Description
Wanted: One brilliant writer, with a brain full of ideas and a finger on the pulse of the IdeasTap community, to join our illustrious dynasty of columnists.
In the beginning there was Jamie Ross, whose withering assessment of the “Skins Generation” tag saw him beat off 180 other candidates to become our first ever columnist. Whether bigging up the BBC or pondering the unsavoury world of Chat Roulette, Jamie served up a dollop of hilarity each week.
Then came Nell Frizzell. Nell’s informative, opinionated and pant-wettingly funny columns covered everything from the joys of television live tweeting to the ickiness of twee. We loved her so much she’s now our Assistant Editor.
Next up was Nicola Robey who made us smile with her wry take on the struggle of life as a young creative, exploring topics such as irony, airbrushing, teachers and horror along the way.
And who could forget columnist number four, John Nugent? John’s razor-sharp wit cut through the fakery of hipsters, the myth of the tortured artist and the drawbacks of hype.
Most recently the lovely Kirsty Logan has delighted and amused in equal measure with her thoughtful columns on procrastination, corporate sponsorship, short stories and objects. But all good things come to an end. And as Kirsty’s tenure as word slinger-in-residence draws to a close, we’re looking for someone to be her replacement.
So here’s the deal: We’ll pay you £100 for a 500-word weekly column, bursting with original opinions about arts and culture. Initially, it will be a two-month trial, but if we like what we read, you’ll be our columnist for six months – after which, we’ll run the brief again.
Reckon you’ve got what it takes? To apply, tell us in 100 words why you should be our new columnist, and submit an example of a 500-word column on a topical cultural issue that you think would be of interest to our members, plus two ideas for further columns (see application form). You MUST also support your application by uploading further examples of your writing in your portfolio.
You can find all of our latest writing opportunities, jobs, editorial and more at ideastap.com/writing.
The brief closes on Monday 23 July at 5pm and is open to IdeasTap members aged 16 and over. If you have any technical queries, please visit our Help Centre. Late entries will not be accepted under any circumstances, including technical issues – so make sure you don’t leave your application to the last minute.
Brief image: Writing by garryknight on a CC BY-SA 2.0 license.
Follow this brief to download the application form
How to respond
1. First you need to join this brief by clicking Follow this brief in the yellow box on the left of this page.
2. Upload previous examples of your writing to your portfolio. You MUST do this to be eligible for the brief.
3. Download the application form.
4. Complete the application form, including a 500-word topical column on arts and culture plus two ideas for further columns and links to your previous work in your portfolio.
5. Click Apply now on the yellow box on the left.
6. Enter your full name.
7. Tell us a bit about yourself and explain why you would like to write a column for us (100 words max).
5. Upload your completed application form and click Submit. Remember to save it as a .doc, not a .docx, file.
6. As with all briefs on IdeasTap, you must have a profile picture to be eligible. You will not be judged on the quality of your picture.
The brief closes on Monday 23 July at 5pm and is open to IdeasTap members aged 16 and over. If you have any technical queries, please visit our Help Centre. Late entries will not be accepted under any circumstances, including technical issues – so make sure you don’t leave your application to the last minute.
Download application form