There are more than 50 themes for non-fiction submission calls in the 14 magazines listed here. Some of the themes are: elections around the world, the sun and the moon, planet positive, Bulgaria, body positivity, to raise a reader, foster families, mental health, large-scale solar, winter riding, and stories about Christmas. A few specify their deadlines but most do not, so it is best to get queries in early. Many of them accept queries/work outside of specific themes also. Here they are, in no particular order. – S. Kalekar

World Nomads: Four themes 

This is a travel insurer and adventurous lifestyle brand. They want first-person writeups about experiences, and making connections with local people and culture. They are looking for professional travel writers who have a unique story to tell about destinations. The articles will be featured in their Explore section, where they inspire their readers, so they can plan and execute their own adventures. Pay is $0.50/word and photos are paid separately. They do not want listicles. They’re looking for pitches on the following destinations: Sao Tome & Principe (pitch ideas by December 16, 2019); Bulgaria (pitch ideas by January 3, 2020); Scotland (pitch ideas by January 17, 2020); and Kenya (pitch ideas by January 31, 2020). Details here.

Sub-Terrain Magazine: House Made of Dawn (Visions of the Cultural Ramifications of Current and Future Trends in Digital Technologies)
They welcome essays, creative non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. For the current themetheir guidelines say, “This special issue of subTerrain will code readers into ecstatic dream worlds that are just around the bend of the collective mind. We will be searching for a new cosmological culture amongst the Ones and Zeros of the near and distant future.”  Commentary (social or otherwise) and other non-fiction should be up to 4,000 words. Pay is $50 for poems and $0.10/word for prose, up to $500. The deadline is 31 January 2020. There is no fee for mailed submissions. Details here.

Faces Magazine: Four themes
Cricket Media’s Faces Magazine is a world cultures and geography magazine for ages 9-14. Features (700–800 words) include in-depth non-fiction highlighting an aspect of the featured culture, interviews, and personal accounts; supplemental nonfiction (300–600 words) includes subjects directly and indirectly related to the theme; fiction(up to 800 words) includes retold legends, folktales, stories, and original plays from around the world, etc., relating to the theme. They also publish activities, puzzles, and games. They have four themes coming up: The Sun and the Moon (query deadline January 6, 2020); Elections Around the World (query deadline February 10, 2020); Birds (query deadline March 9, 2020); and New Zealand (query deadline April 13, 2020). All queries need to include an extensive bibliography of materials the author intends to use in preparing the article Details here.

Fun for Kidz: Cats, Wild and Domestic; Astronomy: to the Stars and Beyond; Horses
This is a magazine for children from 6 to 13 years, with 8, 9, and 10 the specific target age. The ideal length of non-fiction piece is up to 300-325 words for a one-page magazine article or up to 600-650 words for a two-page magazine article. Articles that are accompanied by strong high-resolution photos are far more likely to be accepted than those requiring illustration. They have a few upcoming themes listed, including the following, for which they’re accepting non-fiction submissions: Cats, Wild and Domestic (March 2020); Astronomy: to the Stars and Beyond (May 2020); and Horses (July 2020). Pay is $0.05/word for fiction and non-fiction, and $10 for poetry and puzzles, with variable rates offered for games, simple carpentry projects, etc. Detailshere andhere.

Smithsonian Magazine: Planet Positive; Travel
This well-regarded magazine accepts unsolicited proposals from established freelance writers for features and some departments. They do not have writers’ guidelines, but a form that freelancers can fill in to send their proposals to, for these sections: History, Travel, Arts, Science, and Innovation. According to their media kit for the print magazine, the theme for their April 2020 issue is Planet Positive; for May, it is Travel. Also look at their 2020 Online Editorial Calendar. Details here, here, and here.

Disegno: Spring 2020
This is a leading quarterly journal dedicated to long-form independent reporting and critical writing on design. They publish reportage, photoessays, profiles, critical discussion, interviews, reviews and roundtables. They cover design, architecture, fashion, urbanism, graphics and technology, and provide political commentary, academic analysis, arts photography and discussion of current affairs for a design-interested audience. The deadline for pitches for their Spring 2020 issue is 24 January 2020. They receive online pitches any time. Details here and here.

