Membership in the Cat Writers’ Association is for creative professionals working in the communications industry whose work focuses on cats. This includes writers of all types, as well as artists, photographers, broadcasters, influencers, and more.
To be considered for membership in the CWA, you must include, along with your application and $45.00 fee (and $15.00 non-refundable application processing fee), CAT-SPECIFIC samples of your work published or publicly produced during the preceding 24 months (15 years for books). All work samples must be dated, include the publication’s name if applicable, and must contain a majority of cat-specific content, not just mention cats in passing or use them as props or scenery. Works that portray cats in a negative, inhumane or irresponsible manner do not qualify as work samples for CWA membership. Please review the work sample requirements below before selecting work samples to accompany your application.
Membership Levels
There are two levels of CWA Membership:
Professional Membership – If you have been paid for your work about cats, you are eligible to join as a professional member. Professional members may serve as officers, can vote in CWA elections, and may serve as judges in our annual communications contest.
Associate Membership – If you have been published or produced but are not yet being paid for your work, you are eligible to join as an Associate Member. Associate Members have access to all the best member benefits, but do not vote in CWA elections and are not eligible to judge in the CWA communications contest.
Applications for both Professional and Associate Membership must be accompanied by work samples.
Guidelines for Work Samples
Professional Membership: Three (3) work samples will be required with application submission (with the exception of books, movies, and full-length productions, in which one (1) complete work is required). All work sample entries must be published within the last two years of submission (again with the exception of books, movies, and full-length productions, which can have been published or released in the past 15 years) and be original work.
Associate Membership: Applicants must submit at least one work sample with the same restrictions as above. Editors and publishers of cat-centric publications can apply for associate membership if they do not themselves produce cat content.
Note: AI-generated content is not eligible for any level of membership.
Work Sample Requirements:
1. Any work submitted for CWA membership consideration must be to a large extent about, or relevant to, cats, from domestic house cats to large cats. If submitting nonfiction samples, the piece may include other animals or topics, but most of the sample must pertain to cats (pet, feral, rescue, wild, etc.) In fictional, visual, and musical works, it is not essential that a cat be the only focus, but felines must be integral to the product, rather than incidental characters or walk-ons.
2. Articles, poems, photographs, artwork, calendars, music, video, podcasts, and other forms of media (physical or electronic) that were formally published, released, or displayed with commercial and/or informational intent are acceptable as work samples. If a submission is published as a ghost contributor or under a pseudonym, verification will be required. Proof of financial compensation may be requested as well. For works that are not full-length books or movies, such as articles or artwork, the work should have a release date within the past two years. Full length works should have been released within the past fifteen years. Special consideration may be given to writers, photographers, videographers, and more for nonprofit organizations who are not compensated for their work as long as the submitted pieces meet the objective standards for membership approval.
3. To be eligible for consideration for professional membership, CWA will accept electronically published work samples from publications such as blogs, websites, podcasts, vlogs, webinars, and videos if the following criteria are met:
i. The source has been established and active for one year or longer.
ii. Applicants for professional membership may be asked to provide proof of income/compensation for at least one work sample where the applicant was compensated, whether through product or monetary remuneration.
4. Submissions that do not meet the above requirements may be considered for associate membership.
5. Sizeable digital items submitted as work samples, such as full color books or movies, can be submitted initially as a link to where they are available. You will be asked to make arrangements with the secretary to provide a digital copy of the work samples that the membership committee can access. For items with a smaller digital file size, there will be an upload line on the form.
6. The overall quality of all submitted works shall be considered as part of the evaluation process, in addition to the qualifications already defined. The work must display responsible and accurate communication about cats.
7. Any member of the CWA Membership Committee has the right to request additional writing or other work samples, or supporting documents, from any applicant.
8. Exceptions to the above requirements might be made by a majority vote of the membership committee.
Membership Application
To view or submit the Membership Application, click the link below.
Follow these links for more information.
Questions? Email the CWA Secretary.