BRYME
SEPTEMBER 2026 EDITIONThe business, craft & economics of writing — free, independent, human-verified.

Personal essays

Publications that pay for personal essays

Markets currently recorded as publishing personal essays, with the pay and word count each one states.

20 publications14 accepting now20 open worldwide$25–$500 stated pay (USD equiv.)6 state no figure

Personal essays sell on what the experience reveals, not on the experience itself. Most markets want the piece finished rather than pitched, because voice cannot be judged from a summary.

Filter these by pay, length and status

🟢 Currently accepting🟡 Research onlyUnited States

Longreads

Personal essay

Pay
$500
Words
No hard personal-essay limit stated. Official guideline for most published features: 2,000–6,000 words — a guideline, not a rule.
Eligible
Official page: pitches and original nonfiction from writers and journalists around the world
Verified
2026-08
🟢 Currently accepting🟡 Research onlyUnited States

Longreads

Longform nonfiction

Pay
$500 (personal/critical essays); reading lists $350
Words
2,000–6,000 words
Eligible
Worldwide — no stated geographic restriction
Verified
2026-09
🟢 Currently accepting🟡 Research onlyCanada

The Walrus

Essay or reported feature

Pay
From $500 (short essays); features up to $1/word≈ $362 USD
Words
Essays 1,000–4,000; reported features ~1,200–2,000; long-form 2,500–5,000
Eligible
The official page does not restrict essays and features by nationality
Verified
2026-08
🟢 Currently accepting🟡 Research onlyUnited States

Condé Nast Traveler

Travel feature, service, first person

Pay
From $300 for 500–600 words
Words
Rate example: 500–600 words. Other lengths exist; no single required range.
Eligible
No country list
Verified
2026-08
🟢 Currently accepting🟡 Research onlyUnited States

Narratively (The Personals)

First-person narrative nonfiction

Pay
$300
Words
1,000–1,500 ideal; 2,200 hard cap
Eligible
Worldwide — no stated geographic restriction
Verified
2026-09
🟢 Rolling submissions🔵 SubmittedNigeria

The Lagos Review

Personal essay

Pay
$250 per published essay
Words
Up to 1,500 words
Eligible
The official call does not state a nationality restriction
Verified
2026-08
🟢 Currently accepting🟡 Research onlyCanada

The Tyee

Reported news, features, analysis, first person

Pay
$300 a day (usually 1–3 days)≈ $217–$651 USD
Words
Not publicly stated. Fee is a day rate, not a word rate.
Eligible
No nationality list
Verified
2026-09
🟢 Currently accepting🔴 RejectedNigeria

The Republic

Personal Essay

Pay
₦100,000≈ $76 USD
Words
2,001–3,000 words
Eligible
The official submissions page does not state a nationality restriction
Verified
2026-08
🟢 Currently accepting🟡 Research onlyUnited States

The Offing

Creative nonfiction, essays, translation

Pay
$25–$100 (by department & length)
Words
Essays to 5,000 words
Eligible
Worldwide — no stated geographic restriction
Verified
2026-09
🟢 Currently accepting🟡 Research onlyKenya

The New Humanitarian

News, analysis, first person, opinion, investigations

Pay
40 cents per published word
Words
Opinion ~800; first person 1,000–1,200; news under 1,000; news features/analysis typically 1,200–1,400; investigations 2,000+
Eligible
The official pitch page does not list countries
Verified
2026-08
🟢 Currently accepting🟡 Research onlyUnited States

Literary Hub

Literary essay, criticism, reported literary piece

Pay
Not publicly stated on the official pitch page
Words
Not publicly stated
Eligible
No country list on the official pitch page
Verified
2026-08
🟢 Currently accepting🟡 Research onlyUnited States

New Lines Magazine

Reportage, arguments, history essays, first person, reviews

Pay
Not publicly stated on the official pitch page
Words
Pitch under 300 words. Finished length is part of the pitch, not a published limit.
Eligible
Official page: submissions on virtually any topic from anywhere in the world if the story is compelling, well written and accurate
Verified
2026-09
🟢 Rolling submissions🟡 Research onlyOpen to all

The Markaz Review

Essay, feature, fiction, poetry, review, interview

Pay
Honorarium — amount not published
Words
Submissions 750–3,000 words; features/reviews often 1,000–3,000; opinion 750–1,500
Eligible
Official mission: amplify voices from the Middle East, North Africa and Southwest Asia (SWANA)
Verified
2026-09
🟡 Limited window🟡 Research onlyUnited States

Chicken Soup for the Soul

True first-person story or story-poem

Pay
$250 if published
Words
Recommended maximum 1,200 words; no official minimum. Longer pieces are rarely read.
Eligible
Official FAQ: they publish English-language stories from people around the world
Verified
2026-09
🟡 Opens soon🟡 Research onlyUnited States

The Rumpus

Essays, fiction, poetry

Pay
$500 prose/comics; $200 poetry/interviews
Words
Not a single sitewide limit on the About page. El Alboroto (Spanish section) states a 2,500-word maximum — that is a different card.
Eligible
No country list
Verified
2026-08
🔴 Currently closed🟡 Research onlyAustralia

Griffith Review

Themed fiction or non-fiction

Pay
AUD$0.75/word print · AUD$200 poetry · AUD$500 online≈ $144–$360 USD
Words
No longer than 4,000 words
Eligible
Official writers’ guidelines: most contributors are from Australia, some from overseas
Verified
2026-09
🔴 Currently closed🟡 Research onlyUnited States

Electric Literature

Personal narrative essay

Pay
$100
Words
2,000–6,500 words
Eligible
No country list
Verified
2026-08
🟡 Opens soon🟡 Research onlyUnited States

Brevity

Flash creative nonfiction

Pay
$45 honorarium if featured
Words
750 words or fewer
Eligible
Official: they have published writers from India, Egypt, the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Malaysia, Qatar and Japan, and many previously unpublished authors
Verified
2026-08
🟡 Information needs verification🔵 SubmittedUnited States

Vox

Personal essay (First Person)

Pay
Not publicly stated on the current official pitch page
Words
Not stated for First Person on the current official pitch page
Eligible
Not applicable until First Person is listed again on the official pitch page
Verified
2026-08
🔴 Currently closed🟡 Research onlyUnited Kingdom

Psyche

First-person essay on change

Pay
Freelance fee or honorarium — amount not published
Words
1,200–1,800 words (First Person). Other formats: Ideas 1,000–1,800; Guides ~2,000; In-depth Guides 3,000–4,000.
Eligible
When open: they want diverse voices, including lived experience of mental health or neurodiversity
Verified
2026-08

Before you pitch

Read these first.

Every listing links to the publication’s own guideline and shows the date BRYME last checked it. A listing is an invitation to pitch — never a promise of acceptance or payment.

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