Hakai Magazine explores science and society in coastal ecosystems. Our editorially independent, web publication examines the ties between the ocean, land, and human societies through long- and short-form journalism, illustration, photography, and video.

Pitching Hakai Magazine

Before you pitch, please review our website and these guidelines.

Pitches can come from a variety of perspectives—archaeology, ecology, biology, geology, oceanography, anthropology, environment, business, technology, policy, engineering, history, and more—but they must pertain to marine coastal environments in some way.

We invite you to submit brief query letters detailing potential stories that focus on coastal ecosystems, cultures, and communities around the world. Indicate the story’s angle, some of its important elements, and your credentials, and include three links to your published work.

No phone queries, please. If, after two weeks, you have yet to receive a reply, contact us by email to make sure we received the pitch.

Fees vary depending on the length and complexity of a story and on the experience of the storyteller. Payment in Canadian dollars is made upon acceptance of the final draft. We have a modest travel budget and all expenses must be approved in advance.

The Magazine

Hakai Magazine is divided into three main sections: News & Views, Features, and Videos & Visuals.

News & Views

Send pitches to news@hakaimagazine.com.

This section is the place for 300- to 800-word stories and commentary. We’re looking for news and informed analysis of current events. Use your knowledge and connections to tell our readers about the latest research and what’s coming up next. We’re also interested in myth busting, local news that deserves a boost, and following up on stories that made a splash, but then sank beneath the waves.

Features

Send pitches to editor@hakaimagazine.com.

Hakai Magazine features come in a variety of forms—narratives, investigative pieces, essays, and profiles.

Feature articles range from about 1,000 to 5,000 words. Journalists pitching features should have strong reporting and prose skills as well as experience writing for magazines. We are interested in great stories and strong voices. We tilt toward science and environmental stories, but we’re also interested in people and communities and how they interact with coastal ecosystems. We’re looking for stories that have breadth, depth of research, and quality of prose.

Videos & Visuals

Send video pitches to video@hakaimagazine.com. Send pitches for all other visual pieces to art@hakaimagazine.com.

Videos: we’re looking for short, original videos (ideally fewer than five minutes). We like our videos to be narrative in nature with strong story arcs and engaging characters, rather than news pieces. Please include a proposed budget for the video (including equipment rentals, travel, salaries, music licensing, and all other associated costs) and links to previous work.

Photo essays: tell us about the story you’re proposing to tell, who the characters are, and how you plan to communicate this story visually. Include examples of other photo essays you have shot. If you are proposing an essay from existing photos, please tell us when they were taken, if they were part of a previous assignment, and if and where they were published. Please also include a selection to demonstrate how they will tell the story.

Nonfiction comics: comic features need to have the same depth of story and research as written pieces. Please refer to the guidelines for our Features section and tell us how the story lends itself to being told visually.

Infographics: great infographics display data in a way that allows for exploration while calling attention to important insights. Please include details about where you will source your data and how you will make it accessible to the average reader.

Last revision: February 8, 2017