Compare 388 verified writing markets, literary magazines, contests, and EFA freelance rate benchmarks in one place. Filter by minimum pay-per-word rate, flat article fee, free entry ($0 fee), or upcoming UTC deadline, and enter your draft word count to estimate what each market pays.
| Market / source | Per word | Flat fee / prize | Entry fee | Est. at 1,500w | UTC deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MIT Technology ReviewPaying market / job source Rates range from $1 to $2 per word, depending on the experience level of the writer, the story, and the publication route. technologysciencedeeply reported featuresnews | $1.00–$2.00/w | — | Free ($0) | $1,500–$3,000 | Rolling / open |
Mother JonesPaying market / job source For print, rates start at $1.75 per word. For online, rates start at $0.75 a word. newspoliticscultureinvestigative journalism | $0.75–$1.75/w | — | Free ($0) | $1,125–$2,625 | Rolling / open |
WriterAccessPaying market / job source $0.04–$1.00+/word (platform's published per-word pricing) contentseocopywriting | $0.04–$1.00/w | — | Free ($0) | $60–$1,500 | Rolling / open |
OffrangePaying market / job source $0.50-$1/word opinion essays | $0.50–$1.00/w | — | Free ($0) | $750–$1,500 | Rolling / open |
Ghostwriting: Ghostwritten business/marketing contentFreelance rate benchmark $0.50–$1.00/word (median $0.75/word) ghostwriting | $0.75–$1.00/w | — | Free ($0) | $1,125–$1,500 | Rolling / open |
Content Marketing & SEO Writing: Business/marketing content, work-for-hireFreelance rate benchmark $0.32–$0.88/word (median $0.60/word) content marketing & seo writing | $0.60–$0.88/w | — | Free ($0) | $900–$1,313 | Rolling / open |
LongreadsPaying market / job source $500 per personal essay; $350 per reading list; reported features from $0.50/word essaysjournalismfeatures | $0.50/w | $350–$500 | Free ($0) | $750 | Rolling / open |
Earth Island JournalPaying market / job source $0.50/word (print features); $400 (online stories) environmentreported featuresessays | $0.50/w | $400 | Free ($0) | $750 | Rolling / open |
DissentPaying market / job source $0.50 per word (emerging writers) politicsessaysreported features | $0.50/w | — | Free ($0) | $750 | Rolling / open |
The ObjectivePaying market / job source $0.50 a word journalismmediajournalism industryunderrepresented communities | $0.50/w | — | Free ($0) | $750 | Rolling / open |
Blog & Article Writing: Articles/essays, work-for-hireFreelance rate benchmark $0.25–$0.45/word (median $0.35/word) blog & article writing | $0.35–$0.45/w | — | Free ($0) | $525–$675 | Rolling / open |
Ghostwriting: Ghostwritten blog postsFreelance rate benchmark $0.25–$0.40/word (median $0.33/word) ghostwriting | $0.33–$0.40/w | — | Free ($0) | $488–$600 | Rolling / open |
Cricket MediaPaying market / job source up to 25 cents per word; activities $75 flat childrennonfiction | $0.25/w | $75 | Free ($0) | $375 | Rolling / open |
Family Traveller USAPaying market / job source We pay $50 per post. ... We pay .25 cents per word. travelfamily travel | $0.25/w | $50 | Free ($0) | $375 | Rolling / open |
Translation: Translation from EnglishFreelance rate benchmark $0.12–$0.19/word (median $0.15/word) translation | $0.15–$0.19/w | — | Free ($0) | $233–$285 | Rolling / open |
Translation: Translation to EnglishFreelance rate benchmark $0.06–$0.18/word (median $0.12/word) translation | $0.12–$0.18/w | — | Free ($0) | $180–$270 | Rolling / open |
Beneath Ceaseless SkiesLiterary / genre magazine $0.12 per word science fictionfantasy | $0.12/w | — | Free ($0) | $180 | Rolling / open |
Clarkesworld MagazineLiterary / genre magazine $0.10 per word for the first 4,000 words, $0.05 per word thereafter science fictionfantasy | $0.05–$0.10/w | — | Free ($0) | $75–$150 | Rolling / open |
Strange HorizonsLiterary / genre magazine $0.10 per word science fictionfantasy | $0.10/w | — | Free ($0) | $150 | See window |
Canadian Notes & QueriesLiterary / genre magazine $0.10/word (max $200) nonfictionmemoiressays | $0.10/w | — | Not stated | $150 | See window |
Escape PodPaying market / job source $0.08 per word (original fiction) fictionscience fiction | $0.08/w | — | Free ($0) | $120 | Rolling / open |
The DarkLiterary / genre magazine $0.08/word horrordark fantasy | $0.08/w | — | Free ($0) | $120 | See window |
Cast of WondersLiterary / genre magazine $0.08/word young adult speculative short fictionya fiction | $0.08/w | — | Free ($0) | $120 | See window |
