Dear Writers,
Here’s our latest roundup of calls for pitches directly from editors.
We’ve researched payment information and contact information for all of these calls, to make it easy for you to connect with the right editor.
Be sure that you’re confident in your ability to send a good pitch before contacting any of these editors. If you want to learn how to get published in these publications, watch this free lecture.
— Jacob Jans
Thanks to Fatima Saif for compiling this list.
The Observer is a Sunday newspaper by the Guardian Media Group. Their editor is seeking pitches for features (about 1,700 words) which could run on their science & technology pages. Rate is 31p per word. Pitches should be emailed to ian.tucker@observer.co.uk. To read their editor’s Twitter thread, click here. To visit their website, click here.
Input is a tech publication. Their senior reviews editor is seeking freelancers to write reviews for them. They are looking for “UNIQUE products, angles and how you’d review TKTK product, and why it’d be a good fit for Input.” They pay $0.50 to $1.00 per word. Email your pitches to ray@inputmag.com. Read their senior reviews editor’s Twitter thread here and contact them here.
Wired UK is a magazine that covers future science, culture, and technology news. Their features editor is seeking long read pitches. According to payment reports, they pay £1,400 for long read features of 4,000 words. To learn more, refer to their features editor’s Tweet and their contributor guidelines.
Lifehacker is a website that offers life hacks and productivity tips. They are seeking a freelance tech writer. The focus is “service journalism, *not* tech news.” They will need up to 10 stories per week. Pay will be $150 to $250 per story. If interested, email jcalhoun@lifehacker.com. To learn more, refer to their editor-in-chief’s Twitter thread. To read their tech stories, refer to this page.
The Calvert Journal is an online magazine that is “dedicated to exploring the culture and creativity of the New East: Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia, and Central Asia.” Their features editor has tweeted, “Just a heads up that The Calvert Journal is currently looking for pitches to mark 30 years since the end of the Soviet Union. Articles can be on individual countries or the bloc as a whole — just make sure there’s a cultural angle. We’re also looking for more contributions for our Women Recollected series, which looks at the forgotten female pioneers of 20th century culture in CEE + Central Asia.” They pay £200 for features. To learn more, read their features editor’s Twitter thread and their submission guidelines.
The New Republic is a journal of opinion that is dedicated to solving today’s most critical issues. Their deputy editor is looking for “stories about how work eats shit.” Their editor doesn’t accept short takes, so the rates usually start at $400. They pay a kill fee of at least $50. If interested, send your pitches to kmcdonough@tnr.com. To learn more, refer to their deputy editor’s Twitter thread and this pitch guide. To contact them, refer to this page.
Climate Tracker (CT) is “an international non-profit organization, aiming to support, train, and incentivise better climate journalism globally.” They are looking for climate and environment stories. The types of stories that they are looking for are: feature stories, explainers, and profiles. They pay 150 EUR per story (about 800 to 1,200 words). Pitches should be sent to sebastian@climatetracker.org. For more information, read their Twitter thread and pitch guide.
The Ecologist is an environmental affairs platform. They have tweeted, “Are you a young writer of colour, concerned about social and environmental justice? Are you struggling to get a break? The Ecologist writers’ fund is open for you and your pitches.” They will pay £200 per article. To learn more, refer to their Tweet and this page.
The Archive explores “the lost chapters of the past and history’s enduring mysteries.” They are seeking freelancers to help them “explore the lost chapters of the past.” They typically pay $100 per piece (around 1,000 words). If you are interested in doing freelance work for them, email editor@explorethearchive.com. To learn more, refer to their Tweet. To contact them, refer to this page.
Green Queen Magazine is an online cannabis magazine. They are commissioning some fun culture features (with cannabis angle) for next month. They welcome musician/artist interviews, trend deep dives, music roundups, and photo essays. They pay between £80 and £120. If interested, send your pitches to maywoodsfreelance@gmail.com. To learn more, refer to their contributing editor’s Twitter thread and this page.
