As you might know On Site operates on a very lean budget, and is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts Support for Literary and Art Magazines, sponsorships, subscriptions and news stand sales.
We can offer a small fee of $50 for your article, amplified with a complimentary one-year subscription to On Site (value $20) and two complimentary copies of the issue in which your article appears (value $24) for a total package of $94 value.

This is far below the true value of your contribution which is invaluable to the success of this magazine. When we last offered a measly little honorarium, most contributors waived the $25. [Guy Debord once wrote in response to getting a token fee: 'SAVE YOUR NINE FLORINS IMBECILE IT WAS A GIFT!' quoted by Hal Foster in a recent LRB review] In our circumstances, we have to detach the value of your article to the discipline of architecture from the monetary value we can offer you.

As our contributors include practicing architects and academics, all of whom have salaries, the $50 is irrelevant compared to being in print – it is only a decent bottle of wine these days. However, many of our contributors are artists, theorists, students and critics unattached to institutions and salaries. For these, a fee (and probably something greater than $50) for their article is very important. If you fall into this category, please let me know, as within reason, On Site wants to continue to publish significant work, and we know that this work is not always financially rewarding. We also know it is very, very, very hard to get published if you are unknown – this is why we started this magazine.