Competition: Become a Farmers Weekly columnist

Got opinions about farming? Enjoy writing? Want to see your words in print? If so, don’t miss this unique opportunity to join Farmers Weekly’s stable of award-winning columnists.

We’re looking for additional, regular contributors, both for the Farmlife and Opinion sections of the magazine.

So whatever your background, wherever you’re based, we’d like to hear from you if you think you’ve got what it takes.

See also: Joe Stanley – the loss of a child prompts thoughts on farm safety

You might work on a family farm or be a student at an ag college. You might be employed in one the ancillary industries or work for a charity.

You might be a new entrant or indeed not come from agricultural background at all, but be passionate about breaking into the industry.

You’ll need to be reasonably familiar with farming issues, as we want columnists who can write consistently on a variety of topics in a way that informs and inspires. But you don’t need to be an expert on everything.

Some of the most popular contributors over the years have been people on a steep learning curve, who have shared the highs and lows of their farming journey.

So whether you want to showcase what life’s like for the younger generation or you’ve got a few decades’ experience under your belt and would like to share your words of wisdom, please take part in our writing competition. 

How to apply

The successful candidates will be those who can demonstrate they can write fluently, compellingly and candidly.

All you’ve got to do is write a 500-word piece entitled “2022”. You can interpret this in any way you’d like –  your piece might be positive or downbeat, funny or sad, practical or philosophical – but remember we’re looking for columns that we could potentially publish.

In addition to the 500 words, please also send us a little bit of information about yourself, and why you think you’d make a great columnist, as well as the types of topics you’d potentially like to cover.

Our columnists are paid, and this is a rare opportunity to join the roll call of well-known names such as David Richardson and Matthew Naylor in the Opinion pages, or the diverse perspectives featured in our Farmlife section. 

Don’t feel you necessarily need to have been widely published either, as we’re keen to hear from new voices, as well as from people already with a profile.

So whatever you do – and whatever your age – get in touch if you think you can wow us with your words.

Email your entries to farmersweekly@markallengroup.com by the end of Monday, 29 November 2021.