Muragala | Centre for Progressive Politics & Policy (CPPP) invites young writers (age 18-35) from South Asia (excluding Sri Lanka, as we already have writing initiatives for Sri Lankans) to submit pitches for essays exploring the intersection of politics and development in your locality. We are looking for sharp, insightful pitches that explore how politics and development unfold at the local level, what (contested) frameworks and vocabulary we have to articulate them, and whether there is value in approaching these concepts regionally.
Editorial focus
We want to dive deep into the language and frameworks we use to understand and describe our realities, and to make these perspectives available in local newspapers, and where possible, in local languages in Sri Lanka. Your pitch should address:
- What is a political or economic issue that you think is significant and sidelined in the mainstream media or political discourse in your country?
- Articulation: How do we communicate, translate, and understand these developments? Are these contested, and what does this tell us about the state of political discourse?
- Regional relevance: Is there any value of looking at these dynamics through a shared South Asian lens (your article can agree or disagree, and explain why)?
Submission guidelines
- Pitch length: Maximum of 150 words outlining your core argument and structure. Email to contact@muragala.lk. Your submissions should have the email subject ‘Young South Asian Writers Pitch’.
- Only shortlisted pitches will be responded to within 10 working days. There is no deadline and submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
- A maximum of one article pitch will be selected every month, following peer review and feedback for improvement. Use of AI to write is discouraged, only original pitches and writing will be accepted.
- Young writers include anyone between ages 18 and 35, who are currently residing in a South Asian country and who are of South Asian origin (except Sri Lankan).
- Final article length: Approximately 1,200-1,500 words for selected pitches.
- Compensation: USD 50 for each selected and published piece.
