Dear Writers,

Here’s a list of calls for pitches and publications that pay up to $1,000 or more for freelance articles.

Please don’t contact these publications unless you are confident that you’re able to send a quality pitch that meets their needs. If you’re new to freelance writing, I would recommend starting with smaller “mid-level” publications.

For more opportunities read our list of 22 Calls for Pitches Directly from Editors (Up to $600 Per Article).

— Jacob Jans

Thanks to Fatima Saif for contributing to this article

Outrider is a nonprofit media group that “supports multimedia storytelling about nuclear issues and climate change.” They are seeking fresh and diverse voices to pitch them “under-reported narratives about climate change and nuclear issues.” Their stories are usually 1,000 to 1,200 words. Their standard rate is $1,000/story. Read their Twitter thread here and submit your pitches here.

A New Foundation is “a storytelling initiative by Living Cities and Gumbo Media that builds on the explorations of Reckoning With Race and pushes us deeper through questions of wealth building and sustained abundance.” They are seeking story pitches from BIPOC writers/journalists in Albuquerque, Austin, Memphis, Minneapolis, Rochester, and St. Paul. They will commission one writer/journalist from each of these cities to “write a long-form editorial that examines racial wealth gaps in their city and explores curiously and creatively how we might reorient our comprehension of wealth as something more human and dignified for all.” Rate is $2,500. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this form.

Type Investigations is a nonprofit investigative newsroom. They cover the “most urgent issues of our time, including racial and economic justice, climate and environmental health, and civil and human rights.” Their written features are generally 4,000-6,000 words and they typically pay $3,000-$6,000 (including travel and reporting expenses). For more information, refer to their pitch guide.

MIT Technology Review is a media company that explains the commercial, political, and social impact of the newest technologies. Their features and investigations editor is looking for new writers. They have tweeted, “I love a whole range of stories—holding bad actors accountable, uncovering something new/fascinating/weird, crafting a compelling narrative you can’t put down—but mostly I want stories that you feel like you immediately have to tell your friends about.” Rates range from $1.00-$2.00 a word. Send your ideas to amanda.silverman@technologyreview.com. To read their features and investigations editor’s Twitter thread, click here. To read their pitch guide, click here.

Narratively is a media company that publishes original and untold human stories. Their deputy editor is “assigning and editing a series about TURNING FAILURE ON ITS HEAD, i.e., times when failure in one area turned out to be positive in another, or when failure taught you an important lesson that helped shape you.” They only publish nonfiction. Their rates begin at $1,000 and most of their stories are between 3,000 and 6,000 words. If interested, send your pitches to jsposato@narratively.com. To read their deputy editor’s Twitter thread, click here. To read their previous stories, click here.

Deadline: September 15th, 2022

The Food Section provides “coverage of food and drink across the American South.” They are “actively seeking freelance contributors to add their voices to the newsletter’s mix, with a particular emphasis on reported stories that reflect the diversity of the South.” They will pay $1,000 for a 1200-word reported story. For details, refer to this Tweet and this page.

Lux is a socialist feminist magazine for the masses. They are seeking great reproductive justice reporting and writers. They pay $1 per word for features, and $0.50 per word for everything else. Read their Tweet here. Learn more about them here.

Current is a news organization covering public and nonprofit media in the United States for professionals in the industry. They are always seeking “contributions from freelancers, as well as commentaries and ‘how we did it’ stories from people in public media.” They generally pay 75 cents a word. For more information, read their Tweet and writers’ guidelines.

PublicSource is a news organization serving Pittsburgh and the region. They welcome story pitches from journalists and community members. They pay $300 for first-person essays (800 to 1,200 words); $300 for event coverage (600 to 1,000 words); $400 for resource guides/explainers; $600 for enterprise stories; and $1,000 for investigative stories. They usually pay a 25% kill fee. Learn more here and here.

KneeDeep Times is a digital magazine about climate resilience. They focus on the SF Bay Area. They welcome story, art, and other submissions on a wide range of climate resilience topics. They generally pay $1 per word. To learn more, refer to this page.