We are excited to launch our first-ever AAJA-SF Storytelling Project: Rising with the Tides, sponsored by Comcast California. In response to a diverse set of challenges many of our members have been facing, we’re putting out a call for story pitches about the Asian American and Pacific Islander community here in the Bay Area that reflect the themes of “Resilience†and “Solidarity.†We especially welcome stories on communities that are underrepresented within the broad AAPI descriptive.
Journalists will have the opportunity to submit story ideas here until our EXTENDED DEADLINE of July 24. This project also launches at a critical moment of continuing to dismantle racism and anti-blackness in America. Rising With the Tides especially welcomes stories that speak to this urgency and explore themes of resilience and solidarity between the AAPI and Black communities.
We will award up to 5-7 journalists between $1,000-$1,500Â each to produce a journalistic piece in any medium, including print, audio, or visual. Pitch submissions are open to students and working journalists in the Bay Area, with special consideration given to AAJA-SF members and those experiencing financial hardship.
Our hope is that this project can support local journalists in their efforts to amplify important stories about the Bay Area’s AAPI community during a time of uncertainty and challenges in our world. This project is sponsored by Comcast California, and supported by our media partner, NBC Bay Area. We thank Comcast for recognizing the value of this journalistic work, and for continually supporting our organization’s mission.
Here are the submission guidelines:Â
- Pitches are open to journalists in the Bay Area, and with special consideration given to AAJA-SF members and journalists impacted by furloughs or layoffs.
- Stories should reflect the sentiments and experiences of the AAJA community and feature AAPI voices. Coverage may be around COVID-19, but not limited to the pandemic.
- Story pitches can be in any medium (print, audio, video, etc).
- Our media partner NBC Bay Area is open to running TV/broadcast video segments on Robert Handa’s weekly show Asian Pacific America. Video stories must be at least 90 seconds but no more that 4 or 5 minutes. Please let us know in your application if you are interested in pitching a video segment specifically for NBC Bay Area.
- We’re in talks with media partners who may be interested in running these stories. If you already have a media outlet in mind for a story you’re working on, we are happy to collaborate with that outlet.
- All selected pitches will be hosted on an AAJA-SF Rising Tides website (after its air/publish date at media outlets).
- Those awarded a grant will receive 50 percent of the funds in July, and 50 percent once the story is submitted to AAJA.
- AAJA will announce winners by August 14, and winners will be expected to submit a draft to AAJA-SF by September 11. Grant winners will work with a story editor hired by AAJA-SF to offer editorial coaching, feedback, and help get stories ready to pitch to media outlets.
Please apply via this form
Submission Deadline: EXTENDED to Friday, July 24, 2020
Please email aajasanfrancisco@gmail.com with any questions.
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