There are 22 themed calls for pitches for freelancers, non-fiction writers, and for journalists, for the 14 markets listed here. Some of the themes are: contemporary art and culture; underrepresented/ underreported narratives; labour; fall fashion; food; holiday gift guide; imagined futures/alternate histories; maps; NFTs; and minority homeownership. A few specify deadlines but most do not, so it is best to get pitches in early. – S. Kalekar
No Niin: Contemporary art and culture
They’re interested in writing that is lively, rigorous, and engaged with current ideas and debates on contemporary art and culture. “We invite writing that critically addresses art and its various contexts, as well as examines trends and emerging perspectives through a mix of editorials, columns, in-depth essays, interviews, artist projects and reviews.” They’re specially interested in publishing the texts written or works done by art students during their studies. They publish works in a variety of forms: text from different genres, video, photography, podcasts, comics and hybrids of all kinds. They accept outlines, works in progress, and already complete works. Pay is 150€-350€ for essays, articles, exhibition reviews, manifestos, letters; 150€-300€ for interviews; 100€-200€ for poems; 150€-250€ for fiction writing (short story, a short play or short script). They also pay for memes, illustrations, comics, photos, videos, podcasts, and playlists. Take a look at Issue 1 to see what kind of work they publish. They are open through the year. Details here.
Briarpatch Magazine: The Labour Issue
They publish writing and artwork on a wide range of topics, including current events, grassroots activism, electoral politics, economic justice, ecology, labour, food security, gender equity, indigenous struggles, international solidarity, and other issues of political importance. They read completed submissions, but prefer pitches. Pay is CAD100 – profiles, short essays, reviews, blog posts, and parting shots; CAD200 – feature stories, photo essays; and CAD300 – research-based articles and investigative reportage with extensive primary research. They are reading for a Labour themed issue; the deadline for pitches is 1 July 2021. They are also reading work for unthemed issues. Details here.
Elle Canada: We’re On The Move; Fall Fashion
This is a premier women’s magazine, with sections on fashion, beauty, culture, life and love, and decor. They don’t seem to have editorial guidelines. However according to their editorial calendar in the media kit for advertisers, the theme for their July/August issue is We’re On The Move; and for September, it is Fall Fashion. There are other themes listed, as well. Details here (website/general contact for Elle Canada) and here (editorial calendar – scroll to the middle).
Condé Nast Traveller Britain: The Summer Issue
This is a premier travel magazine. They have detailed guidelines on how to pitch them, including: “We pride ourselves on commissioning writers who are really plugged into where or what they are writing about, so if it’s your first trip to a destination, you might not be the right person to write about it for us. Instead, pitch a story about somewhere or something you know well, and have a unique angle and insight on. This is not about covering destinations simply because you want to visit them. You need to know the places intimately and it needs to be a story that is special and full of original detail that you, with a deep knowledge, can bring to it.” See their extensive guidelines for pitching details on various sections. They also have various annual guides, and the editor’s list. According to their editorial calendar, the theme for June/July, for the print magazine, is The Summer Issue; they have other themes listed, as well. They work at least three months ahead. For print, pay is 40p/word; for the online edition, for which they want content to be evergreen as possible, it is 30p/word. Details here (pitching guidelines) and here (media kit/editorial calendar – scroll down to the middle).
Pizza Today: Rising Stars in the Pizza Business; Pizzeria of the Year
This is a trade magazine for the pizza business. They do not publish writers’ guidelines, but they do give contact details of their editorial team. The theme for their print magazine for July is ‘Rising Stars in the Pizza Business’; for August 2021, it is ‘Pizzeria of the Year’. They have other themes listed, as well. Their website publishes news, departments, and recipes. Details here (editorial department – click on ‘Meet the Staff’) and here (media kit/editorial calendar).
Scouts Life: Summer Olympics; Holiday Gift Guide
This is a monthly magazine published by the Boy Scouts of America, and it was earlier called Boys’ Life. Articles should interest and entertain boys and girls ages 5-17. They cover a broad range of non-fiction, from professional sports to American history. Department pieces include nature, aviation, health, pets, history and music (there are usually five department pieces in an issue). Fiction is assignment only; do not query. Query by mail for non-fiction. They have a couple of annual guides: Summer Olympics (June-July 2021); and Holiday Gift Guide (November). Pay is $500-1,500 for major non-fiction articles, and $100-600 for departments. Details here (resources for contributors), here (writer guidelines), and here (media kit – editorial departments and special content).
Culturally Modified: Food and culture
This is a quarterly online publication “sharing stories and inspiration about the management of our cultural resources, both physical and intangible. Our writers are people-loving, culture-obsessed, enthusiasm-wielding life-embracers of all stripes. Our readers live within British Columbia, Canada and far beyond; they are looking to absorb more of the world around them through research, stories, news and mixed media.” Articles range from a few hundred to 1,000 words, and they pay an honorarium. They recently announced on Twitter that they want pitches on food and culture. Details here (Tweet) and here (guidelines).
Unbias the News: Lived experiences/underreported stories
Journalists worldwide are invited to pitch to this remote, cross-border newsroom, for underreported stories with global relevance. “Journalists from anywhere in the world are eligible to apply. We especially invite journalists who have faced discrimination related to language, race, location, disability, gender, religion, caste, etc., leading to their stories not getting due space in the past.” See their ‘What are we looking for’ section for some examples of the kind of articles and narratives they want. Accepted submissions will be paid either €250 (personal narratives, op-eds, and shorter pieces) or €500 (long reads, multimedia, and investigations). Collaborative projects are welcome. The pitch deadline is 18 April 2021. Details here.
