United By Pop’s editors are accepting submissions for 2022.
We are looking for:
- Personal essays related to pop culture (pop music, movies, television, YA books, celebrity, etc.) that are written from a true fan’s perspective — mockery of pop culture of any kind goes against our standards and will not be published
- Under 1,500 words
- Targeted toward millennial and generation Z readers
- Work must not be published elsewhere currently and will not be published elsewhere after it is on United By Pop
Fictitious examples of the kinds of essays we’re interested in publishing include:
- How ‘Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda’ helped me come out
- Camila Cabello’s departure from Fifth Harmony inspired me to leave my toxic friends
- I stayed a fan of all five members of One Direction after their hiatus
- ‘Riverdale’ helped me connect with my dad’s love of comic books
- Stop pretending it’s cool not to care about the Kardashians
At this time, United By Pop is unable to provide compensation for publishing personal essays, but essays will include your byline, headshot, and short bio (which can include a link back to your blog/portfolio/social media) if desired.
Please email submissions to hello@unitedbypop.com with the following:
- Subject line: PERSONAL ESSAY SUBMISSION
- Your name as you’d like it to appear in your byline
- A square headshot as you’d like it to appear next to your byline
- 1-2 sentence, third-person bio including any links
- Your entire essay submission (please no pitches)
United By Pop’s editors will reply back to you promptly if they are interested in publishing your personal essay submission. If you’re interested in joining our team and writing for us on a regular basis, please apply here.