Publication: The Dirtbag Diaries
Topics: Outdoor adventures, friendship, personal experiences, travel, healing, relationships, life lessons and personal growth
Rate (USD): $800 per selected essay
Deadline: November 8, 2026
Editor: The Dirtbag Diaries Editorial Team
Submit Via: Online submission form
Get Paid $800 to Write Personal Essays About the Outdoors
The Dirtbag Diaries is accepting submissions for The Shorts, a series of conversational personal essays exploring life, relationships and human experiences through the lens of the outdoors.
The publication is looking for original stories about themes such as friendship, change, healing, unexpected encounters and personal discovery.
Selected essays are developed into 10–15-minute audio episodes for The Dirtbag Diaries. Writers work with the editorial team through several rounds of editing and revisions before recording.
The publication pays $800 for each selected essay.
The submission window closes on November 8, 2026.
What The Dirtbag Diaries Wants
The editors are interested in personal stories built around a memorable experience, preferably one that takes place outdoors.
Your essay should explore how that experience changed your perspective, challenged your assumptions or helped you discover something new.
Stories can be serious, funny, reflective, heartfelt or a combination of different emotions.
Your submission should:
- Have a clear beginning, middle and end.
- Include a meaningful experience and a takeaway or reflection.
- Use vivid descriptions and specific details rather than general statements.
- Be written in your natural voice.
- Preferably use past tense and chronological storytelling.
- Give readers a clear sense of what happened and why it mattered.
The ideal essay length is 2,000 words. Submissions exceeding 2,500 words will not be accepted.
Tips for Writing a Strong Submission
The Dirtbag Diaries typically receives more than 100 submissions and selects approximately 14 essays.
To improve your chances, consider the following:
1. Tell a personal story. Choose an experience you have lived through rather than writing a general commentary about outdoor activities.
2. Show, don’t tell. Use sensory details, descriptions and specific moments to bring your experience to life.
3. Include a meaningful reflection. The editors want more than an interesting adventure. Think about what the experience taught you or how it changed the way you see something.
4. Give your story structure. Build a clear narrative with an engaging beginning, a developed middle and a satisfying ending.
5. Write in your own voice. AI tools may be used for editing and proofreading, but the publication does not accept essays primarily generated by AI or submissions containing AI-invented or embellished facts.
6. Study previously published essays. Reading successful submissions can help you understand the publication’s preferred storytelling style.
Here are three examples worth studying:
- Sleeping Bag Metamorphosis – An example of combining an anecdote, action and reflection.
- I Poo: A Love Story – A humorous personal essay about relationships.
- Traces of You – Two writers explore a shared theme through different life experiences.
You can also explore this storytelling lesson by Ira Glass for additional guidance.
The publication particularly encourages submissions from diverse perspectives, including writers from historically underrepresented groups in outdoor communities.
How to Submit
Prepare an original personal essay of approximately 2,000 words and submit it through the official online submission form.
SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY TO THE DIRTBAG DIARIES
Deadline: November 8, 2026
Payment: $800 per selected essay
Website: dirtbagdiaries.com
Only approximately 14 essays are selected from more than 100 submissions, so focus on telling an original, well-structured story with a meaningful takeaway.
Join Sure Media Agency to discover more paid freelance writing opportunities from publications around the world. 🚀