High Country News: Education & Enlightenment; Reading the West; The Gearhead’s Gift Guide
This magazine focuses on the modern American West. They accept pitches for in-depth reportage, analysis, opinion, essays or criticism under a number of broad frameworks, ranging from science and nature, conservation and preservation, food and agriculture to environmental justice and racism, and economics. FOB stories include in-depth news and analysis. Features include investigations, long-form narrative, deep-dive explainers, or big-idea essays. The back of the book is where they explore the ideas that shape the West, through reviews, criticism and short essays. Issue themes, according to their editorial calendar in the media kit, are: Education & Enlightenment (Degrees, certificates, workshops, & retreats) for August 2021; Reading the West (Books, blogs, podcasts, & publications) for September 2021; and The Gearhead’s Gift Guide (Clothing, gear, footwear, packs, accessories, & tech) for November 2021. Pay is usually $0.25-1.50/word and they pay a kill fee; essays and perspectives pay a flat fee of $400. They say their budget for freelance features is limited this year due to Covid-related cutbacks, but they are “committed to helping freelance writers apply for funding from outside organizations, to ensure that they are paid a robust rate. When pitching, please include any ideas for additional funding, and if the pitch is accepted HCN will be active in seeking out opportunities, assisting on applications, and grant reporting following the publication of the story.” Details here (writer guidelines) and here (download media kit/editorial calendar).
EatingWell: Gather/American Food Heroes; It’s All Easy
This food magazine from Meredith Corporation focuses on eating healthfully. Freelancer-friendly columns are Good Life which includes Trends, Travel, and Thinking (about a controversial and timely topic related to food), and Good Health (health and nutrition studies). They also have Food Stories and Food/Culture-based Travel Stories. Their readers are interested not only in cooking and nutrition science, but also in the origins of food and social issues related to food networks. EatingWell’s “voice” is journalistic and authoritative; it speaks to both men and women. They cover nutrition with a newsy, science-based approach. Their lead time is three to six months. According to the editorial calendar in their media kit, for July/August, the theme is ‘Gather/American Food Heroes’ (“Summer entertaining is in full-swing and we’ve got the recipes to make every gathering an absolute hit. Plus, our fifth annual American Food Hero Awards!”), and for September 2021, the theme is ‘It’s All Easy’ (“It’s the most hectic time of year! EatingWell helps control the chaos of the back-to-school season with strategies and recipes for weeknight dinners and easy entertaining.”). They have other themes listed, as well. Pay is up to $1/word. Details here (guidelines) and here (media kit/editorial calendar).
Blood Knife: science fiction, horror, cyberpunk, etc.
This is a magazine about “imagined futures, alternate histories, blood, cyborgs, and radical left politics. We want to explore the collision of the soon-to-be, the never-was, and the now.” According to guidelines, a good pitch for a non-fiction piece/essay will contain a compelling angle about some or all of the following: Science fiction and/or fantasy; Horror, blood, guts, ghosts, goblins, spectres; Futurism, robots, cyborgs, lasers, space demons; Analysis of class, race, gender, sexuality, or other aspects of human society; Neon-drenched alleyways and smoke-filled spaceships, concrete slick with rain and blood, spooky haunted churchyards and evil castles. Pay is $60 for an 800-word article and pro-rated beyond that. They also accept a limited amount of fiction in the genre (pays $0.09/word, up to 1,200 words), and illustrations. Details here.
C Magazine: Maps
This magazine is interested in writing that addresses Canadian art. They look at art and its various contexts, and at trends and emerging perspectives through a mix of editorials, columns, in-depth essays, interviews, artist projects and reviews. They accept pitches for features, artist projects, reviews, and columns. They are reading pitches for features and reviews for their Autumn 2021 issue, and the theme is Maps: “This issue asks: What counts as a map? What do maps do? How can we challenge our assumptions of what they’re for and how they operate? How have maps been used to colonize, divide, and commodify, and how are they being used to unravel such empires? How are artists involved in counter-cartography? … How do maps index (or fail to) the passage of time—changes of seasons, inhabitants, ownership, use? How do maps cultivate space for spontaneity, play, and ephemerality? How are maps used to tell stories, and how are stories used to make maps?” See their extensive guidelines for further details. Pay is at least CAD0.35/word, and the pitch deadline is 1 May 2021. Details here.
The NFT Rag: All things NFT
This is a new, soon-to-be-launched magazine that will publish work on non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Writers can send as many pitches as they want, and on any topic, as long as these relate to NFTs. Pay is $30-50 for articles of 500-800 words. Details here.
The Daily Beast: Three themes
This is an opportunity for branded content from the New York based The Daily Beast, for writers who have a history of covering housing policy, inequality, and/or minority rights. Their guidelines for three calls were announced recently on Twitter by their marketing director: “— Homeownership Gap: How the effects of the homeownership gap are felt today and the steps being taken to improve access to homeownership and help close the racial homeownership gap.
— COVID-19: The impact of COVID-19 on the homeownership gap – highlight how COVID has set back minority housing opportunities and what we need to consider as we ramp-up post pandemic not to worsen that gap. …
— Minority Homeownership: Negative impact on minority homeownership from the inadequate housing supply and the lack of affordability that creates.” They want pitches. They’ve given length guidelines for articles as 1,000 words, and pay is $1,000. Details here (Twitter call).
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.
