Off-Field, covers the corners of sport often ignored by mainstream media, revealing its deeper impact on people, places, and society. They want reported stories that explore the diverse sporting landscapes beyond the familiar, that tell timeless tales about niche subcultures, hidden heroes, and uncharted communities all around the globe. They believe some of the most powerful journalism and original storytelling can be found in the margins, so don’t be afraid to pitch us the ideas that proved to be too niche for other publications. According to their pitch guide, they pay $680 or £500, as they're based in the U.K. To learn more, read their pitching guide or visit their website.
The Whorfian welcomes pitches from writers, artists, translators, scholars, and close observers of everyday life. We look for clear, attentive, fresh pieces that show how language shapes what people notice, understand, make, or miss—across culture, translation, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, art, music, literature, and lived experience. They welcome concise pitches for features, which are their usual commissioned format, as well as shorter Traces, essays, and edited conversations. Send a brief pitch with your central idea, proposed format, key examples or sources, and a short bio. Our previous research indicates that they pay $75 to $250 per piece. Send a pitch on their website or email their editor: anu@whorfianarchive.com
Wander With Wonder is an online food, wine, and travel magazine. They welcome writer pitches from storytellers who want to become part of their story. They rarely accept time-sensitive articles, preferring evergreen content, and they want first-person narrative stories. Word length for articles is typically 1,200 to 3,000 words. Payment varies. To learn more, refer to this page.
Literary Hub is an organizing principle in the service of literary culture, a single, trusted, daily source for all the news, ideas and richness of contemporary literary life. They're looking for stories about literary life and culture. They're interested in the ways that books or their authors fit into the culture at large, and enjoy rigorous criticism for a general audience. They do not accept original poetry or fiction. Pay rates are not mentioned. To learn more, refer to this page.
Toronto Journal is a writing journal in print and sound. They have two foundational goals: to dig up forgotten history, and to publish great stories. They accept submissions for fiction short stories from anywhere in the world non-fiction pieces about life in the city that are set in and around the Greater Toronto Area. According to their pitch guide, they pay $50 per piece. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Consensus is dedicated to software infrastructure and the people behind it, with goals such as teaching developers more about the software they rely on and helping developers evaluate software and software vendors. They are looking for contributors who are experienced programmers (8+ years working on software infrastructure teams, or 3+ years developing software infrastructure products) or graduate students who either work with or on software infrastructure. According to their pitch guide, they pay $300 per published article. To learn more, refer to this page.
OutdoorIllinois Journal features timely, seasonally based stories about the state’s fish and wildlife resources and recommended management practices for the private landowner, as well as related recreational activities, including hunting, trapping, fishing and wildlife watching and photography, and places to recreate in Illinois. Articles are approximately 500 words in length, although longer articles may be published as a series. According to their pitch guide, they pay a maximum of $250 for articles and $25 per photograph. To learn more, refer to this page.
Wilderness has long been the magazine of the New Zealand outdoors. Covering tramping, camping, packrafting, climbing and more, it has recorded the unique outdoor culture found on these islands. They welcome story contributions. They pay for all stories published in the magazine; rates are not mentioned. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Stacks is “a blog for writing on unconventional games and software, their surrounding material, and the ongoing process of documenting history.” They accept pitches from everyone and anyone, but place a heavy emphasis on magnifying the voices of marginalized groups. They are particularly interested in (obscure) videogames history, art history (particularly as it relates to videogames or interactive media), archival/library theory, sex, gender, or sexual identity in relation to videogames or interactive media, and academic perspectives on videogames”. According to their pitch guide, rates are $50 CAD for shorter essays/articles of approximately 600-1,000 words and up to $150 CAD for larger scale research essays/articles/projects of approximately 2,000 words or more. If interested, email your pitches to contact@thestacks.ca. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Static is a monthly print newspaper for the creative industries: advertising, media, design - and the lives that go around them. They are looking for the most interesting, unheard stories from people who deeply understand something about creativity, media, broadcast, culture and life. They offer payment to all contributors. To learn more, refer to this page.
Michigan History features stories about Michigan's fascinating past. They do not accept fictional stories, opinion pieces, articles that use conjecture, or stories containing supernatural content, and will only consider subject matter that takes place in 1991 or earlier. According to their guidelines, the payment range for non-members/subscribers is $100 to $300. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Cinematropolis is an independent film criticism and podcast platform dedicated to thoughtful, in-depth conversations about cinema. They are looking for film/pop culture writers. Word count is set at 500 words minimum for essays with a preferred count of 1000-2000 words. They offer flat rates; rates themselves are not mentioned. To learn more, refer to this page.
Bowhunter publishes articles about bowhunting adventures, tactics, gear, and great destinations. They are open to submissions. Articles should be 2,000 words or less and be accompanied by good photos. Pay is made upon acceptance. To learn more, refer to this page.
Sports Afield is America’s premier hunting adventure magazine, founded in 1887. The magazine is devoted to people who share a passion for high-end hunting and shooting, especially North American and African big-game hunting. Thet accept a few feature articles from freelance writers. The majority of their coverage consists of big-game hunting destination pieces and exciting, well-written hunting adventure stories. Payment is made upon publication. To learn more, refer to this page.
Bluedot is a media company producing solutions-focused journalism that empowers, educates, and entertains people who care about climate change and sustainability. They are always looking for writers to share stories of what’s happening in their communities – the changemakers, innovations, policy shifts, and so on. According to their pitch guide, they pay $175 for roughly 400 - 600 words, plus a few photos. To learn more, refer to this page.
