Have a story you’d love to write, useful knowledge to share or a video idea worth exploring? HEIA has a pool of $2,000 to commission articles, practical guides and videos from our Estonian Australian community. Proposals close 1 December 2026.
We know you’re out there. The storytellers, the history buffs, the adventurers, the people who know things the rest of us haven’t even thought to ask about. And yes, we’re looking at you! We’d love to hear your ideas, share your experiences and introduce more voices to our readers. Whether you’ve written for HEIA before or this would be your first contribution, you’re welcome!
You don’t need to be a professional writer, journalist or filmmaker. You just need something interesting to share. Contributions are welcome in English or Estonian — we can translate. We’ll help with the rest.
What are we looking for?
We’re keeping the doors wide open. If your idea connects to Estonia, Australia, Estonian heritage or our community in some way, we’d love to hear about it.
Perhaps you’ve attended an event worth writing about, discovered a fascinating piece of community history or had an experience that others might enjoy reading about. Maybe there’s a person whose story deserves to be told, a tradition worth exploring or something you’ve always wondered about.
We’re also particularly keen to hear from people willing to share their knowledge and expertise. What do you know that could make someone else’s life easier, more interesting or a little more adventurous? Perhaps you’ve picked up some useful tips about living, working or travelling in Australia that could help someone planning a visit or a move here from Estonia?
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:
- Community stories: Tell us about an event, celebration, project, organisation or interesting person in your community.
- Personal experiences: Share your adventures, discoveries, challenges or unexpected moments of life between Estonia and Australia.
- History and heritage: Unearth a forgotten story, explore family history or introduce us to a tradition that deserves a little attention.
- Practical guides: Know how to backpack around Australia on a budget? Navigate Australian life as a newcomer? Organise a community event? Share your expertise!
- Culture and creativity: Explore Estonian food, music, language, art, traditions or something wonderfully unexpected.
- Videos: Take us behind the scenes, introduce an interesting person, show us how something works or capture a community experience on camera.
And if your idea doesn’t fit neatly into any of these categories? That’s okay. We do enjoy a good surprise.
What can you create?
We’re looking for written articles, practical guides and videos. Here are some general guidelines to help you get started.
Articles and guides
As a general guide, we’re looking for approximately 600–900 words, although we’re happy to discuss shorter or longer pieces if the topic calls for it. Your article could be informative, entertaining, personal, practical or a combination of these. We value original perspectives, engaging storytelling and useful information over fancy language. We love a good story, a fresh perspective and even a healthy debate — as long as curiosity, fairness and respect lead the way.
Videos
We welcome everything from short videos of 60 seconds or more to longer interviews, demonstrations, mini-documentaries and community features. You don’t necessarily need professional equipment or a film crew. A good idea, thoughtful preparation and clear audio can go a long way.
Looking for inspiration? Have a browse through some of the articles and videos already published on HEIA:
- Articles: Explore articles and guides
- Videos: Watch HEIA’s videos (scroll down to “Latest videos”)
These are examples, not templates. We’d love to see what you come up with.
Yes, we’re paying!
Most contributions to HEIA come from our wonderful volunteers, who generously share their time, knowledge and creativity. Every now and then, however, we have the opportunity to commission paid contributions — and this is one of those moments! So, if you’ve been thinking about sharing a story, now’s a good time to get that idea out into the world. Who knows when we’ll have another opportunity like this?
We’ve set aside $2,000 to commission contributions from our community.
Our indicative payments are:
- $300 per article or practical guide
- $300 per video
These amounts are a starting point rather than a rigid price list. For example, a one-minute video might attract a payment of $300, while a longer or more involved production could receive more. We’ll consider the nature, length and complexity of each proposal before making an offer.
And there will be no surprises. Before you start, we’ll agree with you on what you’re creating, the payment, the deadline and any relevant guidelines. You’ll know exactly what you’re signing up for.
How to pitch your idea
Here’s the easy part. You don’t need to write a formal proposal, prepare a business case or spend three days agonising over the perfect opening sentence.
Just send us:
- A proposed title — something that gives us a flavour of your idea.
- A brief overview — around 50–100 words explaining what you’d like to write about or film, and why it might interest our community.
- Your name and email address — so we know who to thank and how to reach you.
- Anything else you’d like us to know — perhaps your connection to the topic, relevant experience, access to interesting people or places, or why you’re particularly keen to tell this story.
Already started writing? Wonderful! You’re welcome to send us your draft, even if it’s only half-hatched. We’re not in the business of holding back creative geniuses.
And if you’re unsure whether your idea would suit HEIA, send it through anyway. We’d much rather have a conversation about an interesting possibility than never hear about it.
What happens next?
Send your proposal to news@eesti.org.au by end-of-day Tuesday, 1 December 2026.
We’ll review the submissions, consider which ideas would be the best fit for our readers and the available funding, and get back to everyone by Thursday, 3 December 2026.
With $2,000 available, HEIA can commission only a limited number of contributions. If we receive 20 wonderful proposals (fingers crossed!), we won’t be able to fund them all. We don’t want anyone feeling that their idea wasn’t worthwhile simply because it wasn’t selected. Equally, we shouldn’t imply that every proposal will eventually be published. But an idea that doesn’t receive a paid commission this time may still be a wonderful story worth exploring with HEIA in the future.
We’ll then work with each contributor to agree on the details, including the scope, payment and delivery date. Ideally, we’d love to receive the finished articles, guides and videos before Christmas, so we can start sharing more community voices with our readers.
And don’t worry if you’ve never written for publication before. HEIA offers editorial support and guidance, and we’ll work with you to develop and finalise your contribution. You bring the knowledge, experience and ideas; we’ll help turn them into something ready to share.
Over to you!
Some of the most interesting stories aren’t told by professional writers. They’re told by people who were there, people who care, people who noticed something others missed or people who simply know a thing or two worth passing on. Our Estonian Australian community is full of those people. We’d love to hear from more of you.
So, what’s your story?
📅 Proposals close: Tuesday, 1 December 2026
📣 Successful contributors notified: By Thursday, 3 December 2026
✍️ Finished contributions: Ideally before Christmas 2026
💰 Available funding: $2,000
📧 Send proposals and questions to: news@eesti.org.au
Your idea doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to find its way into our inbox.
And who knows? The next great HEIA story might be sitting in your head right now, wondering whether it’s worth telling. We think it is.
Acknowledgement
This opportunity is made possible with support from the Integration Foundation and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
