The Parachutist staff welcomes and solicits editorial and photographic submissions from our readers. Contributions from skydivers are what make the magazine possible. We do, however, have several requests regarding the format of submitted material that will make our job a little easier. Adhering to as many of the following guidelines as possible will help us to get your work to print more efficiently and effectively.

We prefer submissions via e-mail (communications@uspa.org).You may also send them to: Publications 5401 Southpoint Centre Blvd. Fredericksburg, VA 22407

The following are some guidelines for submissions:

1. If you have an idea for a story but aren’t sure if it is appropriate, call us at (540) 604-9740 or e-mail us with the idea. An outline will help to determine if the story is suitable to run as an independent feature.

2. Issues of the magazine are put together starting as many as two to three months before the cover date. To keep your submission timely, we request you contact us in advance of the event (or before starting writing on a topic) so we can discuss a rough word count and the article’s applicability for the magazine. This allows us to plan for space accordingly in upcoming issues.

3. Submissions with fewer than 500 words are typically too short for an independent feature and usually run in our Five-Minute Call (FMC) section of the magazine. FMC submissions typically range from 200 to 400 words, and feature articles generally run from 500 to 1,200 words. To get an idea of length, one full page of text in the magazine, with no photos or headlines, is approximately 1,000 words. Articles are typically half photographs and half text, so a 1,000-word article typically takes up two pages in the magazine.

4. We usually run articles written in third person. You may, of course, include yourself in the happenings in the write-up, but please try to steer clear of first-person writing. We do make some exceptions, so let us know if you feel your article would come across much better if kept in first person.

5. Where appropriate and possible, supply photos that relate to the article. Quality photographs of an event or topic help the possibility of publication considerably.

6. Deadlines: You may submit a first draft more than 45 days in advance of the cover date. (The cover date is the first day of the month of the magazine in which you want your article to appear). The final draft must arrive 45 days in advance of the cover date for consideration for that issue. In considering a story, we may hold your article and run it at a later date. Parachutist cannot commit to running an article until all materials are submitted.

Editorial submissions are accepted with the understanding that the person submitting them has the right to publish the contents of the submission. The person submitting the material assumes all liability for content, including representation, as well as assuming responsibility for any claims arising therefrom and/or made against the publisher.

7. The Parachutist staff reserves the right to post the submitted material on USPA’s website, as well as redistribute the material in its final, laid-out form for reprint requests.

8. Parachutist will only consider and pay for material not submitted to any other U.S. publication unless prior arrangements have been made.

Note: Parachutist is not responsible for lost materials.