Chicago Reader

About

The Chicago Reader has been a fearless, innovative, and nationally respected media voice in Chicago for more than 50 years. In print every week and daily online, we are tastemakers, incisive critics, and agenda-setters. Our readers look to us for what’s new, what’s now, what’s next, and depend on us to hold local government and other public authorities accountable—not to take sides.
We are a community-supported, non-profit organization, and we could not be more proud of our equitable approach to coverage, staffing, and vendor supply. We’ve got fresh talent and fresh energy, and we’re thrilled to continue to deliver our unflagging, unfiltered take on Chicago.
We are the Reader. We are Chicago. And we speak Chicago.

Important: Pitch first.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 1971

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 52 x per year
Print Publication Print Publication: Published 52 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

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Collapse section Nonfiction Open

We are primarily a staff-written publication, but we also run narrative features, insightful criticism, timely blog posts, or expertly composed videos that come from freelance contributors.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: People in a specific region.

Lengths:

Review: No specific word count limits known.
Article: No specific word count limits known.
Narrative Nonfiction: No specific word count limits known.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Music: Popular music, See guidelines.
Place/Regions: Specific region.
Politics/Political Science.
Society/Culture: General, See guidelines.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $75 minimum for shorter pieces; $150-$400 minimum for longer pieces.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Open

Photo essay pitches can cover a wide range of topics across all our sections, but first and foremost should have a basis in communities, life, culture, politics, and issues specific to or originating in Chicago. The best pitches are specific and have some research behind them.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: People in a specific region.

Lengths:

Graphic Narrative: No page limits known.
Photo Essay: No image limits known.

Art Media:

Cartoon/Comic strip.
Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Music: Popular music, See guidelines.
Place/Regions: Specific region.
Politics/Political Science.
Society/Culture: General, See guidelines.

Payment:

Unknown payment Unknown payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Image.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Chicago Reader

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Report:
Submission/Response
Correction/Update
New Cover Art

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Chicago Reader Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

We have not received any submission reports for this listing in the past 12 months.

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Dates

Last Updated: 24 May 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.