Following are the guidelines for submitting editorial or photographic work for publication in BALLOONING

BALLOONING is published bi-monthly by the Balloon Federation of America, a non-profit association. We gladly accept submissions from freelancers but we do not pay for publication. Typically as much as 50-90 percent of each issue is suplied by freelancers. Contributors receive published credit for their work and a complimentary contributor's copy of the magazine. Contributors also receive a limited edition BALLOONING lapel pin.

Whenever possible we prefer electronic (email) submissions to editor@bfa.net .

Editorial submissions are best sent as MSWord files although we can accept files as RTF, text or simply direct email. PDF files are also acceptible though the previous formats are preferred. Please do not spend time formatting the story into columns and do not imbed any graphics, photos, art, etc. as this formatting will only have to be discarded to fit our layut demands. If possible, submit your article in Galliard 10pt type though this is not necessary.Ã?Â

Word length: we're not particular about word length though as a rule of thumb our featues run in the range of 1,200 to 3,000 words and shorter items in the 300-900 word range.

BALLOONING readers are primarily active hot air and/or gas balloon pilots, their crew and/or serious enthusiasts of the sport. Please keep this criteria in mind when submitting materials. We are not, for the most part, interested in stories from those who've just taken their first balloon ride in NAPA Valley or other scenic locations. Like most sports involving specialized equipment ballooning has a terminology language all its own and writers should be conversant with this.

We accept photographic submissions in almost any form, color prints, transparencies (slides), or black and white prints. Again we prefer photos to be submitted electronically via email. With all photos please include a brief description, time and location of the shot, and if possible, the identities of any people and/or balloons clearly shown.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: Please be sure you are shooting with a camera rated at least 3.0 megapixels and in high resolution. Generally this means a settting of at least 1800x1200. As a fail safe simply set your camer on its highest possible resolution whether this is determined by numbers - 1600x1200, 2048x1536 etc., or simply by the words like "best", "fine", 'finest".

Photos need not be accompanied by an editorial contribution and most freelancers will find success submitting to our Snapshots or PartingShot pages. Editorial submissions however should, whenever possible, include photos, art or some suggestion of where suitable illustrations may be found.

Electronic submissions should be kept to a manageable size of 1-5MB and submission may be sent in multiple files if necessary. Compressing a file into a zip file is also acceptabe. If email is not available or desired submissions may also be sent by mail on CD, DVD or Zip disks.

We do not return unsolicited materials unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. BALLOONING reserves the right to unconditionally edit any and all materials for pubication. Deadlines are the first day of January, March, May, July, September and November.

For more information contact:

Editor

BALLOONING

or write:

BALLOONING

318-925-4908