We commission long-form features, recognition list nominations, regional guides, and culture essays from journalists, scholars, and operators across the Arab world and the diaspora. This page tells you how to pitch and what we look for.
What we commission
- Feature Stories — 1,800–3,500 word profiles and explainers grounded in primary reporting.
- Recognition List nominations — one paragraph per nominee, three independent sources, the category you think they belong in.
- Regional Guides — on-the-ground guides to living, working, and starting up in a specific city or country. Locals strongly preferred.
- Culture & Heritage essays — 1,500–2,500 word essays on calligraphy, cinema, music, architecture, language, and lived heritage.
What a strong pitch looks like
The strongest pitches we receive share four qualities:
- One sentence. If you can’t express the argument of the piece in a single sentence, it isn’t a piece yet.
- Why now. What changed this year, this quarter, or this week that makes the story timely?
- Access. Who will you speak to on the record, and have you confirmed they’ll talk?
- You. Why are you the right person to write it — access, language, lived experience, prior reporting?
How to send it
Email triman@captaim.com with the subject line:
PITCH — [Pillar] — [Working headline]
In the body, include:
- Your one-sentence argument.
- Three to five paragraphs sketching the story, the reporting plan, and the access you have.
- Two clips or links to relevant prior work (any language).
- Your proposed word count and timeline.
Rates & terms
We pay on publication. Rates depend on length, depth of reporting, and whether the piece is exclusive or shared with a syndication partner. Detailed terms are sent with the commission.
What we will not commission
- Promotional profiles where access is conditional on copy approval.
- “Top 10” or sponsored ranking pieces dressed as editorial.
- Stories whose core claim cannot be primary-sourced.
- Coverage where the writer or their close family has an undisclosed material interest in the subject.
Response time
We try to respond to every pitch within ten working days. If you don’t hear back in three weeks, please follow up — that means it slipped, not that it was ignored.
Other ways to reach us
Corrections: triman@captaim.com
Editor’s desk: triman@captaim.com
Press & syndication: triman@captaim.com