Submissions

PODCAST UPDATE

Please note that Undark’s podcast will cease production in the summer of 2022, and we are no longer taking audio story submission ideas.

Story Pitches

Undark Magazine publishes a mix of long-form, narrative-driven journalism, shorter features, profiles, essays, op-eds, book excerpts, Q&A’s, reviews, photography, digital video, and data visualizations. More specific detail on the type of stories we’re looking for can be found here.

Our editorial team meets to consider pitches once per week, generally on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. EST. If you would like to submit an idea for our publication, please use the form below, keeping our meeting schedule in mind (that is, if you submit an idea on a Wednesday afternoon, it may not get full consideration for another week). You will receive more specific instructions when you select the type of project from the drop-down menu below.

Important: If you have not contributed to Undark before, your proposal must include a brief author bio and clips of, or links to, previously published work.

Submit Your Proposal

Author First Name*
Author Last Name*
Author Email*
Type of Proposal*
Please specify the type of project you are proposing.
Long-form projects

These projects are substantive in length and ambition, typically in excess of 5,000 words, and are highly competitive. Writers interested in pitching a long-form project should submit a thorough proposal that outlines the narrative thrust and expected length of the piece; highlights key characters and subjects; and clearly articulates how the proposal meets the magazine's mission of shedding light on the often fractious intersection of science and society. Writers are encouraged to detail any travel that might be required as part of the project.
Short-form & other proposals

Short news features are typically 2,500 words or less (precise length will be determined by Undark's editors if/when the story is accepted and assigned). Writers wishing to submit ideas for news features in this category should provide 200 to 300 words describing the proposed piece and how it fits into the magazine's editorial mission.
Op-eds & essays

Writers wishing to submit ideas for opinion pieces and essays should submit a brief summary describing the issue of concern, its timeliness, the argument to be made, and a full disclosure of all relevant personal and professional affiliations. Please note that Undark rarely runs pieces in this category longer than 1200 words.
Book excerpts & reviews

Authors, publishers or agents submitting books for review consideration should send galleys or hard copies to Undark Magazine, c/o Knight Science Journalism @MIT, E19-623, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139.
Visuals

Please include resumes and links or attachments to previous work.
Project Title*

Give us a sample headline. (75 characters max)
Brief Description*

Summarize your idea in a couple brief sentences.(250 chracters max)
Please attach your detailed proposal and any supporting files.
Drop files here or

Accepted file types: doc, docx, pdf, mp3, mp4, jpg, Max. file size: 50 MB, Max. files: 5.
Acceptable formats: DOC, PDF, JPG, MP3, MP4; Maximum file size: 40MB
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Submissions

PODCAST UPDATE

Story Pitches

Submit Your Proposal

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