The Polis Project, Inc. is “a New York-based digital magazine and a hybrid research and journalism organisation that documents communities in resistance at the intersection of politics, art and culture.” They’re open to pitches from writers of all experience levels and from anywhere in the world. They accept submissions for both their politics and culture sections, though they don’t believe in air-tight distinctions between the two. Rate is $100 to $400. To learn more, refer to their submissions page.
Intervenxions is a publication of the Latinx Project at New York University committed to “exploring contemporary Latinx art, politics, and culture.” They publish “reviews, criticism, reporting, interviews, and essays on U.S. Latinx art, politics, and culture between 1,500 and 2,500 words.” According to their guidelines, they pay $300 for reviews, interviews, and short essays, and $400 for articles, profiles, and long-form content. To learn more, refer to their editorial guidelines.
The New York Amsterdam News is NYC’s oldest Black newspaper. They’re primarily, but not exclusively, seeking New York based freelancers to cover the following areas: general assignment, public safety, religion/church, education, environment, arts, photography. According to their pitch guide, they pay $80/story and $30/photograph. To learn more, refer to this page.
New York Focus is a nonprofit investigative newsroom covering New York’s state and local politics. They accept pitches for stories. According to their pitch guide, their standard rate for a story is $800. They may pay more for big, intensive investigative projects and may pay less for short and newsy pieces.
The Blacklight is the New York Amsterdam News’ investigative unit. They are seeking experienced freelance journalists. They primarily work with freelance journalists based in the New York City area but are also open to working with those based outside the region. According to their pitch guide, they pay $250+ for fact checks (500 to 1,000 words, 1 to 2 interviews); $1.00 per word for medium length articles (800 to 1,500 words, 2 to 4 interviews); $2.00 per word or a flat commission fee for long form articles (1,500+ words, 4+ interviews); and $250 to $500+ for data visualizations.
Hell Gate is a worker-owned news outlet covering New York City. They have relaunched. They are looking for essays, reported stories, features, and photography. According to their pitch guide, they pay $200+ for an essay/blog post (~700 words), $250+ for a photo assignment, $300+ for a reported story, and $400+ for a longer (1,200+ words) feature.
The New York Review of Architecture is “a cooperative of working writers, architects, and artists who review architecture in New York.” They are “particularly interested in pieces that break down architecture’s silos, tying together academia, practice, and the public we all serve.” They value writing that is critical and engaging. In general, they run “profiles, reviews of buildings, books, trends.” According to their pitch guide, their rates for essays and reportage start at $0.25 per word. Rates for commentary and review pieces start at $500. They also publish short, pithy reviews of shows, books, music, art, buildings, and other miscellany of between 100 and 200 words, for which they pay $100.
Cornelia Magazine is “a visual arts review magazine for Western New York, USA and Southern Ontario, Canada.” As per their website, they look for “feature-length articles (1500-2000 words) on visual arts-related topics” that have some connection to their region, current exhibitions, or current events that impact visual arts in their region. According to their pitch guide, they pay $450 per article. To learn more, refer to this page.
The New York Times covers politics, business, technology, science, health, sports, arts, style, movies, travel, books, education, jobs, real estate, and more. They accept opinion essays (800 to 1,200 words). They do not list the pay rates for the essays publicly, but according to a payment report, they pay an average of $1.00 per word. Details here.
Wirecutter is a product review site owned by The New York Times Company. They cover electronics, home appliances, travel gear, home and garden tools, kitchen and dining products, money management and personal finance, office gear and supplies, and much more. According to their guidelines, they pay $500 for shorter pieces, $300 for scout reports, and $500 for light updates. More involved updates earn up to $1,500, while new reviews or substantial rewrites range from $2,500 to $4,000. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
North Country Center for Independence (NCCI) is a regional not-for-profit agency that serves individuals with disabilities in Clinton, Essex, and Franklin counties in New York. They previously indicated to be seeking submissions from individuals with disabilities on disability-related topics and that they paid $100 per piece (300 to 600 words). Their guidelines are no longer available, but you can contact them here.
The Advocate is a newspaper for the students, faculty, and staff of the Graduate Center (GC), City University of New York (CUNY). They accept articles, reviews, photos, and illustrations from the students, faculty, and staff of CUNY as well as those who are not affiliated with CUNY. They accept articles on a wide range of topics including GC/CUNY issues; first-person essays; politics, culture, and art; nontechnical articles on science and technology; provocative or polemical essays on international, national, and local issues; interviews and transcribed discussions or debates; and book, film, theater, music, and art reviews. According to their guidelines, payment usually starts at $100 and caps at $300. To learn more, refer to this page.
