Opportunities 12/15/2022

Inverse, Catapult, CivicStory, 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 will be spending the winter break horizontal eating speculoos cookies. The newsletter is released on Thursdays. Once in a while, we take a day off for mental health breaks and holidays, which is why we will be on a much-deserved holiday break and return to your inbox in 2023. 

►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 new Jobs Webform.

►Need more info on Study Hall or want to check out our resources? Head to our new 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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►Do you love soothing playlists, nourishing recipes, and sustainable brand recs? Get all that (and much, much more) via The Daily Good, a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox every day. Join over 225,000 avid subscribers and sign up today.

>> 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.

–Robin Caldwell was paid $300 to write about how Black families can handle unwanted food and body comments during the holiday season for the Kindred section of Parents.com. She worked with Ambreia Meadows-Hernandez, who responded quickly and was”great to work with as an editor.”

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 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 

–Inverse is looking for pitches of “ambitious features [on] TV, movies, gaming, science, and tech.” International pitches and stories that would run in 2023 are welcome. The rates are $1,000 for reported features and “less $ for less ambitious work.” Send pitches to [email protected]. 

-Last Seen Project is looking for pitches of fiction and nonfiction stories inspired by their Last Seen archive. They are specifically looking for pitches from writers with experience writing for the upper elementary level (at or below fifth grade). The rate is $1 per word for pieces “no more than 1,000 words each.” See their pitch guide for more info, including how to pitch. 

–Game Informer is looking for pitches of reported features for their print magazine. They are particularly interested in “a behind-the-scenes look at a game or studio, a profile of an interesting developer, a personal story, [and a] report about an explored part of the industry.” The rates range from $600-$700. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Inverse is looking for pitches of features, essays, roundups, and other formats on trends in tech as part of their end of the year series. The rates start at $0.50 per word. Send pitches to [email protected] through December.

–Oregon Humanities is looking for pitches of personal essays and reported features on the theme of “joy and pain” specifically from Oregon-based writers. The rates range from $500-$1,000, “depending on the length and complexity of the piece.” See their pitch guide for more info and send pitches by next Wednesday, December 21.

–Sierra Magazine is looking for pitches of reported news pieces, first-person essays, profiles, deep dives, service stories, and other formats on nature, adventure, lifestyle, and other topics with a “conservation focus.” The rates range from $350-$450 for digital and $1-$1.50 per word for print stories. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

-NYU’s LatinxProject is looking for pitches of essays on algorithms, AI, Web3, and other topics for their spring exhibition. Pitches are welcome from all freelance writers, not only NYU students. The rate is $300 for up to 1,500 words, and goes up to $500 for longer pieces. Send pitches to [email protected] by January 30.  

–Catapult is looking for pitches of essays on “food writing, literary criticism with a personal slant, housing, and climate stories.” The rates “start at $200, vary with the length and the degree of research or reporting proposed, and are always negotiable.” See their pitch guide for more info and send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Ars Technica is looking for pitches of stories on video games that “would be a good fit for [their] heavily tech-literate audience.” They are especially interested in takes or trend pieces on the industry and culture, gaming tech and development, unseen gaming history, interesting groups of players, and more. The rates range from $200-$300 per piece. Send pitches to [email protected] with “Freelance Pitch” in the subject line by the end of 2022. 

–Weathered is looking for pitches of stories on “cities, landscapes, and the built environment in the context of the wintertime.” They are particularly interested in pitches on maintenance and care, open and public space, insulation, climate change, and more. The rate is $200 and stories can be as long as 1,800 words. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Task & Purpose is looking for pitches of stories, essays, and other formats on the theme of “Christmas in combat” for the holiday season. The rates range from $150-$200 depending on length and format. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–HuffPost Personal is looking for pitches of holiday-related personal essays on any topic (from parenting to dating to identity) that ties into “December holidays in some way.” The rate is typically $125 per piece. Send pitches to [email protected] by the end of 2022. 

–Alternative Press is looking for pitches of profiles, interviews, deep dives, and other formats on movies, TV, style, art, internet culture, and subcultures. The rates range from $150-$450. See their pitch guide for more info and send pitches to [email protected] and [email protected]. 

