Write for Us!

 

Real life. Real families. Real encouragement.

Between the chaos, the car rides, the late nights, and the little wins — there are stories worth telling. This is where we share them.

What’s in it for you?

  • Get published in Black Hills Family

  • Reach thousands of local readers

  • Share your voice and story

  • Promote your blog, business, or organization

  • Build your writing portfolio

  • Encourage someone who needs it

What we’re looking for (right now)

Short, honest stories from everyday life. We’re also looking for Real Black Hills Adventures. Did you and your crew go on a really cool hike or visit a local attraction? Let’s see it. We love showcasing unique family-friendly activities .

With our upcoming issues in mind, we’d especially love stories about:

🇺🇸 Military Life

  • What surprised you most about military family life

  • The reality of deployment — the hard, the funny, the unexpected

  • How your family stays connected across distance

  • What support actually looks like (and what doesn’t)

  • A moment that made you proud to be part of a military family

🎒 Back-to-School Season

  • The chaos and comedy of getting back into routines

  • A milestone moment — first day, new school, big transition

  • Lessons learned (by you or your kids)

  • The emotional side of letting go — or holding on

  • What this season of life is teaching your family

💛 Everyday Life (Always Welcome)

  • A moment that made you laugh when you were ready to cry

  • A parenting win (big or small)

  • A day that didn’t go as planned — and what it taught you

  • Something your child said that stopped you in your tracks

  • A simple moment you wish you could bottle up

Length: 250–500 words
Tone: Real, warm, and human
No writing experience needed

For our Real Black Hills Adventures, we’re looking for a series of photos (cell phone images are great) with some captions explaining how your adventure unfolded. We like to present these as photo essays in the magazine to inspire families to check out your cool hike or your visit to some amazing local attraction.

Feel free to include your blog, organization, or social page if it fits naturally — we want readers to connect with you and the work you care about.

What Makes a Story Shine

We won’t be publishing everything that comes our way. To increase your chances that we’ll pick you, here are some tips that will put your content ahead of the pack.

We love stories that show instead of tell. Set the scene. Make us feel, taste, smell. It’s the difference between “She walked through the snow.” and “The snow crunched under her boots.” You can feel that right now, can’t you?

Keep our audience front of mind: Local families, especially parents, caregivers, and military families in the Black Hills region. They want honesty, warmth, and relatable moments. There’s a good chance that you are a member of our audience, so don’t overthink it! Write what you enjoy reading. And remember “write what you know” is a cliche for a reason.

Have an angle. This is what turns a ho-hum article into something special (and makes us more likely to choose it). If you want to share your son’s first day of preschool with our audience, determine why you’re doing that. Is it to make us reflect? To laugh? To loosen up? If it’s to make us laugh, only focus on the funny parts. Use a playful, slightly sarcastic voice. If the point — the angle — of your story is to get parents to loosen on that first drop-off, only focus on the elements of the story that are reassuring and use a comforting, confident voice. 

Your turn

Write it. Send it. Make someone’s day.

We can’t wait to read your story.

How to submit

Send us:

  • Your story in a Word Document or similar format

  • A short bio (1–2 sentences)

  • Photos (if you’re submitting a Real Black Hills Adventure), link to your blog, business, or social

📧 Send it here: Stephens@egmrc.com

Submission Terms

By submitting your story, photo, or artwork to Black Hills Family:

  • You attest that the content is your own original work and does not infringe on anyone else’s rights.
  • You grant Evergreen Media  permission to publish, edit, and promote your submission in print, online, and social channels.
  • You understand that submissions may be edited for clarity, length, or style while preserving the heart of your story.
  • You retain copyright to your work, but grant Evergreen Media a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use it.
  • You acknowledge that submissions may not be returned.

Questions about submissions or usage? Reach out to stephens@egmrc.com

 

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