Want to write for Pier Journal? We are currently accepting pitches for Vol.011 due out in October 2025. The deadline for pitches is Wednesday 16 July 2025. Our theme for this edition is REFLECTION. Please read our pitch guidelines below…
What we’re looking for
Pier Journal is a volunteer-run community journal for Dorset. Published bi-annually with content shared on our website and social media channels and events organised throughout the year, we cover a broad range of topics from health and wellbeing to music and arts, and food and drink to local business and innovation.
We love long reads. Even better if they’re not bound to a certain date or time, so could be read months after publication and still make sense (the Journal is a keeper!). In a world of doom scrolling and clickbait, we want our stories to be deep and meaningful and capture readers’ imaginations - we’re looking for hope, celebration and a spotlight on success.
Pier Journal currently comes out twice a year - a Spring/Summer magazine and festival guide in April and an Autumn/Winter magazine in October. Each edition has a theme and we’re looking for pitches that align with that, but are happy to take timely pitches too (new businesses opening, events taking place etc). The Autumn/Winter 2025 theme is: Reflection.
We want to give a platform to our community. You must live or work in, or have an authentic connection to Dorset. We only recently expanded to cover wider Dorset as well as Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch and are particularly keen to hear from writers covering West and North Dorset. We’re a female-led team, but want to platform a range of voices so would love more pitches from male writers, from Black and Asian writers.
We do not publish articles created by AI. Please don’t share finished pieces, or work that has been published elsewhere. And let us know what your link is with anyone you plan to feature - we cannot take editorial submissions from people paid by the subject of the article, unless as a paid advertorial.
We receive a lot of pitches and are looking for those which stand out so please keep your pitch short and concise and include the following:
A catchy headline
3-4 lines to summarise your story idea (think about how you’d sum up the story to someone in conversation)
Who you’d speak to as part of the feature (and whether you already have contacts)
Sample of any images or illustrations you have and plan to use
Why you think it works for Pier Journal and in what format and section - here you need to demonstrate you know the publication
Why you are the best person to write this; please include where in Dorset you are based
Links to previously published work (it could be social media or blog posts, if you are an early career writer)
All pitches should be submitted via email to laura@pierjournal.co.uk Please title your email: PITCH for [INSERT EDITION]. E.g. PITCH for Autumn/Winter 2025 by Wednesday 16 July 2025.
If we are keen to commission you, we will reply to you by the end of July 2025. While we will try to reply to everyone who contacts us, we receive a lot of emails and are a small team of volunteers and will prioritise successful pitches. If you do not hear from us by this date, please assume that your pitch has not been successful in this instance but please do pitch again in future.
