NOTE: Submissions are not accepted over the phone, through postal services, or social media (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn).
Please respect our time and the selection process. Happy writing, friends!
send your pitches to: info@montanawoman.com
what we’re looking for
2024 — The cosmos
Based on six Roman goddesses, inspired by Montana's endless skies. These are representations of our power, our tenderness, our ferocity, our capability. Our merits are as vast and varied as the sky above, as steadfast as the earth below.
March/April 2024: Minerva, the wise.
Due January 25, 2024
May/June 2024: Flora, the gardener.
Due March 25, 2024
July/August 2024: Ceres, the farmer.
Due May 25, 2024
September/October 2024: Diana, the huntress.
Due July 25, 2024
November/December 2024: Salus, the protector.
Due September 25, 2024
general guidelines
Montana Woman features topics in creativity, community, food & spirits, and life (we’ve grouped some of our sections together!). General articles can cover any of these topics, so long as they pertain to life in Montana. We also regularly print vignettes— poems, short stories, pieces of fiction, etc.
For all works:
Submit as a .doc, .docx, or .pages. (Google docs are also welcome).
Document size must be US Letter (8.5”x11”).
Use 11 or 12 point Times New Roman (or similar, legible typeface) in black (mainly, just make sure what you send in is legible!)
Remember to include a title with your work. Also, it’s best to refrain from using the theme in your title.
Keep your reader engaged! Montana Woman is an authentic publication that’s rooted in storytelling. If you want to get a feel for our magazine, you can find all of our digital back issues here.
Be sure to proofread your work before you send it. We edit everything that comes our way, but we should not be the first to edit your work.
All writing is checked for plagarism through Grammarly— always cite your sources (Chicago, AP, etc.). Plagiarism is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Do not send in an article that contains emojis. It will be sent back to you. Please keep your writing professional.
Please choose/use your words consciously (i.e. tribe, spirit animal, g*psy).
**Please keep in mind that your work does not exist in a vacuum. Look outside of your writing. It can be beneficial to take a step back and look at the bigger picture— know your audience.
**At Montana Woman, we do not tolerate prejudice of any kind— ableism, homophobia, racism, sexism, transphobia, xenophobia— do not email us with prejudice. This is an inclusive, intersectional magazine. Any emails, articles, or submissions containing prejudice, slurs, or personal attacks will be disregarded and you will be banned from submitting work. Be kind, the world does not need more hate.
Overall, we’re interested in good storytelling. Whether you’ve been writing for 20 years or this is your first time sending in work, we want to hear your voice! I employ a flexible editing process— I want to keep pieces true to the people who write them.
contribution
Montana Woman is contribution-based— participation is voluntary (there is no financial compensation). You have an article, we have a place for it! Montana Woman is a statewide publication.
Eventually, I (Megan!) want to be able to compensate our contributors. As someone who’s been on the other end of this guidelines page, I know what it’s like. The catch is that on my end, this is all a brand-new business to me. It might take some time, but I will actively work toward figuring out contributor compensation.
Do note, though, that if your article points back to your business, your work is a contribution.
feature guidelines
Features must be a recommendation/reference (you’re probably pretty cool, but we don’t accept self-recommendations). Any woman in Montana can be featured— small business owners, farmers, artists, writers, teachers, mechanics, beekeepers, outdoorswomen, servicewomen, etc.— if you know a Montana woman who is owning their worth and power, we want to know!
heritage recipe guidelines
Recipes submitted to Montana Woman must be heritage recipes that come along with an old photograph (or a few!) and a story. Recipes pulled directly from the web will not be accepted. Both food and drink recipes are welcomed!
requirements
For features, send us a pitch no longer than 250 words. Files must be .doc, .docx, or .pages. Feature pitches that are over 250 words or in the incorrect format will not be accepted. Include links to your social media sites— a website, facebook, instagram, or blog, etc.
For general articles, send us a pitch no longer than 200 words. Files must be .doc, .docx, or .pages. General pitches that are over 200 words or in the incorrect format will not be accepted. Include links to your social media sites— a website, facebook, instagram, or blog, etc.
