Submissions

To create a space for community members and organizations to share their manaʻo on issues affecting our lāhui, Ka Wai Ola will allow unsolicited writers to submit OpEds (opinion pieces on issues of interest to Native Hawaiians) and Letters to the Editor (commentary/responses to articles that have appeared in Ka Wai Ola) within the following parameters:

1. Opinion pieces must be submitted via email to kwo@oha.org by the 15th of the month prior to the issue.
   1. Haʻi Manaʻo (OpEds) should not exceed 500 words
   2. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 200 words
2. All opinion pieces must be submitted as Word documents or placed in the body of the email using standard upper/lower case formatting.
3. The author of the opinion piece must have some type of “expertise” (professional credentials or personal experience) in the subject area.
4. All opinion pieces must be signed with the writer’s full name, email address, phone number and, if appropriate, the organization they represent. OpEds should also be submitted with a brief (2-3 sentence) bio about the writer.
5. Ka Wai Ola will validate/verify the writer’s identity.
6. Ka Wai Ola reserves the right to edit letters and OpEds.
7. Ka Wai Ola reserves the right to decide which submissions are printed. Things that factor into the decision include fact-based viewpoint, relevance to current events, connection to the Ka Wai Ola issue theme, and compelling writing. Ka Wai Ola will not print political endorsements written by individuals or organizations.
8. Should the editor have any concerns about the content of an OpEd or letter, the editor will forward the column to the manager for review and, if appropriate, to Senior Legal Counsel.
9. If Senior Legal Counsel identifies any problems, and depending on its severity, the editor will either correspond with the writer to revise/modify their OpEd or letter, or reject it.
10. Ka Wai Ola will not print any letters or opinions that attack, slander, defame or demean an individual or organization, and OHA reserves the sole right to determine whether an opinion piece does or does not meet this criteria.
11. Ka Wai Ola will advertise the availability of OpEds and Letters to the Editor to the public online at kawaiola.news and in the printed newspaper as space allows.
12. Ka Wai Ola will print Letters to the Editor, but will not respond to them.

To provide a space for community members to contribute articles about events, opportunities or topics of interest to the lāhui for publication in Ka Wai Ola writers may:

1. Submit unsolicited articles for possible publication in Ka Wai Ola via email to kwo@oha.org at any time.
2. The topic/subject of submitted articles must align with OHA’s Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan foundations (‘ohana, mo’omeheu, ‘āina) or strategic priorities (educational pathways, health outcomes, quality housing, economic stability).
3. Submitted articles must be in Word format, include the name and contact information of the author and a brief 2-3 sentence bio, and should not exceed 1,000 words.
4. High resolution photos to accompany the story may also be submitted in jpeg format along with the article. Photos should include caption and photo credit information.
5. Submission of an unsolicited article does not guarantee that it will be printed. OHA and the Ka Wai Ola team will review submitted articles and determine their suitability for publication in Ka Wai Ola in terms of both content and writing quality.
6. OHA reserves the right to fact-check and edit submitted articles.
7. OHA will not pay or otherwise compensate authors of unsolicited articles accepted for publication in Ka Wai Ola.

To create a space for our readers to honor their loved ones, Ka Wai Ola will print unsolicited Haliʻa Aloha, obituaries and kanikau (mourning chants), within the following parameters:

1. Haliʻa Aloha must be submitted via email to kwo@oha.org by the 15th of the month prior to the issue.
2. Haliʻa Aloha may not exceed 250 words in length.
3. Haliʻa Aloha must be current (submitted within six months of the loved one’s passing).
4. Haliʻa Aloha must be submitted as Word documents or placed in the body of the email using standard upper/lower case formatting.
5. Haliʻa Aloha must include the full name of the decedent and his/her birth and death dates.
6. Haliʻa Aloha must be submitted with the full name, email address, phone number of the submitter, and their relationship to the decedent.
7. ʻOhana are encouraged to submit a photo of their loved one with the obituary/kanikau.

Due to space considerations, Ka Wai Ola cannot print Haliʻa Aloha that exceed 250 words in length or that are not current within six months in the newspaper. However, all submitted Haliʻa Aloha, regardless of length or timeliness, will be published on our digital platform, kawaiola.news.

To provide a space to share announcements of interest or concern to our readers (e.g., cultural impact assessment notices, burial notices, etc.), Ka Wai Ola will print unsolicited public notices from appropriate agencies at no charge, within the following parameters:

1. Public notices must be submitted via email to kwo@oha.org by the 15th of the month prior to the issue.
2. Public notices may not exceed 250 words in length.
3. Public notices may not include maps or illustrations.
4. Public notices must be submitted as Word documents or placed in the body of the email using standard upper/lower case formatting.
5. Public notices must include the name and contact information of the organization that is placing the notice.

To provide a space to share announcements about family reunions or other efforts to connect with ʻohana, Ka Wai Ola will print family reunion announcements at no charge within the following parameters:

1. Hoʻohui ʻOhana notices must be submitted via email to kwo@oha.org by the 15th of the month prior to the issue.
2. Hoʻohui ʻOhana notices should not exceed 75 words in length.
3. Hoʻohui ʻOhana notices may not include photographs.
4. Hoʻohui ʻOhana notices must be submitted as Word documents or placed in the body of the email using standard upper/lower case formatting.
5. Hoʻohui ʻOhana notices must include the name and contact information of the organization that is placing the notice.
6. Once received, Hoʻohui ʻOhana notices will be published for three (3) consecutive months in Ka Wai Ola.

To provide a space to share possible story ideas for Ka Wai Ola from our community readers may:

1. Submit story ideas via email to kwo@oha.org at any time.
2. Story ideas should include some background and contact information for our writers.
3. Story submissions should include the name and contact information of the person submitting the idea, as well as the reason they are interested in having Ka Wai Ola pursue the story.
4. OHA and the Ka Wai Ola team reserve the right to pursue (or not pursue) individual story ideas.
5. Should a specific story idea be accepted, OHA and the Ka Wai Ola team reserve the right to determine when to run the story, and how to present the story.