Dane101 Story Submission Guidelines

How do I get paid for a story?

Pitch it to the editorial board. If you have an idea for a story, email it to

Let them know what you're planning to write and when it'll be in. If they approve your story idea and the finished story meets their editorial standards, you'll be paid for it.

How much?

Pay for an approved and qualifying story is $30. At this point, a given writer can only be paid for one story in any given month. We have limited funds and want to give as many writers as possible the opportunity to take advantage of this.

What makes a story?

A story must be approved ahead of time by the editorial board. It must be at least 500 words long. Grammar, spelling, and syntax must be up to the Dane101 editorial standards. Editors will work with you on borderline cases to help you with this as needed. Alternately, a photo essay can count as a story. It must contain at least five high quality original photographs along with appropriate captioning. All rules but the word count apply to photo essays. If possible, we would love it if you could include a photograph with a normal story, but this isn't a requirement. Also, please keep in mind that dane101 is a regionally focused site. Stories should have something to do with or some direct reference to Madison and/or Dane County, Wisconsin.

When does it have to be in?

Part of the pitch for a story is the deadline when you commit to submit the story. For a review this should be no more than 24 hours after the event.

Why are we doing this?

We want to reward our current contributors and increase our ability to recruit new ones.

Important Legal Stuff:

All submitted materials must be original works by the author and cannot have been previously published in any Wisconsin print or digital media. Author's retain all rights to re-use their works in any way after publication on and payment by dane101, excepting with other major Dane County, WI publications for a period of 6 months (authors may also reprint pieces to their own personal blogs 24 hours after publication on Dane101). If you have any questions about the guidelines above, contact