For recipes, send us a pitch no longer than 200 words about who made the original recipe (i.e. a mother, grandmother, sister, friend, neighbor). Files must be .doc, .docx, or .pages. The accompanying image(s) must be of the person who made the recipe (or someone close). Image files must be .tiffs or high-res .jpegs. General pitches that are over 200 words or in the incorrect format will not be accepted. Include links to your social media sites— a website, facebook, instagram, or blog, etc. If your recipe is selected, we’ll make it! So you don’t have to worry about sending images of the food/drink itself, just a family photograph.
If your work is selected for a feature, please send us a document anywhere from 800-2,500 words.
If your work is selected for a general article, please send us a document anywhere from 500-850 words (longer articles may be accepted at the discretion of the editor).
If your work is selected for recipes, please send us the recipe in its entirety, a photograph (or a few!) of who originally made the recipe, and a short write-up on who originally made the recipe (200-300 words). We will make the recipe, so don’t worry about sending in recipe photos!
images
Check with the editor before sending images. If you have been asked to supply photographs, please use the best camera available to you.
Send high-res files, ideally as a .psd, .tiff, or .png (.jpeg files may be selected if they’re high-res). 300ppi, CMYK colorspace.
Please refrain from sending blurry cell phone images. If you are using a cell phone, please refrain from cropping or editing your images, as it negatively impacts the file quality/resolution.
Do not pull image files from Facebook or Instagram, they will not be large enough to print. Web-res files are 72ppi, print files need to be 300 ppi.
HDR and over-processed images will not be accepted. Please keep your editing tasteful.
If you’re sending an old photograph to accompany a recipe, please send a scan (not a cell phone image of the photograph).
If you are sending images that are not yours, please have consent from the original photographer— give credit where credit is due.
rules & regulations
We accept submissions only through email. We do not accept submissions through postal services, phone calls, social media (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), or this website.
The following formats are accepted: .doc, .docx, or .pages. Original photographs with the recipe submissions must be .tiffs, .psds, .pngs, or high-res .jpegs.
Submissions may be sent to us at any time, year-round.
We accept simultaneous submissions.
All work should be previously unpublished. If work has been published elsewhere, a disclaimer will follow the end of the article stating where all it has appeared.
Work must be original. Plagairized work will not be accepted ot tolerated.
If you send a duplicate article that has already been published in Montana Woman, your work will not be accepted.
Feature work must be about a resident of Montana or someone who shares the spirit of Montana, a Montana organization or business, etc.
Articles about/pertaining MLMs will not be accepted.
By submitting an article, you are agreeing to work in collaboration with the editor on any revisions she deems necessary.
Final articles are due on the 25th of the month. As an example, if you wanted to have an article in the January/February issue, you would have to send the article by November 25th. If you fail to submit your work on or before the 25th of the month, your work will not be printed that month. Late articles may be reserved for following months with the consent of the contributor.
Through our selection and editing process, your work may not be accepted for publication. Sending in an article does not guarantee publication.
rights
The owner reserves the right to publish your article in one issue of Montana Woman.
The right to publish your article, if chosen, on our website.
The right to use brief quotes and/or images from the magazine in promotional programs related to Montana Woman.
All other rights for material printed in Montana Woman remain with the author/creator.
We notify our contributors when we make any secondary use of their material. This is typically limited to our website, where each month we run a sampling of the issue’s feature stories and articles. Note, however, that we do not consider exact reproduction of the magazine page as secondary usage.
By submitting material to us, you represent and warrant that you have full authority to grant the rights set forth above and that your material will not, in whole or in part, infringe the intellectual property rights, rights of privacy or publicity, or any other rights of any third party. You further represent and warrant that you have attained the legal age of majority in your state/province (18 in most states/provinces). If you’re a minor under the law of your state/province, your parent or guardian must submit on your behalf.
By submitting material to us, you also recognize that Montana Woman is contribution-based and that there is no financial compensation.