Undark Magazine

What this publication wants

This is BRYME's summary of the publication's focus — not a copy of their website. Type of writing: Journalism, Essays, Opinion, Reviews. Official guideline: Undark Magazine guidelines.

Topics, themes and styles they look for

• Stories where science intersects everyday life — vaccines, climate, agrochemicals, renewable energy, AI, research culture, money and bias in labs.
• Use the form. Pitch meetings are generally Wednesdays 11 a.m. EST.
• If you have not written for them: bio plus clips.

Subjects they avoid

• Emailing a pitch to a general inbox.
• A made-up fee.
• Pitches or drafts generated or line-edited by AI. Official exception only when AI itself is the subject, with disclosure.
• Purely historical yarns, or first-person outside the op-ed silo unless your presence is essential. Climate/environment pitches are the most common and the hardest to land.

Key requirements

• Official form only
• Clips if you are new
• No AI pitch or draft

Who can submit

No country list. First-time contributors must include a bio and clips.

Rights

Not stated on the submissions page. Separate republishing guidelines exist for published Undark stories.

AI policy

Prohibited

How to write for them

Official requirement: always follow the publication's own guideline exactly.

BRYME's practical advice: write for the publication's audience, use a clear structure, keep paragraphs short, lead with a specific angle, and confirm the word count before submitting. These are practical suggestions — they are not the publication's official rules.

How to pitch

Where a pitch is required, this is the general pattern BRYME recommends — always adapt it to the publication's guideline.

1. Research the publication and read several recent pieces.
2. Choose a specific idea that fits their beat and audience.
3. Write a concise subject line naming your idea.
4. Introduce yourself in one or two lines (who you are, where you publish).
5. Explain the proposed piece in a short paragraph — angle, structure, length.
6. Say why it fits this publication.
7. Include 2–3 relevant clips or links.
8. Close professionally and thank them for their time.
9. Send through the official channel only.

Accepting submissions now, with no stated closing date.

Track this pitch

How to submit

Official online submissions form — do not email pitches

Apply through the official channel below. BRYME only records submission destinations it has verified.

• Official guideline: opens the publication guideline (new tab)
• Submission: Official online submissions form — do not email pitches

What the guideline asks you to prepare

• Read https://undark.org/what-is-undark-looking-for/ and https://undark.org/ai-policy/.
• Submit via the form on https://undark.org/submission-guidelines/.

What happens after submission

Expected response: They will try to respond expeditiously; a small team, it may take time

If the publication does not state a response time, BRYME records that it is unknown. A follow-up is generally reasonable after a couple of weeks; if there is still no response, treat that as a likely non-acceptance rather than a rejection. Acceptance is normally communicated by the publication. If they accept, they will tell you exactly how to submit the final piece and, for most, how and when payment is made.