Submission Guidelines
Scott Monaco publishes personal narrative, documentary photography, and humor from the places that receive a small share of the world's travel coverage. Most of the industry's attention goes to about 10% of destinations; this platform covers the rest, with a focus on the Global South and underreported regions. Writers and photographers may be based anywhere. What matters is that the piece is grounded in your own time in a place we'd cover — somewhere you have lived, worked, or traveled in depth. Guest work runs alongside Scott Monaco's writing and that of other contributors. Contributors are paid.
Who Can Submit, and When
Anyone may submit while an open call is running.
The current call is open now through July 31, 2026.
Paid subscribers to Scott Monaco can submit year-round, in every category and at the same rates, through the members link at the bottom of this page. Paid subscribers directly fund contributor payments and the editorial work behind the platform.
What We Publish
Essay — 1,000 to 3,000 words. Pays $200. Personal narrative or reported feature grounded in firsthand experience. The work doesn’t have to be about travel itself — culture, food, art, and language all fit. We want writing that could only have come from having been there, and that trusts the reader to decide what to make of a place.
Photo Essay — 6 to 15 documentary images with 700 to 1,500 words of prose. Pays $200. The images and prose should tell a single story. Brief captions are welcome and don't count toward the word total. Do not include photos of yourself.
Humor — 500 to 1,000 words. Pays $50. Travel-related. For the register we’re after, read the pieces under our humor tag before submitting.
Eligibility
We consider previously unpublished work. Work that has appeared only on your own blog, newsletter, or social media may be submitted if it has been substantially revised for Scott Monaco. Work that has appeared in a magazine, journal, or any other media outlet is not eligible.
How to Submit
Submit one piece at a time, in any category. Once you hear back, you’re welcome to submit again immediately.
Simultaneous submissions are fine. If your piece is accepted somewhere that requires exclusivity, withdraw it here right away by emailing editor@scottmonaco.travel.
How We Read
Submissions are read blind. The form collects your name, email, and a bio of about 100 words written in the third person, and none of it is read until after a decision has been made. Your files must contain nothing that identifies you — remove your name and byline and links to your own sites or profiles. Name your file with the title of the piece and nothing else.
For photo essays: attach images as separate numbered JPEGs (01.jpg, 02.jpg, and so on) sized to roughly 1,500 pixels on the long edge, with a total upload under 10MB and no watermarks. Copyright information in your image metadata can stay where it is; we don’t open it while reading. We’ll request full-resolution files on acceptance.
Decisions
We read in the order submissions arrive and send decisions, acceptances and declines alike, on a rolling basis. December 31, 2026 is the latest you will hear back. Accepted pieces are scheduled for publication as soon as they're ready, whether or not the call is still open.
Rights and Payment
Acceptance grants Scott Monaco first publication rights to the version we publish, along with the right to keep the piece in our archive. All other rights revert to you on publication. If the piece is later reprinted elsewhere, we ask for an acknowledgment that it first appeared in Scott Monaco. Photographs are used in the published piece and in promoting it on Substack Notes and social media, always credited to you.
Payment is sent by PayPal within one week of publication.
Accepted contributors are also featured in the Guest Contributors section at scottmonaco.travel, with a short bio and links to your piece, your website, and your social channels.
We aren’t able to offer feedback on declined submissions.
Questions: editor@scottmonaco.travel