For more than a century 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú magazine has used explanatory and advocacy journalism, as well as stunning original photography and illustration, to celebrate the joy and wonder of birds and to inform its readers about the natural world, inspire them to care passionately about that world, and motivate them to take action on its behalf.
What kinds of stories does 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú assign to freelancers?
Our editors are interested in shorter pieces that generally run fewer than 1,200 words for both our quarterly print magazine and website. We also consider a wide range of freelance pitches for longer pieces, from in-depth investigations and trailblazer profiles to package features and reported or personal essays; these usually range from around 1,500 words to 4,000 words, and our sweet spot is about 3,000 words. And we’ll consider data visualizations and other multimedia ideas.
What makes a good 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú article?
Bring us timely stories with compelling angles and narratives and unique perspectives. We’re interested in stories about birds and birding, of course, but also those that feature underrepresented voices and communities, and that bring fresh angles on technological innovations, environmental challenges, policy, economics, development, activism, or culture—and how they interact with conservation.
We’re looking for a broad range of stories, including:
- Investigations ​that explore existing and emerging problems and the people going above and beyond to solve them. Examples here, here, and here.
- Exceptional advocacy journalism. Examples here, here, and here.
- Essays that use the writer’s experience to provide insight into bird- and conservation-related issues. Examples here, here, and here.
- Profiles of fascinating people or remarkable collaborations making a significant mark in conservation, science, or culture. Examples here, here, and here.
- Timely news articles with a unique bird, conservation, or environmental angle—including stories about innovative work within the 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú network—a²Ô»å&²Ô²ú²õ±è;trend stories that encapsulate an emerging theme, idea, or issue. Examples here, here, and here.
- Field-reported dispatches that show us conservation or science in action. Examples here, here, here.
- Fun stories that delight and surprise readers. Examples here, here, and here.
- Series and packages that focus on an intriguing and under-examined central topic. Examples here, here, and here.
- Explainers that provide satisfying answers to enduring or curious questions; these are typically tied to seasons, trends, and news. Examples here, here, and here.
- Service content that provides interesting, timely, useful guidance for readers who care deeply about birds, habitat, and people. Examples here, here, here, here, and here.
Please peruse audubon.org/audubonmagazine to gauge whether your idea seems like a good fit for Audubon. Make sure that your pitch isn’t similar to stories we’ve run recently, and that the story hasn’t been covered by other media outlets. Bonus tips! We look for local stories with broader implications and stories on scientific studies that go beyond the embargoed news.
What are basic guidelines for long-form feature pitches?
Most of the features we publish are narratives, so don’t pitch us a topic you want to explore—the query should convey the tale you’re going to tell. What’s the central tension and larger importance, who are your main characters, and what kinds of scenes will you paint? We aren’t expecting the full narrative arc when you pitch us, but we do want to know that the tale promises to be an intriguing and satisfying one. If you are proposing field reporting, please give a sense of when you think the best time to report this story will be.
Do you only write about birds?
We write about birds and the people who love them, yes, but we’re also interested in issues that affect birds through a much broader lens—whether that’s native and invasive species, land use, pesticides, climate change, racial and environmental justice, and many more topics. We particularly like it if there’s a solutions element. We do not generally commission stories that are wholly focused on other animals—such as wolves or elephants—unless there is some relevance connecting back to birds.
Do you have a geographic focus?
Yes. Our focus is on stories centered in North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.
It is relatively rare that we publish localized narratives about habitats or species from outside of the Western Hemisphere. If we do, it’s usually because a) the story demonstrates strong relevance or lessons that speak to global conservation challenges. b) it involves innovative science or conservation work that can be broadly applied to widely-distributed groups of birds (for example, here and here).
How should I submit a pitch?
If you’ve worked with or corresponded with a specific 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú editor in the past, feel free to pitch them directly.
Otherwise, please email pitches to pitches@audubon.org, so we can best direct your idea. We actively monitor this inbox and do our best to respond to pitches that fall within our guidelines. If we’re interested, you’ll usually hear back from us within 2-3 weeks. If it is a time sensitive or newsy pitch, put that in the subject line and we will aim to expedite our review. Feel free to follow-up once if you don’t hear back in a reasonable time frame.
In your pitch, please tell us what you plan to cover (with links, if relevant), why it’s important and interesting, and how you’ll report it. If other major stories have been done on the topic, tell us how yours will be different, advance existing coverage, or be angled to ´¡³Ü»å³Ü²ú´Ç²Ô’s interests. Please include a sentence or two about the kind of work you’ve done and links to published writing samples.
How much do you pay for freelance pieces?
For online news articles, explainers, Q&As, and other stories that typically run less than 1,200 words, we pay $.50/word, but the rate may rise with time commitment and reporting intensity. We expect writers to stick closely to the assigned word count and we pay based on the final word count.
Pay for longer essays is $1/word but can go up depending on the piece.
Pay for features, both in print and online, is typically $1.50/word. Feature packages equivalent to a six-page story in print start at a $2,500 project fee and rise from there.
What kinds of content don’t you accept?
We don’t accept poetry, fiction, pre-written articles, or op-eds.
Can I use AI to craft my pitch?
51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú does not publish content generated by artificial intelligence. Accordingly, we do not accept pitches written with the help of AI. If you use AI as a research tool, it is your responsibility to independently verify any facts or information derived from it in your pitch.
I’m not a journalist, but I have a story I want to write. Will you consider my pitch?
You bet! Our editors appreciate a good tale, and if we think your story has potential to resonate with our readers, we’ll work with you to craft a piece of professional writing. Most stories that we assign to non-journalists are tightly focused personal essays that lean into the writer’s experiences and insights. Please do explain what unique insight or experience you bring to your proposal.
Do you take pitches from photographers? Yes! We also regularly publish photo essays or photo-driven stories—with a writer assigned. Photographers can send pitches to pitches@audubon.org.
What is 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú magazine’s relationship to the 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú?
51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú is a journalism enterprise of the 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú. While we publish stories that reflect the organization’s priorities of birds and conservation, including the work of the 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú itself, our editors retain authority over editorial content to uphold the journalistic integrity and independence of its reporting. Donations made to the 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú help support its commitment to journalism but do not influence the news judgment of its editors.
Are you interested in reprinting an 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú article? Email audubonmagazine@audubon.org.