Reviewed.com publishes lab-tested reviews on consumer electronics e.g. refrigerators, vacuums, televisions, laptops, smartphones, and more. Their senior staff writer has tweeted, “I’m looking for 1-2 freelancers who are well-versed in all things smart home and can be my go-to writers when coverage is needed. Assignments vary but you should be comfortable testing connected devices at home and familiar with Alexa/Google/Siri.” Their rates start at $200. If interested, email rmurphy@reviewed.com. Read their senior staff writer’s Tweet here and learn more about them here.
The Face is a British magazine that covers style, music, TV, film, fashion, culture, and more. Their editor is seeking long read pitches for their next print issue. Payment reports indicate that they pay £150 to £500 for features. Writers should send their pitches to pitches@theface.com. Read their editor’s Tweet here and learn more about them here.
Portland Mercury is an alternative newspaper that covers Portland’s news, politics, films, music, arts, food, and more. Their arts and culture editor has tweeted, “I’m putting together the Mercury’s Pride coverage for next month—if you’re an LGBTQ+ writer, illustrator, or photographer in the Portland area and you haven’t already worked for the Mercury, send me your email and I’ll include you in a call for pitches.” Their editor’s email is blair@portlandmercury.com. Payment reports indicate that they pay $0.15 per word. To learn more, refer to their editor’s Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
Prism is a BIPOC-led news outlet that covers voting rights, electoral justice, criminal justice, racial justice, workers’ rights, immigration, the environment, gender and LGBTQIA+ issues, and more. They look for nuanced, multifaceted stories centering the most impacted people. They could “use some pitches related to labor, gender, or immigration.” Rate: $0.40 per word. For more information, refer to this Twitter thread and their pitching guidelines.
Autostraddle is an online sphere for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women. They are looking for a queer Latinx writer for the fifth anniversary of Pulse. They want an “essay with a strong personal angle or reflections on where we are five years later.” Puerto Rican, Caribeñx, and Afro-Latinx writers are strongly encouraged. They will pay $100 to $250 for 1,000 to 2,000 words. For a longer essay or feature, they will pay up to $300 or $350. Pitches should be emailed to carmen@autostraddle.com. To learn more, refer to their interim editor-in-chief’s Twitter thread and their submissions page.
Digital Trends is a website that covers all things tech. Their gaming editor is seeking gaming writers (freelance), just in time for the E3 season. They will write news, features, analysis, and more. They pay $3,000 for a top-tier story, $500 for a smaller feature that takes a few days, and $1,000-$2,000 for a bigger one. If interested, DM their gaming editor on Twitter. Read their gaming editor’s Twitter thread here and learn more about them here.
Dirigo Collective is an independent ad agency based in Maine. They are commissioning stories about Juneteenth. For this project, they are looking for BIPOC writers who are living in the Tulsa area. They will pay $0.40 per word. To learn more, refer to this Tweet. To contact them, refer to this page.
DISPATCH FMI is “an intersectional feminist moving image curatorial practice and online platform with a focus on works created by women.” On 15th June, they are hosting a screening of the film Bend It Like Beckham. Alongside the screening, they’d like to commission an essay on Bend It Like Beckham written by a woman or non-binary writer. Writers of South Asian heritage are particularly encouraged to submit proposals. Pay will be £200. Proposals should be sent to info@dispatchfmi.co.uk. Read their Tweet here and learn more about them here.
Deadline: May 28th, 2021
Observer is a news, business, and entertainment website. They are looking for arts pitches. They pay $170 to $300 per piece. If interested, send your pitches to etaylor@observer.com. For more information, read this Tweet and their pitch guide.
SAPIENS is a digital magazine committed to popularizing anthropology to a wider audience. They are looking for “pitches by journalist members of NAJA for narrative-driven features and news stories building on recent research findings in anthropology.” Specifically, this August they “aim to honor the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples for at least one week by commissioning several stories that focus on the work of Indigenous anthropologists and that are written exclusively by contributors who identify as members of Indigenous communities.” They pay $1.00/word. They pay frequent feature contributors $1.10/word upon their third feature assignment and $1.25/word upon their sixth feature assignment. To learn more, refer to their Tweet and this page. To read their journalist contributor’s guide, refer to this page.
