The Western is dedicated to Western Sydney people and culture, publishing works from writers near and far. More specifically, we aim to platform bold, radical, and incisive writing that brings a strong presence to our platform’s new creative direction; works that spotlight provocative ideas and offer new perspectives to both current and future readers.
We accept pieces that follow at least one of the following criteria:
- The piece is about a Western Sydney platform/work/personality
- The writer is living/based in Western Sydney
- The piece reflects topics or narratives related to Western Sydney
If you’re from Western Sydney: You can write about any topic work of your own choosing, even if it unrelated to Western Sydney.
If you’re not from Western Sydney: The work you’re reviewing must have a connection to Western Sydney.
Pitches
Pitches for The Western are currently closed. Please keep an eye out on our Instagram, Facebook, and newsletter for future announcements on our next pitch rounds.
Pitches are submitted via Jotform. Unsolicited pitches will not be considered for publication.
Before pitching…
If you’d like to write for us, we encourage you to familiarise yourself with our writing from 2026 onwards.
We highly recommend workshopping and revising your pitch in your own time before hitting “submit.” We want to make sure your pitch is at its fullest potential, and that you’re bringing your best ideas to the table!
We also recommend reading our Pitch Guide for a comprehensive view on what we look for in our pitches, alongside additional resources and info on the genres of writing we publish. This is especially helpful to anyone who has never pitched a work before, or are unsure about what to write.
If you have any questions or need further assistance with your pitch, please reach out to us at the.wstrn(@)gmail(dot)com.
What we publish
We are open to all writers of experience. We are interested in publishing:
- Features, essays and commentaries
- Reviews and criticism
- Interviews with artists, creatives and businesses
- Memoirs and personal essays
We unfortunately do not have the capacity to accept short stories, fiction, poetry, visual art, or audio-visual works. However, our guidelines are subject to change over time, so please keep an eye out for any new opportunities that may arise!
As a volunteer-run online magazine, please understand that we do not have the funds to pay our writers. We organise The Western purely out of our own passion for writing, and aim to offer as much moral and editorial support in every step of the process.
What we don’t publish
The following are a hard no for us: content writing, news announcements, listicles, clickbait, sponsored content, advertorials, entertainment news, infotainment.
As an independent publication, we prohibit the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) by writers, and stand firmly against AI-assisted tools for writing. The Western reserves the right to withdraw any works from publication that are heavily dependent on AI programs or held under suspicion for its usage.