Midwestern Creativity in Action: Pitch Us a Story Idea

Welcome to Arts Midwest's storytelling work! We amplify Midwestern creativity and the voices of diverse Midwesterners. Our initiative constructs a new lens for the Midwest and its people—far beyond “flyover country.”


Our stories are created by staff creators and a network of freelancers, and we’re always looking for new collaborators to cover arts, culture, and creativity in the Midwest.


We accept story ideas through this pitch submission form year-round. Our team will contact those with selected pitches within 2-4 weeks via email. Creatives contracted to produce stories are compensated at competitive rates.


To help you with your pitch:

 

Arts Midwest is a U.S. Regional Arts Organization serving the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond. 











Here, we’ll ask some questions about your idea. If you’re the writer for this story, this doesn't necessarily bind you to cover it exactly as written here; final story plans will be solidified in discussion with the Arts Midwest team.


Arts Midwest seeks to platform content that expands the idea of that it means to be a Midwesterner and highlights diverse voices across our region, including but not limited to stories created of, by, and for people of color, Native communities, and rural communities.





Here we ask you if you'll be the person writing the story, if the pitch is selected. If so, you’ll provide links to up to three work samples and/or a portfolio so we can get an idea of your range of work. Work samples do not have to be published works, but should show your reporting, interviewing, and writing skills.


Please include your primary medium (Exaples: Writing, photography, videography, illustration) 











Arts Midwest values storytelling that is representative of our region. For this reason, we ask you to select the following self-identifiers. Race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and age do not determine eligibility to participate. The following questions are optional.

How would you describe your race and/or ethnicity? These categories are defined by the U.S. Census. Select all that apply.


How would you describe your race and/or ethnicity? These categories are defined by the U.S. Census. Select all that apply.






By submitting any stories, ideas, suggestions, or other materials (collectively, “Ideas”) to Arts Midwest, you agree to the following: 

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