Deadline: May 28th, 2021
Giddy is “a sexual health platform that’s jumpstarting a new conversation about the important, intimate parts of life.” They are accepting pitches for Pride Month. They are looking for something sexy and smart. Rate is $200-$300. Pitches should be emailed to nlane@getmegiddy.com. For details, refer to their associate editor’s Tweet. To learn more about them, refer to this page.
Liberal Currents is a publication that is dedicated to the “defense of liberal ideals.” Their founder and editor-in-chief is accepting pitches from writers who have “domain knowledge of labor law or labor economics or the empirics of workplaces in America.” Their standard rate is $50 per piece. Pitches should be sent to writers@liberalcurrents.com. Read their founder and editor-in-chief’s Twitter thread here and learn more about them here.
African Arguments is a pan-African platform that analyzes issues facing the continent, investigates the stories that matter, and amplifies a diversity of voices. They are seeking African writers who are experts on something small but have the imagination and fearlessness to think big. They are planning a Climate Crisis series and need all sorts on board: water activists, urban planners, economy wonks, energy experts, and much more. They will pay $150 for this series. If interested, email editor@africanarguments.org. Read their Twitter thread here and writing guidelines here.
Polygon is Vox Media’s gaming website. Their film/TV editor is “perpetually looking for freelancers with experience reviewing animation, especially anime, donghua, or European imports.” If interested, send your pitches for upcoming titles to entertainment@polygon.com. They will pay $150 to $250 depending on the view time required. To learn more, read their editor’s Tweet and their pitching guidelines.
Opportunity to write for a new food journalism magazine. They are currently accepting pitches for their second issue which is themed Fire. You can contact them even if you are not a food writer, “tech, culture, environmental, agricultural, political, and more all encouraged!” Rate is CD$0.15 per word for 1,200 words. If interested, email editor@fedfedfed.com. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread.
Elite Daily is an online news platform for millennials. Their senior entertainment editor has tweeted, “Did you come out as LGBTQ+ on TikTok *before* telling friends and family IRL? If so, Elite Daily is looking for a Gen Z writer interested & comfortable sharing their account for a story!” They will pay $250 for this piece. If interested, contact jonathan.borge@bustle.com. To read their editor’s Tweet, click here. To visit their website, click here.
Economic Hardship Reporting Project (EHRP) is a nonprofit organization that produces compelling journalism about income inequality and poverty in America. Their editor is seeking pitches for narrative-driven first-person essays. She is “interested in essays tackling economic inequality in the U.S. across a range of topics including but not limited to religion, immigration, education, parenting/families, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, health, maternal health, disability, housing, aging, work, etc.” She is “especially interested in stories based in the Midwest and South.” Rate is $1 per word. BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and others who are underrepresented in the media are encouraged to pitch. If interested, email your pitches or completed op-eds (600 to 1,200 words) to deborah@economichardship.org. For details, read their editor’s Twitter thread, their submissions guidelines, and their call for pitches.
InStyle is the leading website for celebrity style. Their deputy editor has tweeted, “Call for pitches: What is the conversation around gender and fashion missing? Any thoughts on ‘genderless’ fashion, Pride + personal style, and/or any designers/brands changing the conversation in a good way?” Rates start at $350. To learn more, refer to their deputy editor’s Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
Areo is an opinion and analysis magazine that is focused on current affairs, particularly humanism, politics, culture, science, human rights, and free expression. They have tweeted, “The point of our magazine is persuasion, not posturing. Want to explore a topic calmly, without feeling obliged to toe a particular political line or spout some pro forma dogma? Pitch us: submissions@areomagazine.com.” They pay $50 per article and $80 per feature. To learn more, refer to their Twitter thread and submissions page.
