Contribute to Ideapod

Ideapod now publishes user-contributed articles alongside our staff contributions.

What we cover

Ideapod covers the ideas shaping our lives. We publish creative and intelligent journalism, helping our readers to understand the ideas that make up their worldview — and where we’re headed as a species.

Our core mission is to provide ecosystems of thought where ideas are surfaced, discussed and critically analyzed through dialogue. We raise provocative questions and aim to eschew groupthink in the age of echo chambers and filter bubbles. We value open mindedness, critical analysis and people thinking for themselves.

Present a bold and clear argument

We welcome guest contributions to the site that present bold, clear arguments. It’s an opportunity to present the world as it could be, focusing on the world’s most pressing issues, exciting innovations and new ways of thinking.

The topics covered are as wide ranging as is the human’s limitless potential to come up with new ideas. We look forward to learning through you, the writer, about different ways of thinking about what’s happening in the world today, and what could be happening in the future.

We publish guest articles on death, sex, shamanism, technology, politics and everything in-between, aiming always to bring out the human impact of the ideas shaping our world.

How it works

Guest articles usually lead with an idea — an argument to think about something in a new way — or are presented in the form of a story.

The structure of your story or article could go something like this:

• State your proposition or question in the heading and opening sentences
• Explain the current state of thinking, and how your proposition or question changes this
• Back up your proposition or lay out your question with an argument
• Base your argument in facts and research
• Finish with a call to action — asking readers to build upon your idea, for example

Articles we publish often discuss topics in the news right now — while providing a unique perspective. They also cover topics that no-one is talking about — but will be one day. They can be the product of research, reporting, personal experience, professional expertise or a combination of these traits. They will likely take the form of opinion or commentary, but they don’t have to.

Contributors are journalists, academics, artists, scientists, entrepreneurs and others whose expertise and experience surface surprising insights and provoke conversation and debate.

To submit an article or story, submit it via the form above. Our editorial team will review your submission within 1-2 days and publish it if it fits the guidelines above. If you haven’t heard from us after this time, your submission was likely rejected.

What you get

• Your story will be shared across Ideapod’s 2 million+ audience network
• Your very own author profile on ideapod.com
• Promotion of your story within Ideapod Discussions
• The potential of launching a global conversation through our unique comments functionality
• The opportunity to turn your idea into reality with the help of Ideapod’s media network and team

Some housekeeping

• Be original: make sure the story you submit is original work that will be exclusive to Ideapod. Work you didn’t write isn’t acceptable, nor is publishing something you’ve published previously which has only been changed slightly.
• Use sources accurately: rely on sources as much as possible. If quoting someone, reference it. If you mention a statistic, link to your source.
• Proofread your article: we won’t publish sloppy work. If your story has multiple typos and/or errors it won’t be accepted.