STUDY HALL OPPORTUNITIES 05/04/2024

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. We currently split pitch calls into three sections: Time-Sensitive (Above Fair Rates), Evergreen (Above Fair Rates), and Time-Sensitive + Evergreen (Below Fair Rates) — and sort each section by highest to lowest rates. We currently define “fair rates” as above $200 USD for around 700-800 words and above $0.20 per word for longer pieces. However, we cannot guarantee that every publication pays this rate. Please email us if you have more information on a rate or exploitative business practices from a publication posted.

TIME-SENSITIVE PITCH CALLS (ABOVE FAIR RATES)

–CREEM Magazine‘s managing editor, Mandy Brownholtz, is looking for pitches of reported features on “the intersection of science and rock ‘n’ roll” for its “Nerd Shit” section. They are accepting pitches for the magazine’s September 2024 issue. According to Mandy: “The basic premise is that we either ask a stupid question and answer it really intelligently, or we answer an intelligent question really stupidly.” The rate is $0.50 per word. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

–Going‘s content marketing director, Katie Hammel, is looking for writers “deeply familiar” with first, premium economy, or business class for multiple airlines including “Austrian or Avianca business class, Cathay Pacific prem econ or first, Eva prem econ or business, Iberia prem econ” or “KLM prem econ or first, Kenya biz, LATAM biz, SAS biz, and Westjet or JetBlue (all classes).” The rates start at $400. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –D&D Beyond editorial director Michael Galvis is looking for writers to produce articles and guides on the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. You should be highly knowledgeable of the fifth edition D&D ruleset, and regularly turn in relatively clean copy. The rate is $350 for 1,200-2,000 words. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –EUobvserver is looking for pitches from young journalists about youth and the European Parliament elections. They want pan-European and national stories. The rates start at around $323.59 (or €300) for reported articles. The elections are coming up beginning of June, so please send pitches “as soon as humanly possible.” See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –Business Insider‘s Lifestyle/Entertainment editor, Stephanie Pitera Statile, is looking for writers who live on the Amalfi Coast for a few story assignments. The rates start at $220 for short 700-word pieces. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –Business Insider editor Frank Olito is looking for pitches of first-person essays from young retirees. Do you regret retiring early? Is there something you wish you had done differently? Or has it been the best decision? The rate starts at $220 for 700 words. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

EVERGREEN PITCH CALLS (ABOVE FAIR RATES)

NEW: –Mother Jones articles editor Jacob Rosenberg is always looking for pitches that “denaturalize a phrase that’s been ubiquitous” in culture for its Mother Tongue column. The pieces should question something many have assumed is normal and ask what that status quo reveals about our world. The rate is $1,000 for 600-800 words. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –The New York Times is always looking for pitches of “intelligent, literate, entertaining and well-crafted crosswords.” An NYT crossword will be a collaboration between the writer and their staff of editors, who will “seek to preserve your voice while making the puzzle as enjoyable as possible for solvers.” The rates start at $500 for Monday to Saturday (15 x 15 size) and $1,500 for Sunday (21 x 21 size). See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –Eater‘s senior editor, Jesse Sparks, is always looking for pitches of guides for its specialty newsletters columns, specifically for Travel and The Move. Travel pitches should be “brief, passionate narratives making the case for why you should travel to a specific place to visit a restaurant, learn about a culinary tradition, or eat a dish or food.” The Move should give “the best, most actionable advice you have to help other people improve their experience dining out at restaurants.” The rate is $300 for 500-800 words. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –The New York Times is always looking for pitches of stories “that need to be told about puzzles, games or language” for the ‘Solver Stories’ section. Gameplay is interested in exploring how puzzles, games, and language connect us to each other, how they fit into our daily lives, and what we can learn about ourselves from them. The rate is $200 for 800-1,000 words. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

