Publication: ZEKE Magazine
Topics: Global affairs, climate change, migration, human rights, social justice, war, conflict, environmental issues, gender, health, inequality, documentary photography
Rate (USD): $500 per article
Deadline: No deadline
Editor: Barbara Ayotte
Submit Via: Email — bayotte@socialdocumentary.net

ZEKE Magazine is looking for writers to contribute articles examining important global issues through the lens of documentary photography and visual storytelling.

Published by the Social Documentary Network, ZEKE describes itself as a magazine dedicated to global documentary photography. Since 2015, it has explored subjects including climate change and environmental solutions, incarceration, the war in Ukraine, refugees and migration, equity and justice, and other issues affecting communities around the world.

The publication’s archive demonstrates the breadth of topics it covers. Past issues and articles have examined violence against women, maternal health in Africa, nationalism in Russia, Syria, migration, climate change, Indigenous communities, racial justice, incarceration, war, displacement, environmental degradation, and political conflict.

Recent coverage has included stories about Afghan women under Taliban rule, solitary confinement, migrant communities, border issues, environmental sustainability, post-genocide reconciliation in Rwanda, the war in Ukraine, and the intersection of photography and social change.

For writers, this is an opportunity to produce substantive journalism and reported features that give context to powerful documentary photography. Strong submissions should go beyond simply describing photographs. Think about the people, systems, history, politics, culture, and social forces behind the images.

ZEKE’s editorial approach is particularly suited to writers who can handle complex international subjects with nuance and provide meaningful context for visual stories.

What ZEKE is looking for

Writers should consider stories connected to significant global issues, particularly subjects that have a strong human dimension and can be explored through documentary photography.

Potential areas include:

• Climate change and environmental justice
• Migration, refugees, and displacement
• War, conflict, and political violence
• Human rights and social justice
• Gender and violence against women
• Maternal and public health
• Incarceration and criminal justice
• Indigenous communities and cultural preservation
• Inequality, poverty, and economic marginalization
• Race, identity, and discrimination
• Political and social movements
• Communities experiencing major social or environmental change
• Documentary photography and visual storytelling

The publication also features interviews, profiles, photography-related essays, book reviews, and articles examining the role of photography in documenting social change.

How to pitch ZEKE

Start with the issue rather than the photograph. A strong pitch should explain why the subject matters, what is happening, who is affected, and what the reader will learn from the story.

Avoid broad pitches such as “climate change in Africa.” Instead, identify a specific community, development, conflict, policy, trend, or human story that reveals something larger about the issue.

International and underreported perspectives can be particularly relevant. ZEKE’s archive includes stories from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States, demonstrating its global editorial scope.

If your proposed article accompanies or contextualizes a photographic project, explain the relationship between the written story and the images. Your writing should add reporting, history, analysis, or human context rather than merely providing captions.

Submission requirements

Interested writers should send a letter, resume, and writing samples to Barbara Ayotte, Editor of ZEKE Magazine, at bayotte@socialdocumentary.net. ZEKE’s official writer guidelines confirm these submission requirements.

Before pitching, study the magazine’s previous issues and published stories to understand its approach to documentary photography and global affairs.

You can browse ZEKE’s archive and past issues through its online reading archive.

If you have experience in international reporting, human-rights journalism, environmental journalism, development reporting, or writing about documentary photography, ZEKE could be a strong publication to pitch.