Proposals wanted (ocean issues) (worldwide) | 35-40 cents per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: THE OXYGEN PROJECT  

Deadline: 1 December 2020

While awareness of ocean  pollution has risen to impressive heights, the issue of deep seabed  mining remains buried in a sea of governmental and corporate hide and  seek. Meanwhile, deep-sea mining corporations, who position themselves  as environmentalists, meet with global leaders in closed-door sessions.

Leading  the charge is the ISA, which was established by the UN in 1982 “to  control activities in the area” of the seabed, ocean floor and subsoil,  “particularly with a view to administering the resources of the area.”  According to environmentalists, scientists, fishery industries and  others, many of the ISA’s member countries and the current leadership  are promoting a “weak” treaty for the management of the ocean’s  resources. Translation: profit over preservation.

Experts warn, deep seabed mining risks causing even more biodiversity loss and potentially damaging a critical carbon sink.

There  are complex choices ahead for people and policymakers at the ISA and  beyond. This reporting project will try to strengthen accurate and  useful understandings of these fragile and mostly unknown underwater  ecosystems, considering both fruitful and harmful connections between  conservation and development, and contributing to better protection of  our oceans.

AMONG OTHER THINGS, WE’RE INTERESTED IN:

• Protecting biodiversity in the deep sea
• Understanding the companies involved in deep seabed mining and the new industry they’re creating
• Exploring the total value to humanity that comes from protecting the deep sea
• Clearly identifying the many influential international organizations involved in the understanding of this new industry
• Learning how deep seabed mining impacts climate change

We welcome proposals from experienced journalists and opinion  writers for conventional news stories, in-depth features, investigative  reports, profiles, case studies. We are also open to opinion pieces on  the subject.

Each story will be between 800 and 2,000  words in length and will include quotes from at least 2 or 3 original  interviews. Authors will be expected to provide 3-5 publishable photos  to accompany their articles, along with captions and photo credits.

Completed  stories will be published in English on TheOxygenProject.com under an  open Creative Commons license that allows for sharing, re-publication,  and re-posting. They could potentially be translated into another  language and published by The Oxygen Project.

The  Oxygen Project will negotiate all fees and contracts on a per-story  basis. We also offer a small bonus of $25 to journalists who proactively  get their stories re-published in major third-party print media outlets  and on websites that draw more than 100,000 unique visitors per month.

Please  submit your pitch to oxygenshort@gmail.com along with your journalism  resume and three clips. Pitches should clearly explain the story you  would like to tell, a bit of background, and identify possible sources.  Applications welcome in English or Spanish.

Pitches  will be considered on a rolling basis until December 01 2020, or  whenever our budget is disbursed. Stories must be published by November  15, 2020.

COMPENSATION: We pay 35-40 cents/word and ask for articles under 1,000 words. 

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Questions / submissions: oxygenshort@gmail.com

Website: https://www.oxygenshort.com