Photo by Olivia Gay from Envisioned on SDN.

SDN Leads is a new initiative of the Social Documentary Network to present the work of photographers with projects on the SDN web platform to photo editors who regularly license photography and hire photographers.

The current list includes more than 60 editors from The Guardian, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Polka Magazine (France), Time magazine, Boston Globe, Washington Post, US Today, AP, Vox, NPR, and others, as well as independent photo editors, and agency directors. Editors are being added to the list all the time.

If you are an photo editor and would like to receive emails from SDN Leads, please click here.

If you are a photographer and would like your work considered for SDN Leads, the first step is to submit a project to the SDN website and follow these guidelines.

• Carefully edit your project to include the strongest images.
  
• Make sure your abstract and captions are complete and carefully proofread. Work without captions is rarely considered.
  
• We highly recommend that you create a personal profile on SDN. This is an example of a completed profile. You can do this through the profile tab on your account. If you already have a profile, please make sure it is up-to-date and includes your social media handles.
  
• Editors will only be able to review live exhibits. If you have expired exhibits on the website that you would like editors to consider, you may want to renew these exhibits. If you have new work that is not on the SDN website, we would encourage you to submit these projects. While we will be featuring your most recent exhibit, editors will have access to these other exhibits in your profile.

There is no cost to particpate in SDN Leads other than the standard fee to maintain at least one live exhibit on the SDN website.

If you already have work on the SDN platform, you may consider reviewing your project, abstract, and captions. New work is always welcome and more likely to receive attention than older work, so consider uploading a new project.

We will inform you if your work is included in an email sent out through SDN Leads.

If an editor is interested in learning more about your project or your capabilities, they will contact you directly. If there is any agreement or contract established, it is between you and the photo editor directly. 

Please note that if your work is accepted for publication on the SDN website, this does not automatically mean it is accepted for SDN Leads.