Américas Magazine and the OAS
Américas is a bimonthly publication of the Organization of American States issued in separate English and Spanish editions. It seeks to advance mutual understanding among the peoples of the Western Hemisphere. It is a general interest magazine focusing on OAS member nations. Américas accepts contributions from freelance writers and photographers from throughout the world.

Type of Feature Articles Desired
The articles in each issue cover a wide variety of topics including culture, history, literature, visual arts (pre-Columbian, colonial, modern), performing arts, architecture, science, travel destinations, the environment, and economics. Feature articles should not report on events as news, but rather focus on their broader implications. Highly technical articles and articles of limited interest are not used. Please study past issues of the magazine for style and content.

Américas is especially interested in articles that portray contemporary developments in the hemisphere. OAS member countries include: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Commonwealth of Dominica, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Readers of Américas are of diverse cultural backgrounds—writers should keep in mind that what is common knowledge in one country is not necessarily so in others.
Note: U.S. topics should have some Latin American or Caribbean tie-in.

Submitting Manuscripts/ Photographs
Query first with a 3 to 4 paragraph summary of your proposed story.

Upon editors' favorable response, articles may be submitted in English or Spanish. Américas provides translations. Manuscripts must be unpublished and should be approximately 8 to 12 typewritten pages, double spaced (3,000 words maximum). Electronic submissions should be in either Microsoft Word or Word Perfect format.

Quotations that have been translated must be accompanied by the text in the original language, and the source must be noted. Américas does not use footnotes, so explanatory material should be incorporated into the text. To facilitate translation, Américas requests that authors provide titles of published works in the original language and of any published translations: names of places, buildings, private and government organizations in the original language; and Latin names of flora and fauna, along with their local names.

All articles are received only on speculation, and decisions on publication are made by the editors. 
Américas accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. The editors reserve the right to edit articles for style and length.

Once a manuscript is accepted, payment is made upon publication. Américas is a nonprofit magazine with no advertising; therefore, rates are non-commercial. Checks are issued in U.S. dollars for authors residing in or possessing bank accounts in the United States, or in the national currency of the OAS member country in which the author lives. If an article is scheduled for publication and not used, a kill fee, typically one-quarter of the agreed-upon payment, is offered.

Américas purchases one-time publishing rights only from freelance writers and photographers. However, Américas has existing agreements with several companies to reproduce and sell articles on CD-ROM, microfiche, and microfilm, as well as on-line information services for educational purposes only. The sale and distribution of the magazine in these forms is treated like the sale of the corresponding single printed issue of the magazine; there is no additional compensation paid to writers for these educational reproductions. Any writer unwilling to make his/her material available through these services can request its removal.

If available, professional quality color slides, transparencies, or 8 x 10 black and white prints should accompany the text. If graphics are not available, suggestions for possible sources of photos or other illustrations would be appreciated. Preference will be given to manuscripts accompanied by excellent illustrations. Payment for the use of graphic materials is made separately from the article payment and also upon publication. Photographs and other illustrative material are returned after publication.

E-mail address: Americasmagazine@oas.org