GUIDELINES 

PLEASE NOTE: We strongly encourage queries before submission (written, phone or e-mail).

BE A WESTERN SPORTSMAN READER
In the pages of Western Sportsman magazine, huting and angling enthusiasts share a common interest in outdoor sport in Western Canada. The bulk of our writers and photographers not only come from the local hunting community, but many of them were long-time readers before coming aboard as a contributor.


Western Sportsman/Canada’s Outdoor Sportsman is a bi-monthly all-Canadian publication that focuses on hunting, fishing and conservation. Published since 1969, it has a strong and devoted readership of people who are knowledgeable and passionate about their chosen sports. Geographically speaking, articles should pertain to hunting and fishing in the Prairie Provinces of Canada. Sportsman is not just a how-to magazine, but it is a lifestyle magazine — readers expect to find information on the newest and most productive techniques, hottest destinations, and also stories of life in the outdoors and tales of great and memorable trips afield.
The best way to uncover what constitutes a story publishable by Sportsman is to read current issues.
Writing Submissions
Sportsman seeks out feature articles from Western Canadian writers who are knowledgeable, passionate and articulate. Feature articles that detail specific techniques should range from 1,500 to 2,000 words. Lifestyle and adventure stories can range from 1,800 to 2,700 words. In both cases, photography is expected to accompany (for more information, please see “Photography Submissions” section).
When writing of techniques, destinations or other advice on how to improve one’s fishing/hunting experience, ensure you query new, exciting ideas. Our readers, as said before, are already skilled at outdoor sport.
Lifestyle/adventure stories should be first-person accounts of a great fishing/hunting trip, or a trip with a special significance or heritage. However — Sportsman will only publish a limited amount of these stories, and they should in every case, be well-researched, thorough and thoughtful. Quick, simple, “me and Joe” tales are best left for our reader-submitted “Trophy Room” section. Photography is a must in these cases as well. Sidebars relevant to location, techniques, ect., are appreciated.
Sportsman also accepts short news items (less than 450 words) from around the Western Provinces. These will appear in the “Provincial Outdoor Reports” section, and should be timely and relevant. Text submissions should be e-mailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , and provided in either Microsoft Word or RTF format.
Photo Submissions
In most cases, written stories are accompanied by photography, and bought as a package. However, Sportsman does accept submissions of stock photography, as long as it pertains to hunting, fishing, conservation and wildlife in Western Canada. Photographers may submit by one of the following ways. 1) Send in sheets of well-edited slides. These are kept on hand, and paid for on a per-use basis, then returned after publication. 2) Send in a CD of low-resolution digital images, from which we can select images we may wish to publish, and contact the photographer for the original. 3) Send in a CD of high-resolution digital images. These are kept on hand and paid for on a per-use basis.
Photo Specifications
The preferred method of receiving photography is as high-resolution digital (8 MP and higher). The preferred format is a RAW (.NEF) file. These can only be achieved by shooting with a professional
quality digital SLR camera. However, .jpgs, taken with a conventional digital camera are usually acceptable for supplemental imagery.

Prints, whether glossy or matte, will no longer be accepted at Sportsman. They simply do not provide us with the quality we require.Slide film can be purchased at any pro photo lab, and can be used in any film camera.

Note: when shooting with a digital camera, ensure you are using at least at 5.0 megapixel camera, set at the highest possible resolution. Do not adjust the photography in Photoshop or any other program before sending it in; our art and design people take care of that. If you do not have a 5.0 megapixel camera, use slide film in a conventional 35mm camera. The results will be ideal. (Note: for cover images, slides are best, and only a 6.3 megapixel or better camera will do.) All images should be properly identified. It is imperative you label, or include a sheet of captions, indicating who the person is in the photo (if relevant) and where they/it is.
Queries
Please query the publication before submitting. Make your queries count. A query for written work can be an e-mail, or letter with one to six story ideas. Each query should be around 150 words outlining your proposal. Your query should encapsulate the very essence of your story and should show why our readers would be interested in reading/knowing what you are writing about. Indicate what, if any, slides/prints, illustrations are available to accompany the story. Please send queries to the attention of: Editor, Sportsman, 1080 Howe
Street, Suite 900, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2T1; or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
*What constitutes a superior manuscript/photo support package?
• A clean manuscript. This means keeping to a specific word count, and using Canadian (CP Style Manual) spelling. Make sure you are delivering what was queried and/or asked for. It also means sidebars and sourcing your information. Meeting deadlines is crucial; a missed deadline without prior approval can mean your manuscript will be rejected as publication schedules are tight.
• Photo support that arrives on deadline that is labelled appropriately. With it must be a slide log sheet that gives the editor the who,
what, when, where and why of each image. Submit an appropriate caption for each image. Have your submissions tell the story in a photo sequence. Tackle and equipment images are included with appropriate labelling. Also, if relevant, hand-drawn sketches or maps that our illustrators can reproduce.

QUERIES
We prefer queries rather than finished manuscripts. Your idea may have been used recently, or the idea could benefit from a bit of shaping to suit our requirements before you begin writing. Every magazine has a “slush pile” of unsolicited material that comes in “over the transom,” and Western SPortsman is no exception. Our slush pile exists because some writers do not write query letters. However, you will save considerable time in the long run if you master this skill. Queries submitted with a few sample photographs will get the editor’s attention much, much faster.

SUBMISSION FORMAT
Queries are accepted on paper, by mail or fax. With the finished product, we will consider type-written manuscripts, but our preference is emailed—Word (IBM or Mac), or attached plain text sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

(ATTN: Editor Western SportsmanMagazine).

Please ensure the correct spelling of all names and titles—our editors have been known to waste hours trying to correct poor spelling and sometimes even the best proofing will not catch a misspelled proper name that we cannot confirm without a local phone call or reference to a book in our library. Be accurate, and ensure that you have covered the five basic Ws. Be specific, our readers like to know how far, how long, how many. Be historic, these touches enrich the read.



PLEASE SUBMIT QUERIES TO:
Editor
Western Sportsman Magazine
Suite 202-9644 54th Avenue
Edmonton, AB T6E 5V1
Tel: (780) 643-3963
Fax: (780) 643-3960

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it