PseudopodLiterary / genre magazine $0.08 per word science fictionfantasy | $0.08/w | — | Free ($0) | $120 | Rolling / open |
Solarpunk MagazineLiterary / genre magazine $0.08 per word science fictionfantasy | $0.08/w | — | Free ($0) | $120 | Rolling / open |
Daily Science FictionLiterary / genre magazine $0.08/word fictionnonfictionpoetry | $0.08/w | — | Free ($0) | $120 | Rolling / open |
Apex MagazineLiterary / genre magazine $0.08 per word up to 9,000 words, with a minimum payment of $50 fictionnonfictionpoetry | $0.08/w | — | Free ($0) | $120 | Rolling / open |
Gumshoe ReviewLiterary / genre magazine 5 cents per word up to $50 mysterynoirfictional and non-fictional articles | $0.05/w | — | Free ($0) | $75 | Rolling / open |
swamp pinkLiterary / genre magazine $0.05 a word for prose prose | $0.05/w | — | Not stated | $75 | Rolling / open |
Editing & Proofreading: Developmental editing, fiction manuscriptsFreelance rate benchmark $0.03–$0.04/word (median $0.03/word) editing & proofreading | $0.03–$0.04/w | — | Free ($0) | $49–$53 | Rolling / open |
Editing & Proofreading: Copyediting, fiction manuscriptsFreelance rate benchmark $0.02–$0.03/word (median $0.02/word) editing & proofreading | $0.02–$0.03/w | — | Free ($0) | $35–$41 | Rolling / open |
Budget101Paying market / job source 2 cents per word budgetingpersonal financehousehold tips | $0.02/w | — | Free ($0) | $30 | Rolling / open |
AugurLiterary / genre magazine For previously unpublished fiction/poetry: $25 for flash, $20 for poetry, and $0.02/word for fiction fictionhybrid proseflashshort fiction | $0.02/w | — | Not stated | $30 | Rolling / open |
Editing & Proofreading: Proofreading, fiction manuscriptsFreelance rate benchmark $0.01–$0.02/word (median $0.02/word) editing & proofreading | $0.02–$0.02/w | — | Free ($0) | $24–$30 | Rolling / open |
The Nine Dots PrizeWriting contest US$100,000 + book deal essaynonfiction | — | $100,000 prize | Free ($0) | $100,000 | 2027-01-24 |
Arts Council of Ireland — Literature Bursary AwardGrant / fellowship €7,500 / €10,000 / €15,000 / €20,000 fictionnonfictionpoetrychildren | — | €20,000 prize | Free ($0) | €20,000 | 2027-02-11 |
Amazon Literary Partnership GrantsGrant / fellowship $5,000–$20,000 per organization fictionnonfictionpoetry | — | $20,000 prize | Free ($0) | $20,000 | 2027-05-01 |
Rattle Poetry PrizeWriting contest $15,000 + ten $500 finalists poetry | — | $15,000 prize | $30 | $15,000 | 2026-07-15 |
The Moth Poetry PrizeWriting contest €6,000 first; €11,000 total poetry | — | €11,000 prize | €17 | €11,000 | 2026-12-31 |
The Times / Chicken House Children's Fiction CompetitionWriting contest Publishing contract + £10,000 royalty advance childrennovelfiction | — | £10,000 prize | See website | £10,000 | 2027-06-01 |
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Every figure comes from our verified market, magazine, contest and rate benchmark data. The full database is free.
Writing markets quote pay in three incompatible ways: cents or dollars per word, flat fees per accepted article or poem, and cash prizes minus an entry fee. This explorer normalises all 388 active records across our paying markets directory, literary magazines, writing contests, and EFA rate benchmarks into structured fields so you can screen by your actual floor rate and draft length.
Every record retains the publication’s verbatim rate wording alongside its link and verification date. Where a deadline is published, it is normalised to a strict UTC timestamp (YYYY-MM-DDT23:59:59Z) so you can sort closing windows without timezone guesswork.
Across the 34 verified per-word sources and EFA benchmarks in this database, the median published rate is $0.10 per word, with top trade and feature markets reaching $2.00 per word. Many online publications pay a flat fee per article instead (115 markets in this explorer).
Enter your target word count (for example, 1,500 words) in the explorer. For every market or benchmark that publishes a per-word rate, the tool multiplies your word count by that market's minimum and maximum per-word rate. For flat-fee publications and contests, it displays the stated flat payment or top cash prize alongside any entry fee.
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Contest, grant, residency, and magazine organisers can claim a self-serve Sponsored Spotlight slot on our board. You set the price, from €10, and pay by card through Stripe. Paid placements are clearly labelled Sponsored and never change our independent database rankings.
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