How to contribute 

shado is a lived experience-led community of artists, activists, writers, organisers and everything in between, united in the fight for collective liberation. We publish long-form journalism that provides critical and community-centred analyses of a range of topics including politics, activism, arts & culture, opinions, and profiles. 

We are committed to publishing work that contributes to our movements for liberation and commission work that aligns with these political values. We aim for the majority of our content to be evergreen articles that centre joy and solutions-oriented commentary alongside work that highlights our current realities and spotlights work looking to resist current systems of oppression. 

We actively look to support people from underrepresented backgrounds, those traditionally gatekept from traditional media spaces and those working on the frontlines of social change. 

Prior to pitching, we suggest writers browse our current catalogue to get a sense of the work we often publish. 

We’re open to pitches from folks from a range of backgrounds and professions, and believe  those with lived experience are strongly positioned to advocate for meaningful change. We aim to provide a space to support first time writers, and those who may not traditionally view themselves as writers or journalists. We intentionally refrain from using a strict style guide to accommodate a range of voices and writing styles reflective of the diversity of global experience.  

Where there is an ongoing legacy of extractive and exploitative journalistic practices, we believe in doing things differently. At shado, we support writers to engage in community-centered, ethical, and accountable journalism by conducting informed interviews with sources, granting them access to drafts before publishing, and sharing work with community members thereafter. We also provide all writers with a best practice guide to ethical interviewing to ensure we can support and contribute to a new generation of writers working towards a liberated media ecosystem.

Pitching guidelines

Due to the volume of submissions we receive and to honour our editorial process, we do not accept submissions that have been published elsewhere. While we may consider drafts on a case-by-case basis, we strongly prefer well-developed and researched pitches that concisely synthesise your story and approach. In your email, please include a short introduction about yourself and why you are well-positioned to write about this topic. We do not accept pitches or articles where AI has been used at any stage of the process, in accordance with our editorial values. 

Our base rate for articles between 1200-1800 words is £100. Once your pitch is submitted, our team will aim to get back to you within a 7 day period to let you know whether we have capacity to move forward with your pitch. From there, the team may support in developing your idea further if needed and will arrange a deadline with you. For most pieces, writers can expect to go through 2 rounds of edits with shado’s editorial team prior to publication.  

If you are interested in writing for shado, please submit a 150-200 word pitch for editorial consideration by email to info@shado-mag.com

shado sections

Please find below the different categories of work we publish: