How to Pitch Hyperallergic

Hyperallergic leads the conversation on the political and social forces that shape the contemporary art world. We welcome sharp, inventive, and sincere art writing that is unafraid to challenge power. If you have a story that you think needs to be told, we'd love to hear from you.

What We Are Looking For

We publish a wide range of content across several categories. Before pitching, please identify where your story fits:

News: Reported stories on art world controversies, museum ethics, restitution, labor issues, and censorship.
Reviews: Critical evaluations of exhibitions, books, or films. We are looking for voice, criticality, and above all, a unique perspective. The best reviews focus on your individual experience and analysis of an exhibition. We prioritize shows that are under-recognized or offer a fresh perspective on established figures.
Opinion: Narrative-driven essays or polemics that connect art to broader social, political, or personal contexts.
Remembrances & Obituaries: We’re committed to honoring our community and sharing news and stories about those who are no longer with us.

How to Craft Your Pitch

Be concise and demonstrate that you understand the story. Please include the following:

A Compelling Working Title: Give us a sense of the "hook."
The Core Argument: In 2–3 sentences, tell us exactly what you are trying to say and how you might support it. We look for a clear point of view.
The "Why Now?": Why is this story urgent or relevant today?
Formatting & Logistics: Mention your estimated word count and any high-quality images you have access to.
Your Bio: A brief sentence on who you are and links to 2–3 relevant writing samples. Tell us why you are the right person to write this story.

Tips

Keep it short. Get to the main idea quickly and succinctly and help us understand why we should care. Use this opportunity to give us a sense of your voice and writing style.
Include relevant details: If it’s an exhibition or film screening, be sure to include the relevant dates, venues, and a link to a page with more info.
Understand our audience: The best pitches should be hard to imagine being published by anyone else.
Be sure it hasn’t already been done: Read our recent coverage to be sure we haven’t already published a similar article, or that other outlets haven’t covered it the way you are proposing either.

What to Avoid

Jargon: We value intellectual depth, but we loathe artspeak. Write for a curious, global audience, not just a room of PhDs.
Conflict of Interest: We do not accept pitches from individuals writing about their own work, their friends' work, or any artists with whom they have a personal or professional relationship. Tell us if you’re working with a PR agency, a tourism board, private gallery, or any other organization. Tell us if anyone is flying you somewhere or paying for your expenses. If you don’t tell us, we’ll find out anyway, and then we’ll be annoyed and kill your piece.
Simultaneous Submissions: Please give us at least one week to respond before pitching your idea elsewhere.
Pre-written articles: Except in rare cases, if it wasn’t written with us in mind, it’s probably not going to work.

Our standard rates are as follows:

$250 for short reviews, essays, articles (~400-600 words)
$500 for longer reviews, features, essays, and reported stories (~800+ words)

Ready to Send?

Please email your pitch to pitch@hyperallergic.com

Use the subject line: PITCH: [Category] - [Subject Matter]

Due to the high volume of pitches we receive, we are unable to respond to every inquiry. If you don’t hear from us within 10 business days, feel free to move forward with other outlets.