Help build a living record of Tamil life.
Aana Avanna is inviting a small, carefully selected group of founding contributors to publish thoughtful, useful and culturally grounded work across food, fashion, lifestyle, travel, history, faith, photography and diaspora life.
Who we are looking for
We are interested in creators, writers, photographers, cooks, researchers and storytellers whose work is rooted in Tamil, Sri Lankan Tamil or diaspora experience. You do not need to be a professional journalist. What matters is quality, accuracy, respect, originality and a clear point of view.
What contributors can publish
Contributors may submit original articles, recipes, cultural explainers, travel pieces, fashion and style features, photography-led stories, family histories, interviews and diaspora reflections. Every submission is reviewed before publication so that the Living Archive remains trustworthy and useful.
Credit, ownership and permissions
Your work will be clearly credited to you, with links to your website or social profile where appropriate. You keep ownership of your original work. Contributors must only submit text, photographs or other material they own or have permission to use.
Before publication, Aana Avanna will confirm how a contribution may be displayed, edited for clarity and house style, credited, promoted and, where appropriate, removed or corrected. Publication on Aana Avanna does not transfer ownership of your original work to us.
The first three months
The Founding Contributor Programme begins as a three-month curated pilot while Aana Avanna builds its audience, measurement and contributor tools. There is no paid traffic-share scheme during this pilot period.
After the pilot, we intend to explore a transparent performance-based contributor payment model if audience and revenue levels make it sustainable. Any future payment formula, eligibility rules, attribution method and payment terms will be set out clearly and agreed before they apply. We will not promise earnings that the platform cannot yet support.
Our standards
We welcome different regional, religious and generational perspectives. Work should distinguish fact, tradition, personal experience and belief; use reliable sources where factual claims require them; avoid unnecessary political campaigning; and treat communities and faiths respectfully. Aana Avanna may decline work that does not meet its editorial, evidence or safeguarding standards.
How the pilot works
Founding contributors can begin with a single idea. There is no expectation to publish on a fixed schedule. We will review the idea first, agree the format, and only then move to a full submission. This keeps the process manageable for contributors and protects the quality of the Living Archive.
Interested?
Send a short introduction, the area you would like to contribute to, and links or examples of your work to hello@aanaavanna.co.uk. You can also send one article idea rather than a finished piece.
What to send with your application
- Your name and the name you would like published.
- Your main area of contribution — for example food, fashion, travel, history, faith, photography or diaspora life.
- One or two links to previous work, social profiles or examples. If you have none, that is fine.
- One article or story idea you would like to begin with.
- Any region, community, denomination, family tradition or lived experience that is relevant to the piece.
Please do not send a full commissioned-style article before an idea has been agreed. A short pitch is enough for the first step.
What happens next
- We review the idea for fit, originality and cultural value.
- If it looks suitable, we agree the angle, format and any sourcing requirements before you write.
- You submit a draft, photographs or other agreed material.
- Aana Avanna edits for clarity, accuracy, house style and legal or safeguarding concerns while preserving your voice.
- You review any substantial factual or meaning-changing edits before publication.
- The finished contribution is credited to you and may be promoted across Aana Avanna's website, newsletter and social channels in line with the agreed permissions.
Contributors should also read our Editorial Standards and Corrections Policy before submitting work.