Urban Omnibus is an online publication of The Architectural League of New York. They are devoted to “observing, understanding, and shaping the city.” Word limit for feature articles is 2500 words. According to their pitch guide, rates begin at $350 for an interview and $500 for a feature and increase in accordance with the complexity and demands of the project.
Documented is a non-profit news website dedicated to covering New York’s immigrants and the different policies that affect their lives. According to an old payment report, they paid $0.13 per word. To pitch them, refer to this page.
The Ithaca Times is an alternative weekly newspaper that covers news, events, sports, food, art, entertainment, and real estate in Ithaca, New York area. According to an old payment report, they paid $0.08 per word. To contact them, refer to this page.
North Volume Magazine is an online publication dedicated to supporting the art community of New York’s North Country. They feature writing and photography that highlights North Country artists and their craft. They previously indicated to be “interested in pieces as short as 500 words and as long as 2,000 words,'' and that pay was $0.10 per word. It's not clear whether they are still active. To contact them, refer to this page.
amNewYork is a daily newspaper for New York City. They cover news, politics, real estate, sports, entertainment, food, and more. To pitch them, refer to this page.
Vice is a digital media and broadcasting company based in Brooklyn, New York. They cover a wide range of topics including politics, culture, fashion, food, travel, drugs, sex, music, sports, and technology. They do not list pay rates, but payment reports indicate that they pay an average of $0.32 per word. To learn more, visit their about us page.
City Limits is a non-profit website that offers in-depth reporting and commentary on the most pressing issues of New York City. According to an old payment report, they paid $0.14 per word for a 3500-word news story. To contact them, refer to this page.
The Brooklyn Rail is a journal dedicated to providing an independent forum for arts, culture, and politics in New York City and beyond. They feature local reporting, art criticism, fiction, and poetry. According to an old payment report, they paid $0.09 per word. For details, refer to their submission guidelines.
WhatIsEpigenetics.com is a “New York-based blog and news aggregator for epigenetics-related subjects.” They highlight epigenetic research and lifestyle. They are looking for interesting pieces on epigenetics. They previously stated to pay authors $50 for their first article, but pay rates have been removed from their pitch guide. To learn more, refer to this page.
Gothamist is a “website about New York City and everything that happens in it.” They publish stories that help their readers better understand the city of New York and its people. According to an old payment report, they paid $0.29 per word. To contact them, refer to this page.
Western New York Family is a parenting resource for the Buffalo, New York metro area. They want articles that address parenting issues with a Western New York connection whenever possible. Since it’s a regional publication, they give preference to local writers who bring local content for them. According to their guidelines, they pay $40 to $150 per article. To learn more, refer to their writer’s guidelines.
Solver Stories is a feature in New York Times’ column, Gameplay. It includes personal essays regarding the effect of puzzles on people’s lives. They prefer essays of 800 to 1,000 words. According to their guidelines, they pay $1.50 per word. To find out more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Hudson Valley Parent is a New York-based publication The magazine is available free of charge and aims to provide reliable information of interest to their readers located in Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, and Sullivan counties...the mid-Hudson Valley of New York. According to their guidelines, they pay $80 for for locally-slanted, assigned one-page story of 700-800 words, and $90-$120 for 1,200 word or more features. Payment for reprints is $25. Any unsolicited feature is treated as a reprint. Only submit articles that have not previously run in their territory. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
BELLA covers the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tristate area. They provide the “inside scoop about beauty, wellness, and life in the New York area.” Our previous research indicated they were accepting queries for feature articles, 500 to 1,000 words. It's not clear whether they're still active. To contact them, refer to this page.
Conservationist is a bimonthly non-profit magazine published by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). Its content includes fishing and hunting, outdoor recreation, nature observation and natural history. Although Conservationist is not a scientific journal and aimed at a lay audience, its readers expect information to be scientifically accurate. Editors do not consider submissions that do not follow their guidelines. Conservationist retains all rights to published material. According to their guidelines, payment is $100 for 1,500- 2,000-word articles and $50 for articles of fewer than 1,500 words. To learn more, refer to their writers’ guidelines.
Modern Love is a regular column published by the New York Times. They are “interested in receiving deeply personal essays about contemporary relationships, marriage, dating, and parenthood.” They have two submission periods, September through December and March through June. Our previous research indicated pay to be $300 per essay, but current pay rates are not clear. According to a payment report, they pay an average of $0.33 per word. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.