In the coming months, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies will award four $500 payments for stories from AAN papers that can be used in other markets.

In the past, AAN’s editorial committee has initiated and overseen a number of editorial projects for use in multiple markets. This year, however, the committee is approaching shared projects in a slightly different way.

Any editor who is planning (or would like to plan) an article you believe would work in other markets should send the pitch to editorial committee chair Julia Goldberg. She will then shepherd the story idea through the committee and make sure there is sufficient interest from other papers.

Once the $500 payment is approved to an editor, (s)he can use the money as (s)he sees fit, and the story will be made available for free to other papers.

It will also be the editor’s responsibility to set a date of availability for the story and to be available for follow-up questions from the papers using the piece.