ACCEPTING
SUBMISSIONS
NOW!
DEADLINE: 1ST FEBRUARY 2025
The North-Eastern is an English-language online journal, following in the footsteps of The Saturday Review, Hot Spring and The North-Eastern Herald. The North-Eastern is now accepting submissions for its launch in early 2026, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Vaddukoddai Resolution.
Framed within this legacy, our first issue insists on the continued relevance of the principles laid out in the Vaddukoddai Resolution, and invites contributors to engage with them through writing and art. The North-Eastern is a space dedicated to critical thought, layered storytelling, and unapologetically Eelam Tamil perspectives.
We welcome submissions from experienced journalists, unpublished writers, activists, and all those with a compelling story. We especially encourage submissions from women and writers from under-represented communities, as well as stories from and about Amparai, Batticaloa and the Vanni.
The North-Eastern aims to publish work that unpacks complex issues in a clear and accessible way — write for a non-specialist, global audience that may not share your assumptions or perspectives. While we are happy to respond to pitches, we will only consider complete pieces for acceptance.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We accept work in English and Tamil (with translation preferred but not required). We ask that you research your topic in depth, support your views with verifiable facts and compelling arguments, and, where necessary, interview a diverse range of relevant sources. Please keep any documentation that may be required for fact-checking.
Visuals are encouraged where relevant, and should include captions and credit information. Translations and reprints of existing pieces are welcome, but please include source details and permissions where applicable. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but just let us know if it has been accepted elsewhere.
All selected contributors will receive full editorial support. Honoraria will be paid according to submission type and will be confirmed upon acceptance of the submission. We are committed to archiving this work both digitally and in print.
To be considered for the first issue, please email pieces by 15 December 2025.
Acceptable formats are .doc, .docx, or .pdf, sent to [email protected] with a clear indication of the type of submission (please refer to the list below) in the subject line.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
OP-EDS
1200 words
150 USD (for original submissions)
Op-Eds are where we take the pulse of the moment. We invite original submissions, reprinted articles, or translated opinion pieces up to 1200 words that engage with timely issues. This section is designed to reflect recent developments in the North-East, across the diaspora, in Tamil Nadu or in the international arena. Whether it is about international conflicts, diaspora organising or Sri Lanka's repression, the North-Eastern wants pieces from a Tamil perspective that offer strong positions and clear arguments. These are the political commentaries that help readers understand what is unfolding now, and why it matters.
ESSAYS
2000 - 4000 words
WRITTEN ESSAYS: 200 USD; PHOTO ESSAYS: 150 USD
The North-Eastern is seeking essays and photo essays that are expansive, reflective, and grounded in Tamil experience. Unlike op-eds, these pieces are less concerned with current events and more with cultural, social, or personal dimensions of our political lives, with particular attention paid to issues around gender, class and caste. Whether it’s about cultural memory, dance, art, food, or language, essays and photo essays should carry a reflective tone while maintaining analytical sharpness. We are particularly drawn to writing that navigates the intersections of identity, resistance, and everyday survival – bridging the personal with the political.
FEATURES
2000 - 4000 words
150 USD
The North-Eastern’s feature articles range from 2000 to 4000 words and delve into broad themes with a sense of political urgency and investigative depth. These pieces may centre on Eelam Tamil issues or explore international developments that impact or resonate with Tamil struggles. Ideal topics include ones that are similar to militarized tourism, gender, environmental degradation, and the political economy of post-war Sri Lanka. While some features will be commissioned, we strongly encourage submissions from freelance writers, researchers, and those working on longform reporting that brings together rigorous research and compelling storytelling.
INVESTIGATIVE FEATURE
upto 6000 words
TBD
The North-Eastern will also consider deeply reported investigative features which may uncover hidden systems, power structures, or under-reported abuses. This could take the form of an exposé into land grabs, surveillance, financial corruption, or war crimes. We welcome work that involves field interviews, satellite imagery, or collaboration with other journalists. We are committed to providing editorial support and guidance to develop such work.
INTERVIEW
100 USD
Whether in Q & A format or as a narrative conversation, The North-Eastern is looking for interviews that focus on voices that push boundaries; thinkers, organisers, writers, or artists whose work challenges dominant narratives. The subject may be Tamil or from another political movement, but the discussion should resonate with Eelam Tamil questions of resistance, gender, language, cultural survival, and transnational solidarity.
REVIEWS
800 - 1500 words
100 USD
The North-Eastern is accepting review submissions that examine books, films, or cultural projects through an Eelam Tamil lens. The subject does not have to be Tamil, but the review should apply Tamil political, social or culturally relevant frameworks. Reviews should offer more than a summary, but critical analysis that makes connections, intervenes, and reveals.