Beatdom #20
This magazine publishes annually. For their 20^th issue, they want essays (2,000-5,000 words), interviews, reviews, poetry, and art related to the Beat Generation. They are not looking for fiction in this round. Pay is $50 for essays. The deadline is 1 March 2020. Details here and here.

Parents: The Mother Earth Issue; Body Positivity; To Raise a Reader Issue
This US-based publication on parenting has a magazine and a website. They generally work only with writers who have some experience, so writers should send photocopied clips with their queries. They are mainly interested in stories that will appeal to a wide variety of parents. For example, developmental service ideas for specific age groups are always welcome. In addition, they’re always looking for compelling human-interest stories, so writers may want to check their local newspaper for ideas. They cannot pursue stories that have appeared in competing national publications. According to their 2020 editorial calendar, the theme for April is The Mother Earth Issue; for May, it is Body Positivity; and for June, it is The Raise a Reader Issue – there are various sub-topics listed under each theme, and there are several other themes listed. They want queries by post. Details here and here.  

Dayton Parent: Eight themes

This parenting magazine is interested in what Dayton area experts and parents have to say. On occasion they will use material that is meant for a national audience, but their primary goal is to provide readers with a local angle that is pertinent to them. According to their Editorial Calendar, for March/April 2020, the themes are: Preschools, Autism, Summer Camps, and Travel: Museums Worth the Drive; for May/June 2020, the themes are Foster Families, Mental Health, Summer Camps, Local Family Fun, and Travel: Caves. Payment is upon publication, and depends on assigned word count. Details here and here.

Alaska Business: Nine themes

They publish articles on everything from entrepreneurs to heavy industry. Their content resonates with all things Alaska Business, including Alaska Native Corporations; Architecture & Engineering; Banking & Finance; Construction; Education & Nonprofits; Energy & Utilities; Environmental Services; Fisheries; Forestry & Agriculture; Health & Medicine; Insurance; Military; Mining; Oil & Gas; Real Estate; Science; Small Business; Telecommunications & Technology; Travel & Tourism; Transportation & Shippers; and World Trade Center Alaska’s international endeavors. They have special sections each month emphasizing a certain segment of the economy. In January and July each year they publish an economic outlook for Alaska. About 80 percent of their features are written by freelancers. Queries should be for calendar items four to six months out. They also welcome queries from individuals who would like to write columns in their fields of expertise. According to their editorial calendar, the industry coverage themes for April 2020 are:
— Construction: Concept to Completion;
— Education: Continuing Medical Education Credits;
— Engineering/Architecture: Mechanical Engineering-HVAC;
— Healthcare: Heart Health;
— Oil & Gas: The Race to ANWR;
— Transportation: Tug and Barge Services;and
— Tourism: Growing Segments of the Tourism Industry.
The special sections for that month are Corporate 100 and Mining. There are several other themes listed for various months. Details here and here.

Planning Magazine: Four themes
This magazine is published 10 times a year by the American Planning Association. It offers news and analyses of events in planning (including suburban, rural, and small town planning, environmental planning, neighborhood revitalization, economic development, social planning, and urban design. They want queries, not completed articles. They publish full-length feature articles (including case studies and trends), short stories about newsworthy events, book reviews, news about APA activities, viewpoint essays, letters, and news of projects that are in the works. According to their 2020 Media Kit, for March, the themes are: The “Amazoning” of America: Retail disruption and land use, transportation, and local economies. Part of the Pace of Change Series;and PLUS: Large-scale solar; and for April, the themes are: McCities: How fast food has forever altered the built environment; and PLUS: Coding for planners. There are several other themes listed. They generally do not pay for articles by practicing planners, attorneys, or university faculty members. For others, fees are worked out individually; these usually range from $100 to $1,000 for articles, depending on length, and $50 to $300 for photographs and drawings. Details here, here and here.

