Submission Guidelines
bioGraphic is a multimedia magazine that features stories from around the globe about the wonder of the natural world, the most pressing threats to biodiversity, and the most promising solutions to sustaining it. We take a visual, data-driven approach to nature and environmental reporting and storytelling, and we deliver content in many different forms—from stunning photo essays and informative infographics to long-form feature stories, short-form videos, and reported news stories.
We’re looking for original, reported story ideas in any of these formats, particularly stories that:
- Examine the beauty and peculiarities of organisms and ecosystems.
- Demonstrate the fragility or the resilience of nature in a changing environment.
- Illustrate the interconnectedness of the natural world and human society.
- Reveal unexpected and extraordinary discoveries, and how these discoveries were made
- Show the promise of innovative technologies and ideas for protecting life on Earth.
- Introduce readers to people on the front lines of environmental issues, and those dedicated to making a difference.
- Offer new perspectives on existing issues and innovative ways of framing, discussing and visualizing both familiar and unfamiliar topics.
Each bioGraphic story must have a direct connection to biodiversity and be topically relevant to the present moment. If you have ideas for stories that might be a good fit, we’d love to hear them. If you haven’t heard back from us within two weeks, please assume the story won’t be commissioned and feel free to pitch other outlets.
HOW TO PITCH
FEATURE ARTICLES, PHOTO ESSAYS, AND VIDEOS
Send a brief (1,000 words or less) description of the piece you have in mind and what makes it right for bioGraphic. Please include your pitch in the body of your email (not as an attachment) and email to submissions@bioGraphic.com. Here are a few guidelines:
- Make sure your pitch is about a story, not a topic.
- Show us that you have a good sense of what the story is about—the main idea, the characters involved, where and when it takes place, and its narrative trajectory.
- Explain why you think it’s important to tell this story now, and why you’re the right person to tell it.
- If there are questions or mysteries surrounding your story, show us that you have a good handle on the answers and explanations.
- Describe how you plan to report the story—who you plan to talk to, if you think you can report it remotely, or where you think you need to go to report the story properly.
- Give us a sense of your storytelling style, both in your pitch and in examples of previous work.
Give us a sense of hope, or at least action. We’re not interested in stories that expose problems without also showing the people working to fix those problems.
NEWS ARTICLES
bioGraphic’s news section is home to colorful, 600 to 1000-word character-driven stories about current events and recent scientific research.
News stories explore the entirety of the scientific process, from initial hypothesis testing and lab trials on one end to science-based analyses of upcoming legislation, regulations, and community consequences on the other. Stories should be not have been previously covered, and should have a strong scientific element.
Please send your pitch to cschultz@biographic.com.
DATA VISUALIZATIONS AND INFOGRAPHICS
We’re looking for visually compelling ways of illustrating complex concepts and issues, as well as memorable ways of framing familiar topics. bioGraphic data visualizations and infographics might stand on their own or could be woven into a larger narrative piece. Do you have an idea for a visualization that will help our audience understand biodiversity and conservation? Please send a brief email (300 words or less) to submissions@bioGraphic.com describing your idea, the concept or issue you’d like to illustrate, and the source(s) of data and information that will inform your piece. Please also provide examples of previous work.
A Note About AI
bioGraphic is a publication with high standards; as part of our pitch-vetting process, we assess the quality of writing in the written pitch itself to gauge whether the writer will be able to manage revisions and deliver a final draft that has the energy, accuracy, and authenticity we’re seeking. As such, we prohibit pitches generated by artificial intelligence.
If a pitch becomes an assignment, the actual written content of a bioGraphic draft must also be wholly original and inherently human. Submissions heavily influenced by or created through AI applications will be rejected and the contract terminated without compensation.