NEW EVERGREEN PITCH CALLS, SORTED BY HIGHEST TO LOWEST RATES

–Rest of World is always looking for pitches of longform narrative features on “technology’s impacts in Africa, Asia, or Latin America.” The rates start at $1 per word and “the majority of [their] feature stories are 3,000 words.” See their pitch guide for more info, including how to pitch. 

–The Stir is always looking for pitches of deep dives, hot takes, trend stories, listicles, first-person drinking tales, bartender or expert-approved gift and pairing guides, and more on beer, wine, spirits, cocktails, hosting, and home mixology. They are particularly interested in pitches from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ writers. The rates should range from $500-$1,000, but are “TBD for now.” Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–BuzzFeed News is always looking for pitches of essays and reported pieces on “smart, ambitious, and unexpected tech-related stories.” The rates are $0.33 per word for essays and $0.50 per word for reported pieces. Send pitches to [email protected] with “pitch” in the subject line.

–Nonprofit Quarterly is always looking for pitches of stories on “movements, active democracy, [and] equity.” The publication doesn’t share rates publicly, but we do. The rate is $300 per piece according to a DM from their senior editor, Iris M. Crawford. Send pitches to [email protected] or [email protected]. 

-Dotdash Meredith is always looking for writers to produce print stories on interior design and homes for Beautiful Kitchens & Baths, Dream Kitchens & Baths, and Better Homes & Gardens Cottage Style. The rates range from $400-$500 per story. Send inquiries, including an intro and clips, to [email protected]. 

–Madison Minutes is always looking for pitches of service journalism and other stories on Madison, WI. The rate is $350 for reported stories of 600 words. Send pitches to [email protected]. 

–Boyslut is always looking for pitches of essays from people of all sexualities and genders on “real sexual experiences that have happened to you.” The rate is $250 per essay. See their pitch guide for more info and send pitches to [email protected]. 

–GamesRadar+ is always looking for pitches of features, interviews, op-eds, deep dives, and more on comics and manga. They are particularly interested in DC and Marvel content, “but open to not just that.” The rates start at $125. Send pitches to [email protected].

–Mental Floss is always looking for pitches of short news posts, lists, and features on movies, TV, music, pop culture, entertainment, and other topics. They are specifically not looking for pitches of personal essays or time-sensitive news stories. The rates range from $75-$100 for short news posts, and start at $125 for short features of 500 words, $150 for lists, and $200 for longer features. See their pitch guide for more info, including who to pitch for each section. 

-The Asian American Writers’ Workshop is always looking for pitches of essays in English or “all languages spoken in Asia” on language, culture, and translation in Asia for a new column of The Margins magazine launching in February 2023. The rates range from $60-$150 for micro and flash essays, $150-$300 for essays of 900-2,000 words, and $300-$450 for essays of 2,000-3,500 words. See their pitch guide and rate sheet for more info. Send pitches to their senior editor, Soleil David, at [email protected].  

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

GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS

-GALECA is accepting submissions for their Crimson Honors Scholarship contest. The contest requires submitting “up to [three] reviews or essays” on film or TV, and contestants must be “LGBTQ women and nonbinary students of color in Southern California pursuing a career in journalism or entertainment criticism.” The grand prize winner will receive $3,000, with two finalists each collecting $1,500. The deadline to submit is December 31. 

FELLOWSHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS

NEW: –CivicStory is accepting applications for their paid NJ Sustainability Reporting Fellowship program. The fellowship for professional, freelance, and college student reporters provides resources — including up to $600 for students and up to $3,000 for professionals — to produce sustainability stories within the state. The program is four months and includes access to sustainability experts statewide. The deadline to apply is January 2. 

NEW: -Hearst Newspapers is accepting applications for their paid Hearst Journalism Fellowship program. The two-year fellowship is split into two, 12-month rotations at one of their papers in San Francisco, Houston, San Antonio, Albany, and Connecticut. The program pays $45,000 as well as “living stipends for some assignments, and you’ll get a relocation allowance to move each year.” The deadline to apply is January 6. 

NEW: –Insider is accepting applications for their paid Reporting Fellowship program. The program can be done in one of the following tracks: tech and trending news (East Coast or remote), and economy (remote). The program pays $20 per hour and fellows are expected to work full-time for six months (plus “overtime when needed and approved.”) According to the assistant managing editor, Andrew Leung, the start date for each fellowship “would likely be February/early March.” Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. 

