MAYDAY magazine invites critics of all disciplines to apply for its Critic in Residence Program. This program is a four-month digital residency, and we require no travel or fees on the part of the applicants. The overall aim of the residency program is to help young critics get a foot in the door, provide an outlet for more experienced critics to broaden the reach of their work, or give a promising start to writers who would like to branch out into criticism. This program was established to attempt to help writers of all ages, especially those who are early in their careers and don’t have the luxury of being attached to a legacy publication.
This program is open to anyone who writes critical reviews and essays. Movies, books, TV, video games, theater, art exhibitions, fashion, architecture… if you review it, reach out to us to see if we’re interested! The program lasts for four months, and if chosen, the writer will be contracted to write four reviews for MAYDAY at a pace of one per month. MAYDAY pays $20 per review, so the writer would make $80 total from their work, plus the writer will earn a no-strings-attached $100 grant at the conclusion of their residency. Every Critic in Residence will work directly with the editor to pitch their ideas and develop their work. For some example criticism we’ve already published on our site, see our work on the novel Vladimir, the film The Damned, the TV series How To with John Wilson, the video game Firewatch, and on the oeuvre of musician Orville Peck.
MAYDAY hires only one Critic in Residence per period, but we will keep a log of all applicants so that if you apply once, you do not need to apply a second time and will be considered for all future residencies. There is no deadline, as this is a spot that reopens every four months.
Applicants will be reviewed by Lead Culture Editor Clement Obropta. If you’d like to apply, simply fill out this Google form.
