Want to contribute to Debate? Hell yeah! That’s a great choice - student media is a fantastic way to build up experience in writing, reporting, artmaking, and storytelling. Many of our writers go on to bigger (but NOT better) publications, like Stuff, RNZ, and Vice NZ (rip). Better yet, we’re one of the few student publications that pay our contributors! Paid mahi is fair mahi, after all.

 

Oh, Debate Editor AKA Deb-Editor, how will I ever know what the guidelines are for submitting a piece?

 

Shit, dude, just read on below! Soon enough, you’ll be one of our top contributors. Or should I say, Con-DrEBATE-ors? No? Okay.

​​​

How to Pitch

​

Keep an eye out for the upcoming issue themes on our Instagram @debate_mag - there will be a link to our Google form that you can fill out with your pitch! Or you can email your pitch to debatefeatures@gmail.com

 

Send a short summary (2-4 sentences) of your idea & tell us what genre it fits into: 

• Feature

• News

• Arts

• Culture

• Te Ao Māori

• Creative Writing

• Visual Arts 

 

If your piece includes an interview, let us know who you plan to talk to

 

Word count

 

Our standard word count for written submissions is 500-800 words

If you believe your piece requires a different length, please discuss this with your editor before submitting a draft

 

Submitting your draft

 

When your draft is ready, send it as a Google Doc & make sure your editor has editing access

 

At the top of the doc, include:

• Title

• Your name (or the name you would like to publish under)

• Your pronouns

• Whakapapa to any iwi or hapu (if relevant)

• Social media handle (optional)

• Email address 

 

If you would prefer to publish anonymously, please let the editorial team know when submitting your work

​​

Deadlines

​

The contributor deadline refers to when the first draft of the piece should be submitted by - typically one week after the pitch deadline

If you’re running behind, don’t stress - just let us know. Some pieces require changes close to the printing date (especially when dealing with current affairs), so as long as we know what’s going on, it’s all chill
 

Style & Structural Guidelines

 

To keep the magazine consistent, please follow these writing conventions:

 

• Use New Zealand English spelling & grammar, including correct spelling & macron use for te reo Māori (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, etc.)

• Use the Oxford comma in lists (e.g., “writing, editing, and publishing”)

• When referring to books, films, albums, or other works, use italics & the year of release in brackets
  Example: The Martian Chronicles (1950)

• Any referencing style is ok as long as sources are cited

• If your piece includes interviews, please ensure that the quotes are accurate & that the interviewee has consented to being quoted

 

Your editor may make minor stylistic edits to ensure consistency across the publication

 

Editorial Process

 

All submissions are reviewed & edited by the editorial team. Contributors should expect light edits for clarity, style, & length. If significant revisions are required, your editor will contact you directly

 

Publication decisions ultimately remain with the editorial team

 

All submissions must be original work. We do not accept plagiarised or stolen material. Any sources, quotations, or referenced ideas should be properly credited

 

Visual Art Submissions

 

Debate’s page print size is 200x265mm (+3mm bleed) - keep this in mind if submitting a cover or centrefold

 

Visual artwork should be submitted as a high-quality PNG or PDF suitable for print

 

If you are creating a collage, please check that the images are free to use

 

If submitting multiple images, please clearly label & organise the files, & indicate how they should appear if order matters

 

AI policy

 

We do not accept AI-generated content. If AI tools were used at any stage of the process, please let us know

 

Questions

 

If you are unsure whether your idea fits the magazine or would like feedback before pitching, please feel free to contact the editorial team. We are always happy to discuss ideas with contributors

​

Want to contribute art to Debate? - Join the Discord!

If you want to contribute visual art to Debate, this is where it all happens. Our contributor Discord is where we share upcoming issue themes, pitch calls, artwork requests, and deadlines

​

If you’re not in there yet… what are you doing? Get on it

​

Fill out the form below to join — we’ll send you an invite link. We also post on social media, but Discord members get first dibs on opportunities

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

​

​​​If you think something has gone wrong or you missed an email, reach me at debatefeatures@gmail.com
We can’t wait to see your awesome mahi!

​