–More Perfect Union is accepting applications for their paid Social Media and Distribution Internship program. Interns will build new distribution networks, monitor analytics, and other tasks. The internship is remote, pays $20 per hour, and interns are expected to work full-time for three months. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. 

–FRONTLINE is accepting applications for their Investigative Journalist Equity Initiative program. The program is remote and there is no deadline to apply, but the first cohort will begin in early December.

–Grist is accepting applications for their paid Climate Reporting Fellowship program. Six fellows will be chosen for one of each of the following tracks: environmental justice, news and politics, food and agriculture, climate solutions, data, and Indigenous affairs. The program is remote, lasts for one year, pays $50,000, and includes full medical benefits for employees and eligible dependents. The deadline to apply is this Monday, December 19. 

-The Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics is accepting applications for their two-week fellowship program, which requires spending two weeks in Berlin and Poland. The program is fully-funded and cost-free for participants. Send inquiries to program director Rebecca Scott at [email protected]. The deadline to apply is January 3. 

–The Philadelphia Inquirer is accepting applications for their paid summer internship program. The program can be done in one of the following tracks: features, business, news, health, opinion, Now desk reporting, audience development, or visuals and photography. The internship pays $18 per hour and interns are expected to work 30 hours per week for nine weeks (from June through August). The deadline to apply is February 1.

JOBS 

NEW YORK CITY

–The City is hiring a newsletter writer to produce and manage their portfolio of newsletters, including their daily newsletter, THE SCOOP. Candidates should have at least three years of experience “writing daily copy on deadline.” The salary range is $65,000-$83,000. 

–Youth Communication is hiring a senior editor to help teenagers in foster care write stories about their experiences for their two digital magazines. Candidates should have at least five years of writing and editing experience, and an “understanding of the strengths and challenges of the communities of color where 80% of our writers live and go to school.” The salary range is $60,000-$70,000. The deadline to apply is January 12. 

NORTHEAST

-New England News Collaborative is hiring a New England-based producer to create digital content and projects for a regional audience across their nine public media stations. Candidates should have at least five years of journalism experience, including knowledge of digital and social media platforms. According to their editorial director, Vanessa de la Torre, the mid-range for the position is $65,000. Send inquiries about the position to Vanessa at [email protected]. There is no deadline to apply but they “would like to fill the role soon!”

CENTRAL

–Planet Detroit is hiring a reporter to cover environmental and public health news in the city and statewide. Candidates should have at least two years of journalism experience and must be “comfortable reporting through a lens of social and racial equity.” The salary starts at $58,000. The position can be based in or near Detroit, and “some travel may be required.”

CALIFORNIA

–Berkeleyside is hiring a senior reporter to cover policing and public safety, including issues of community violence, pedestrian and cyclist safety, and public health. Candidates should have at least five years of reporting experience, including some experience covering breaking news. The salary range is $75,000-$85,000. The deadline to apply is January 4. 

HAWAII

–Honolulu Civil Beat is hiring a reporter to cover criminal justice and public safety issues in Hawaii. Candidates should have at least five years of reporting experience and extensive knowledge of the state. The “anticipated” minimum salary is $70,000.

REMOTE-FRIENDLY

–NewsGuard is hiring a staff reporter and a senior staff reporter, both of whom will cover media and misinformation. Candidates should have at least one year or four years of journalism experience for the junior and senior positions, respectively. The salary ranges are $52,000-$60,000 for the junior position and $60,000-$70,000 for the senior position. Both positions can be remote, however “the ability to work from New York is preferred.” There is no deadline to apply, but both positions will have a start date “no-later-than January 2023.”

–Noema Magazine is hiring a senior editor to assign and edit for digital and print, including loading pieces into their CMS. Candidates should have at least five years of editing experience, and fluency in foreign language is preferred. The salary range is $110,000-$160,000, commensurate with experience. The position can be remote or based in Los Angeles, CA. Send inquiries about the position to [email protected]. 

–Indiegraf is hiring an audience strategist to strategize, execute, and analyze digital marketing campaigns on their Audience team. Candidates should have at least three years of experience in “digital marketing, audience strategy, or [another] relevant industry,” and experience in the news and publishing industry is preferred. According to their audience strategy senior manager, Rachel Chen, the salary range is $55,000-$70,000. The position can be remote within Canada or the US. Send inquiries to Rachel at [email protected] and apply by December 31.