Fishing News aims to report on the commercial fishing industry in all its many and varied forms. They try to cover the whole of the coastline of the UK and Ireland. They accept contributors on a freelance basis, and are looking for writers from around the British Isles with knowledge of the fishing industry and of boats, gear and fishing methods. Pay rates are not mentioned. To learn more, refer to this page.
ON THE HOU(S)E is a weekly newsletter about the best of Houston's art, culture, food, and nightlife with a particular soft spot for the things that don't make the mainstream lists. They are open to submissions from Houston-based writers, critics, and observers with good taste and a strong point of view. They're interested in original, reported or essay-driven pieces grounded in Houston life. According to their pitch guide, they pay $100 per published piece. To learn more, refer to this page.
Mindful is a premium digital website that aims to report on all forms of applied mindfulness—in healthcare, education, science, relationships, the business world, arts and culture, athletics, and home life. They are looking for stories—journalistic reportage, profiles, essays—that illustrate how mindfulness can enrich our lives, the lives of those around us, and shape our world for the better. Rates are not mentioned. To learn more, refer to this page.
Reactor Magazine is an online magazine and community site that covers science fiction and fantasy literature, along with all the many related subjects. They are most interested in pitches for essays, think pieces, list posts, reaction pieces, and reviews in the 1000-2500 word range (although they are also open to longer essays). They pay for original content; rates are not mentioned. To learn more, refer to this page.
Unpacked is an educational media brand of OpenDor Media, a nonprofit organization dedicated to deepening young people’s understanding of Israel, Judaism, and the Jewish experience. They are looking for super insightful articles about Israel, religion, or Jewish pop culture. They compensate all writers; rates are not mentioned. To learn more, refer to this page.
The CJN is Canada’s largest independent Jewish news organization, and they are always looking to add to their roster of reliable freelancers across Canada and beyond. They cannot consider stories that have run somewhere else first. They pay for every news article they run; pay rates are not mentioned. They are also interested in Perspectives: well-researched, previously unpublished articles about current events with urgency for their community. They will also consider argument-driven cultural criticism (e.g. book or movie reviews). Perspectives are approximately 800 words long. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Sunday Paper's mission is to help readers live their very own deeply meaningful life, become an architect of change, and move humanity forward. They pay for articles commissioned by the editorial team. The article must be an original piece and be between 600-1000 words. According to their writer's guidelines, the fee paid for each commissioned and approved article ranges from $100 to $250. To learn more, refer to this page.
Defense One delivers news, timely analysis, and bold ideas on the topics and trends that are defining the future of U.S. defense and international security. They welcome commentary pieces that make a fresh argument about some element of national security and drive toward one or more recommendations for U.S. defense and military leaders. They pay only for original, reported articles. Writers should inquire about current rates. To learn more, refer to this page.
Bicycling publishes stories about every aspect of cycling, from tips on picking out your first bike to human interest pieces to training techniques for competitive cyclists, and everything in between. They're always open to working with new writers, freelancers, and voices. Their story rates vary and depend on story length, required research/reporting, turnaround time, and more. They prefer to receive only pitches instead of full drafts. To learn more, refer to this page.
New Jersey Monthly is a statewide magazine covering the people, places and issues of New Jersey. They are interested in timely stories about current issues; local personalities; restaurants, food and dining; healthcare; education; politics; business; the environment; etc. For all stories, they buy first rights. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Springfield Daily Citizen is a nonprofit, independent, online news outlet in Springfield, Missouri. They welcome freelance pitches. Rates are by negotiation and depend on the story’s complexity and the reporter’s experience. To learn more, refer to this page.
Carmannews is “an independent daily publication covering business, health, technology, home, and lifestyle news for working adults who want practical reporting they can act on.” They accept pitches from experienced reporters and subject-matter writers across their five permanent beats: business, health, technology, home, and lifestyle. They pay $200 to $350 for news briefs (400 to 800 words) and $600 to $1,200 for guides (1,200 to 2,500 words). Investigative or original-research pieces are quoted individually. If interested, send your pitches to pitches@carmannews.co. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Transmitter is an essential resource for the neuroscience community, dedicated to helping scientists at all career stages stay current and build connections. The publication aims to deliver useful information, insights and tools to build bridges across neuroscience and advance research. They are looking for essays and opinion pieces from scientists and clinicians working in neuroscience and related fields. Writers should aim for ~1,000-1,200 words. According to their pitch guide, scientist-written essays come with a $1,000 honorarium. To learn more, refer to this page.
Splinter is a new literary journal that is interested in the gaps between perception and reality and what happens when we get stuck in those gaps. It is published twice a year from Tarntanya (Adelaide, Australia). They are always looking for writing that considers how reality is made and how it can be broken. They are particularly keen on writing that acknowledges that existence is silly and absurd and also, somehow, really serious. According to their pitch guide, they pay $900 for profiles, essays, and fiction, $600 for memoir, $700 for criticism, $250/poem and $450 for a poetry collection, and $500 for ''writing about writing.'' To learn more, refer to this page.
Off Assignment is a non-profit literary magazine with a penchant for journeys and a fascination with strangers. They're looking for writers who travel, poets who wander, essayists with a sense of place, reporters with swollen notebooks, and gourmands with street cart taste. They are interested only in original essays; your work must not have been published elsewhere prior to submitting. They consider full drafts only. According to their pitch guide, they pay $500 per essay ($100 for “Witching Hour”). To learn more, refer to this page.