Hoof Beats: Four themes
This is a harness racing magazine. They prefer to receive queries from first-time writers for the magazine, though they also accept manuscripts. The magazine is 70 percent freelance written, and they are always looking for story ideas pertaining exclusively to Standardbreds and harness racing. Photographs are also encouraged. Pay is $100 for departments and $500 for features. Photo rates are negotiated. According to their editorial calendar, the theme for February 2020 is Mares and Foals Issue; for March, it is Farm and Training Center Issue; for April, it is Season Preview and for May, it is Second Careers Issue. There are several other themes. Details here and here.

Adventure Cyclist Magazine: Touring North America; International Touring; Winter Riding
This is the magazine of the Adventure Cycling Association and they accept queries and submissions on a rolling basis. Their writers’ guidelines say they’re specially looking for well-photographed stories of touring in North America (road or dirt). They plan issues 12-18 months out. According to their 2020 Editorial Calendar, the November 2020 theme is ‘International Touring’ and for December/January, it is ‘Winter Riding’. From freelancers, they accept feature stories, which are 2,000-3,000 words, where writers share their inspiring bicycle trips with readers, and The Final Mile essays which are about a singular experience while on a bicycle trip that captures the essence of bicycle travel (not always inspiring — sometimes hilarious!).  Submissions are being read till end-December 2019. They pay $0.25-$0.50/word. Details here, here, and here.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Six themes
They want inspirational, true stories and poems about ordinary people having extraordinary experiences. The anecdotes should be told in the first person, and have a beginning, middle, and end. They have six upcoming themes: 
— Stories About Self-care and Me Time – They want stories about self care, which is not just about physical health but includes your emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. They want stories about how you neglected your self-care and then how you realized its importance and so you now engage in it. The deadline is 31 December 2019.
— The Magic of Cats – They want stories about the magic of your cat or the magic of a cat you know. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both. The deadline is extended to 15 January 2020.
— The Magic of Dogs – They want work about all the heartwarming, inspirational, and magical stories you have about a dog and the magic that dog brings to your life or the life of your family. The deadline is extended to 15 January 2020. 
— Stories About Christmas – They are collecting stories for their Holiday 2020 book and are looking for stories about the entire December holiday season, including Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Year’s festivities. Stories should be “Santa safe”. Some suggested topics are: Christmas through the eyes of a child, things that went wrong, funny anecdotes, holiday traditions, holiday humor, memories of the holiday season, and family reunions. The deadline is 30 January 2020.
— Be You (Previously You Go, Girl!) – They want work about women’s voices, aspirations, interests, and journeys; “We are looking for your true stories on how you are living your best life, building quality relationships, and living well even while overcoming challenges, to be the best version of YOU. Your story will inspire and encourage women of all ages to be unapologetically themselves!” Some suggested topics are: career/work – starting your own business, working for yourself or climbing corporate ladders; dating/singleness – the good, the bad, and the crazy; physical health – how you are bettering yourself through physical activity; mental health – taking care of your mental health just as much as your body!; self-care – investing time into making yourself feel good, physically and mentally; and managing finances – budgeting and investing for yourself! The deadline is extended to 31 January 2020. 
— Listen to Your Dreams – They want work on dreams. “Dreams are often the way we tap into our own inner wisdom. Sixth sense, gut feeling, premonitions, instinct. Whatever you call it, sometimes we have no logical reason for knowing something—but still we know it.
We want to know about your dreams. What have you learned from your dreams? Did you listen? Did any of your dreams come true? Did a dream strengthen your faith or help you change the direction your life was headed in? Did some miraculous insight serve as a warning about something that was going to happen?” They don’t want stories about realizing your dreams (as in aspirations) for this issue, but on dreams while sleeping. Some suggested topics are: dreams about finding love; dreams that saved you or a loved one from danger/death; dreams that helped you face your fears; dreams that changed the direction of your life; and dreams in which you communicated with a loved one, either dead or alive. The deadline is 28 February 2020.
Deadlines: Various
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $200
Details here (book topics) and here (guidelines).

Author 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.