Photo and Illustration
Guidelines

Skipping Stones is a nonprofit children's magazine celebrating ecological and cultural diversity. We are committed to facilitating a meaningful exchange of ideas and experiences. In addition to encouraging children's creativity, we also invite adults to submit their own photograhpy, artwork and writing for publication.

Readers of Skipping Stones, ages 7 to 17, hail from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. We want to make their reading of Skipping Stones an active experience, relevant to issues confronting them locally and globally. Photos, artwork and writing should challenge readers to think, learn, cooperate and create.

We encourage adults to submit creatively-conceived, informational photo essays and artwork. We prefer submissions that arise from your own culture, experiences or research.

Photographs and art with an ecological or cultural theme are welcome.

Submissions might focus on multicultural awareness, international, intercultural or inter-generational experiences, children/youth, nature, ecology or social issues.

Include a short bio in your cover letter. We are especially interested in hearing about your cultural background or the experiences which led to the creation of your work. If you'd like your work returned, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Submissions that do not include SASE's will be recycled if we do not publish them. Allow at least four months for our reply.

We may choose to crop your photograph because of space concerns or for editorial/artistic clarity. We will make an effort to contact you when your work is scheduled for publication.

Skipping Stones is a nonprofit, educational and charitable organization. It is a labor of love. Your work is recognized as a contribution to the global effort toward social change. If your work is published in Skipping Stones you will receive two or more complimentary copies of the issue (plus a 25% discount on additional copies) and a $10 discount on your first subscription. Contributors of longer pieces (e.g., a two-page photo essay) will receive eight or more complimentary copies of the issue featuring their work (plus a 40% discount on additional copies) and a $10 discount on your first subscription.

Skipping Stones holds first serial rights to your photos/artwork upon acceptance. You can publish the same piece elsewhere after it is published in our magazine. We also hold non-exclusive reprint rights to our content, unless other exclusive arrangements are worked out with you. We may reprint or allow others to reprint photos/art published in Skipping Stones (with a byline), by electronic means.

Ideas for Photos and Illustrations

• Photo essays on a country, culture or region
• Photos accompanied by bilingual writings
• Indigenous and Native people, young people from cultures around the world, immigration
• Cultural, spiritual or seasonal celebrations and festivals from a specific culture or region, youth and spirituality
• Multicultural or cooperative games, riddles, activities and puzzles
• Children involved in community, ecology or social justice projects, youth changing the world
• Right livlihood: Earning a living while helping the world
• Living abroad: Your international experiences
• Regional architecture
• Changing times, changing families
• Cross-cultural communications: Ways we express ourselves (gestures, body movements)
• Turning points, life transformations
• A day in the life of. . .
• Understanding nature/ Regional ecology; The world of rivers, oceans, mountains, meadows and other natural systems.

The Details: Skipping Stones is printed in black and white, on non-glossy recycled paper. The covers are full-color, glossy pages. We are looking for both black and white and color photos/illustrations. Photos should be in 4"x6" or 5"x7" size. If possible, send a low-resolution copy of your photo(s) by email first to editor@skippingstones.org. Include your name, address and a detailed caption for each piece. We prefer high-contrast photos, and photos which are not too busy as to distract from the main subject.

For photo essays, send 10 to 15 prints to choose from. Try to include portraits (close-ups, where the subject's eyes can be seen), action shots, details (very close-ups) and overall/landscape shots. Children in photos are a plus, since we are a children's magazine.

For the cover, we look for colorful images with a strong center of interest and good contrast. Faces showing emotion or an interesting expression make great covers. We also accept illustrations for the cover!

Send your work or queries by snail mail or via email to us. Thanks.