Contribute

Contribute

Thank you for your interest in writing or donating photography to Mountaineer magazine! Generous contributors like you make this magazine possible.

If you're interested in contributing to Mountaineer magazine with either stories or photography, please contact magazine@mountaineers.org.

About

Mountaineer is a quarterly magazine written by and for Mountaineers members to connect our community to the outdoors and one another. The vision of the magazine is to create a sense of community and inspiration while highlighting our programs and encouraging people to get involved and get outside. The magazine provides a platform for members of the outdoor community to share their stories and connect with one another.

What We're Looking FOr

In order to highlight the voices of our community, contributors must be members of The Mountaineers, or at least directly connected to The Mountaineers.

We’re mostly interested in:

  • personal stories of transformational experiences in the outdoors
  • guides to local outdoor opportunities
  • how-to pieces
  • and stories from trips taken with The Mountaineers. 

Our magazine has a friendly, open voice. The writing shouldn’t be too technical. Rather, it should be simple with an elegant but easy-to-read style (a sense of humor is always welcome).

As a nonprofit and volunteer-led organization, all content is contributed on a volunteer basis. We do not reprint articles which have already been published elsewhere; however, please visit our blog submission guidelines for opportunities to have your story featured online. If you're interested in contributing to Mountaineer magazine with either stories or photography, please contact magazine@mountaineers.org

PITCHING

Pitches should present a clear thesis and reflect familiarity with the magazine's content and tone. They need to be well-written and free of typos. To submit a pitch, please email magazine@mountaineers.org with the following information:

  • Article Summary: In 3-5 sentences, what topic do you hope to explore in your article? How is it relevant to The Mountaineers, and how will it benefit our community? Does it directly tie into our mission, or one of our strategic priorities?
  • Estimated word count (detailed below) 
  • Sample paragraph or two, to help us become familiar with your personal writing style
  • Confirmation of high-resolution photography. Magazines are printed in high-resolution, and you will need to confirm that you can provide photos to accompany the piece. Images need to be at least 1 MB in size.

WORD COUNTS

1 page = 500-600 words + 1 high-res photo
2 pages = 900-1,200 words + 2-4 high res photos
3 pages = 1,600-1,800 words + 5-8 high res photos
4 pages = 1,800-2,200 + 10 or more high res photos

PHOTOGRAPHY

Select images that demonstrate good wilderness ethics and show proper safety equipment – such as helmets on climbs and life vests for sea kayaking.

Use images that The Mountaineers has been given permission to use from the photographer – no images “just found on the web.” Help us create good image captions by providing the following info for each photo:

  • location
  • names of people in the image, or description of activity in the image
  • photographer credit

As stated above, please ensure that all your images are high-resolution. This typically means the file size is at least 1 MB. To submit photographs for consideration in future articles, please email magazine@mountaineers.org.

MAGAZINE DATES

Often articles are pre-arranged several issues ahead as we need lead time for layout design, editing, and proofing. Please keep this in mind when pitching your piece. For each edition, we feature pieces and photos that are seasonally relevant.

The magazine is published on the following dates:

  • Winter: December 1
  • Spring: March 1
  • Summer: June 1
  • Fall: September 1 


CONTRIBUTOR POLICY: 
MOUNTAINEER MAGAZINE IS A PUBLICATION OF THE MOUNTAINEERS AND IS DISTRIBUTED four TIMES PER YEAR. CONTRIBUTORS ARE NOT PAID FOR THEIR CONTENT AND DONATE IT ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS. ONCE PERMISSION FOR USE OF A STORY, IDEA, OR IMAGE HAS BEEN GRANTED, IT CANNOT BE REVOKED. CONTENT OF THE MAGAZINE IS OVERSEEN BY THE Communications Director, the Communications team, AND THE MOUNTAINEERS’ LEADERSHIP TEAM. THE MOUNTAINEERS HAS FINAL RIGHTS TO REVISIONS. PROOFS ARE SHARED FOR FACT-CHECKING ONLY. EVEN IF WE EXPRESS AN INTEREST IN AN ESSAY, WE CANNOT GUARANTEE PUBLICATION. EVEN WHEN AN ARTICLE IS SELECTED FOR AN ISSUE, IT MAY BE PULLED AT THE LAST MINUTE DUE TO space considerations.