Writer's Guidelines | Photographer's Guidelines

Writers Guidelines

2. What kind of proposals are we looking for?

3. How should an idea be proposed?

4. How long are Beyond Blue Feature stories?

Feature articles are no more than 1500 words (please stick to this limit). Beyond Blue regulars generally run to 750 words only. Beyond Blue reserves the right to not publish articles that may have been requested but which turn out to be unsuitable. Beyond Blue will give the prospective contributor reasons as to why the article was denied a place in the magazine.


5. Due date

The majority of articles will contain scientific claims or broach controversial subjects, it is therefore vital that submitted articles are reviewed by independent experts in their fields. For this reason submissions must be completed by their due date, enabling review and/or right of response. (Authors should be prepared to provide a list of references and other sources of information used in the article upon request). Beyond Blue reserves the right not to publish articles that do not comply.


6 . What does Beyond Blue look for in writing style?

Beyond Blue being strongly evocative of place, our articles attempt to speak to the soul of discovery. Every person passionate about our oceans, no matter how seasoned, wonders what new discoveries are out there. This goes beyond the obvious. There's a certain frisson of expectation. We seek simplicity and yet complex texture in every story we publish. There are no limitations on style, as long as the writing is lively, quirky and interesting, although a sense of science and discovery should be at the heart of every story. We want our writers to project a curious and knowing voice that captures the experience of living and loving our oceans and also the places and personalities, insights and idiosyncrasies of people and life. Those who write for us must see subjects or destinations with fresh eyes and real insight. We place a premium on surprise and good storytelling- the compelling anecdote, the colourful character, the lively quote, the telling detail. This can be a real challenge in scientific articles, which can often laden with facts and “jargon.” (If you need to use a technical term that readers are likely to be unfamiliar with, please include an explanation of it in everyday language.)

We require an investigative approach and will give articles preference that take an old idea and turn it upside down or present the argument again but in fresh and innovative way. We are looking for articles that allow our readers to experience a subject or destination directly through the words and actions of people the writer encounters, not just through the writer's narrative. We will not consider queries that simply describe the steps taken to reach a particular goal or discovery- like a diary. More specifically, we like to keep the 'I' out of our articles as much as possible, and rather focus more on experience and knowledge. Contributors should also use avoid using second-person (you) and instructive text (e.g., as in 'you should take'). Our goal is to make sure that your published article is as interesting, readable, and well presented as possible. We do not want to change your article unnecessarily, but we invariably will have to make alterations. We will be doing this for grammar (UK English is followed) and punctuation reasons; for house style and consistency; to help flow; to make the progression logical; to include information that is essential; and to make sure nothing obvious is left out of an argument, list of facts or biological description.


7. Photographers Guidelines

Submissions should consist of a carefully selected sample of not more than 8 images that were taken on assignment or that relate directly to the subject matter of the article and demonstrate your ability to meet our requirements. Thoughtful study of one or more issues of Beyond Blue is the best guide to putting together such a sample. The photographs must also relate to the article you are submitting. If the photographs are not taken by you, you must give us written confirmation by the author of the photos that we may publish them with your article. Do not limit your pictures to the animals or issue you are writing about - please include intrigued people, curious animals and unusual behaviour, scenics and anything else that helps give readers a sense of what you are saying. If you are taking a full face-on image, especially on land, we may ask you for a model release form. Please ensure you have one on record to give us or else we may not be able to publish certain images. Photographers must supply complete caption information, including who, what, when and where. Failure to comply will result in payment being withheld. Please write down any quotes that could be used in captions to illuminate the photographs, and obtain telephone numbers of any persons prominently featured in case the caption writer wants to interview them.

Material (Artwork) Specifications:

For online articles. Jpegs – 300 dpi (we will take lower if the image is of an exceptional character but reserve the rights to reject it if the image will pixellate). Longest side on jpeg 600 mm unless you are submitting a photo essay/feature that relies heavily on high quality images In that case, 300 dpi and 2000 mm (longest side) images are to be submitted with final drafts. For printed articles (Beyond Blue intends to publish a hard-copy version of the magazine in the future): Tiff format: Photoshop CMYK or RGB tiff, 300 dpi resolution. Offset printing generally reproduces a slightly lighter exposure better than a dark, highly saturated one. The "right" exposure is difficult to define and varies greatly due to many factors, so subjective judgment is required. The magazine reserves the right to make these judgments. If the artwork cannot be submitted at the required sizes and this will affect the publication then the publisher reserves the right to insert its own photos OR to pull the article until the correctly sized images can be produced.

Please send all article queries and/or photographs to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Fiona Ayerst,
Editor, Beyond Blue
November 2008

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