***CLICK HERE FOR OUR OPPORTUNITY FINDER DATABASE, WHICH FEATURES HUNDREDS OF PITCH CALLS, JOBS, AND MORE***

FREELANCE, PART-TIME, AND TEMPORARY JOBS 

NEW: -CBS Sunday Morning is hiring a freelance writer to produce copy and intros for its weekly 90-minute broadcast for Anchor Jane Pauley and any Correspondents who may substitute for the Anchor. Candidates should have at least four years of television News writing experience and be able to work early mornings and/or overnight hours. The hourly rate is $48.01. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –The New York Times for Kids is hiring a temporary staff editor to “brainstorm creative and timely stories for kids.” You have experience assigning, editing, and packaging short-form journalism (experience with kid content is not a prerequisite). This position is represented by the NewsGuild of NY. The annual salary range is $111,711.62-$112,000, but it’s unclear how long the position will last. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –The New York Times is hiring an NYC-based market reporter on a temporary contract for the Styles desk. The reporter will work with desk leadership to expand how the paper covers fashion and beauty through best-in-class service journalism. Candidates should have at least a decade of digital reporting experience focused on fashion, beauty, and shopping. This position is represented by the NewsGuild of NY. The annual salary range is $111,049.64-$125,000, but it’s unclear how long the position will last. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –Forbes is hiring temporary reporters to interview CEOs for the 2024 Next Billion Dollar Startups list. The reporters will conduct interviews and outreach with the CEOs of companies making the list and write accompanying bios. There may be an additional opportunity to write a story associated with the list.  The rate ranges from $25-$50 per hour and requires working 15 hours per week. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –Forbes is hiring temporary climate reporters for the inaugural Forbes Sustainability Leaders list. Reporters will help source candidates for the list, doing broad research into potential nominees and sorting through inbound nominations. They will also help identify judge candidates and write bios for both honoree and judge finalists. The rate ranges from $25-$50 per hour and requires working 20 hours per week. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –Inverse is hiring for multiple part-time positions on their TV & Movies team, including a writer and editor. “If you’re the type of person who’s always telling your friends what to watch on Netflix or Hulu, you’ll fit in well.” The hourly rate ranges from $31.90 to $31.97 for the writer and $31.97 to $32.25 for the editor. Both positions are covered by WGA-East. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

FULL-TIME JOURNALISM JOBS

REMOTE-FRIENDLY

NEW: –Bustle Digital Group is hiring for multiple part-time, remote positions on its Commerce and Affiliate Marketing team. The Women’s Lifestyle Commerce writer will write product roundups for BDG brands, and the Affiliate Shopping (Fashion & Women’s Lifestyle) writer will write shopping articles and product roundups. The rate ranges from $22-$24 per hour for both roles. Candidates for both positions must be able to work remotely two to three days per week (18-22 hours per week), Monday through Friday. See our Opp Finder listing for more info.

NEW: –Our World in Data is hiring a writer to produce articles, collaborate with data scientists, and more. Candidates should have a “good understanding of statistics and excellent ability to interpret and critique data sources.” The salary range is $69,097.32-$81,655.26 (or £55,00-£65,000) per year for candidates living in the UK. Rates are adjusted for international candidates. See our Opp Finder listing for more info and apply by May 12.

–ProPublica is hiring a visuals editor to “find compassionate, incisive and original approaches to story presentation.” Candidates should have “experience compiling visual storyboards and writing creative project briefs, and working in visual design tools like Photoshop, Sketch, and Figma.” The position can be remote or based in New York City. The salary range is $95,000-$120,000. See our Opp Finder listing for more info, and apply by this Monday, May 6 at 9 a.m. ET. 

OTHER FULL-TIME JOBS 

WASHINGTON, DC

-Human Rights Watch is hiring a communications associate to provide assistance and administrative support to the Communications team. Candidates should have at least one year of relevant experience, including copy-editing or sub-editing experience in AP Stylebook. The salary range is $58,000-$62,327. See our Opp Finder listing for more info, and apply by this Tuesday, May 7.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

NEW: -The American Press Institute shared its new national audience study, “Election Insights: Understanding Public Preferences for News Coverage for 2024.” This study of 2,400+ adults explores the public’s attitudes toward election coverage and includes insights like: “Only 14% [of respondents] express a great deal of confidence in election-related information they receive from national news organizations, and only 11% say the same about local news media.”

NEW: -The International Women’s Media Foundation shared a new resource, “A Guide to Protecting Newsrooms and Journalists Against Online Violence.” The guide details policies and best practices newsrooms can implement to better protect staff members who are targeted simply for doing their jobs and includes case studies from six months of work with a wide range of newsrooms.  

GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, CONTESTS, AND AWARDS

NEW: -The New York Foundation for the Arts is accepting applications for the JGS Fellowship for Photography grant. The Fellowship offers an $8,000 cash grant to five artists working in traditional and experimental photography or any form in which photographic techniques are pivotal. See our Opp Finder listing for more info, and apply by May 21.

-The Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation is accepting applications for its Grant for Writing on Sculpture. The program offers one $20,000 grant per year. “The writing grant is specifically for a writer who generates fresh writing and thinking on the history, aesthetics, purposes, imagination, or situation of sculpture. Supported categories of writing include essays and books.” See our Opp Finder listing for more info, and apply by May 31.

-The Dig Awards are accepting submissions of journalistic investigations and reportages in video and audio format. The awards are divided into three main categories: Video (open to documentaries and films), Audio & Podcast (open to podcasts and radio productions), and Pitch (open to video projects still in the development and production phase). The entry fee is around $53.18 (or €50) for each submission in all video and audio categories. Participation in the DIG Pitch category is free of charge; this category offers a monetary prize of up to $15,954.97 (or €15,000) in funding to a project currently in a pre-production or development phase. See our Opp Finder listing for more info, and apply by June 2 for Video, Audio, and Podcast, or June 16 for the DIG Pitch category.

–Grist is accepting submissions for its Imagine 2200 climate fiction short story contest. The contest invites writers from all over the globe “to imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world.” Submissions can be 2,500-5,000 words. The winning writer will be awarded $3,000. The second- and third-place winners receive $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. An additional nine finalists will each receive $300. See our Opp Finder listing for more info and submit by June 24, 11:59 pm PST.

-The International Women’s Media Foundation is accepting applications for its Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists. The Fund was designed to help women, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming journalists expose under-reported but critical global issues, undertake ambitious projects that challenge traditional media narratives, and more. From 2021 to 2022, the average grant size was $6,000. At this time, they are unable to accommodate large grant requests of more than $10,000. See our Opp Finder listing for more info. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. 

FELLOWSHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS

NEW: –BuzzFeed is accepting applications for its Trending News Fellowship. The program is a crash course in consistently creating content (articles and videos) that captures readers’ attention, advances the cultural conversation, and reaches a massive audience. Applicants must be comfortable “utilizing emerging AI technology to create unique and entertaining content.” The rate is $18 per hour; the program is three months with a possible contract extension. The Fellowship can be remote or based in New York or Los Angeles. See the Opp Finder listing and apply by next Friday, May 10. 

NEW: –Sojourners is accepting applications for the Sojourners Journalism Cohort. The program is a part-time, five-month, remote training program designed to give early-career, non-white writers hands-on, paid training as freelance journalists. Cohort members will be paid $400 per month, for a total of $2,000 by the completion of the program. “Failure to complete the program requirements may result in forfeited payment.” See the Opp Finder listing and apply by May 12. 

-Mandy Hofmockel updated her calendar of paid internships and fellowships with upcoming deadlines. The resource includes details on pay, location, application deadlines, and links to more info. Bookmark it if you’re looking to apply for upcoming internships and fellowships. 

-The Nova Institute for Health is accepting applications for its 2024 Media Fellowship for health journalists. “The Media Fellowship program aims to give recipients the time, space, and resources to research, write, and speak about issues that validate and show the importance of an expansive health framework.” The fellowship awards $100,000 over 12 months,” with up to an additional $7,500 reimbursed for travel expenses per Nova’s travel policies.” See our Opp Finder listing for more info, and apply by May 28.