowship, which provides “graduates and mid-career alums of Historically Black Colleges and Universities with full-year, salaried fellowships in editorial, audience engagement, and product and technology.” Fellows will receive a minimum salary of $70,000, as well as benefits. This is a fully remote fellowship. The deadline to apply is May 15.  

–MIT Technology Review is accepting applications for its six-month emerging journalist fellowship for “emerging journalists, and especially women, non-binary or trans people, and people of color, to come and develop their skills.” Candidates can work remotely or from its offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The rate is $20 per hour. Send a resume, cover letter, and three clips to [email protected] by May 15.

NEW: –Documented is accepting applications for an ambitious reporter who wants to write about issues affecting New York’s immigrant communities for their Isaac Rauch Fellowship. Stories must uncover new information and can be an accountability-based series, a magazine-level feature story, or even a short documentary on topics including housing, culture, immigration policy issues, public safety, and more. The pay is a $10,000 stipend. The deadline to apply is May 19.

NEW: –The New York Times is accepting applications for their full-time, two-year editing residency for journalists, who will work on “daily news articles, enterprise stories, and special projects.” Candidates should have at least three years professional journalism experience. The salary for this position is $90,870, and it is based in New York City. The deadline to apply is May 26. 

NEW: –The New York Times is accepting applications for their full-time, two-year photo editing residency for journalists, who will “conceptualize, research, assign, select, and publish photography across platforms.” Candidates should have at least three years professional visual journalism experience. The salary for this position is $90,870, and it is based in New York City. The deadline to apply is May 26. 

-Nova Institute is accepting applications for the Nova Media Fellowship which “supports print, broadcast, and digital journalists proposing to immerse themselves in the health field.” Ideal candidates are full-time journalists with an established record of publication. The fellowship runs for 12 months and begins in Fall 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland, though the start date is flexible. The pay is $105,000 and is all-inclusive. The deadline to apply is July 5.

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JOBS 

NEW YORK

–GQ is hiring a culture editor to assign, edit, and develop editorial strategy for daily coverage of television, movies, music, internet culture, and more. Candidates should have at least three years experience editing and managing digital content, and editorial analytics. The salary range is $65,000 to $103,000. They’re also hiring an editorial operations assistant with a salary range of $60,000 to $66,000.

WASHINGTON DC

-Urban Institute is hiring a writer to “write text, lead content strategy, and manage the full writing process for public-facing products, including narrative features, data visualizations, interactive graphics, and videos.” Candidates should have four to seven years of related experience as well as a bachelor’s degree in journalism, writing, or communications. The salary range is $65,000 to $95,000. This position can be fully remote. 

CALIFORNIA

–CalMatters is hiring a full-time education reporter to cover the politics and interests behind K-12 education policy, evaluate how major state programs are working, and to hold educators and policymakers accountable. Candidates should have at least three years professional reporting experience, preferably about K-12 education. The salary range is $70,000 to $90,000 and includes benefits. 

REMOTE-FRIENDLY

-Digg is hiring a full-time assistant editor to curate stories, cover news, and source videos for the site. Candidates should have one to two years professional experience, preferably as a copy editor, editor, or journalist, as well as a bachelor’s degree. The salary range is $45,000 to $55,000. This is a fully remote position.