Freelance Guidelines

If you're a freelancer looking for the most up-to-date Ohio Magazine Artist Guidelines you can download them here: 2025 Great Lakes Studio Artist Guidelines.

If you're a destination looking for the Ohio Magazine Pitch Guide you can download it here: Pitch Guide.

Photographer Guidelines

Ohio Magazine constantly seeks to widen its pool of assignment and stock photographers from across the state. We are particularly interested in photographers from the northwest and southeast regions of Ohio. Very rarely do we hire photographers from out of state. Please e-mail 5-10 low-resolution, published samples of your work, along with your education/training information to Rachael Jirousek, Art Director, at rjirousek@ohiomagazine.com. Only qualified and/or published photographers will be considered. Point us in the direction of your website.

Please remember that our editorial calendar is established three to six months in advance. For queries related to a timely event or seasonal events, allow nine months' to a year’s notice. We do not publish unsolicited photos. If we’re interested in your work, we’ll contact you to discuss a potential assignment or stock purchase.

Please see our 2025 Great Lakes Studio Artist Guidelines for fees, assignment, stock and payment information.

Phone queries are discouraged.

Writer Guidelines

Ohio Magazine publishes stories that celebrate Ohio — its people, its rich culture and heritage, and especially its travel spots. Our audience is educated, active, affluent and very loyal to Ohio. Because our readership is drawn from the entire state, each of our stories must possess a statewide appeal. We are always looking for talented writers with a strong voice who can help us do that. Our magazine departments cover Travel, Arts + Events, Food + Drink and History, Heritage + Home. In addition, we seek out features running between 1,100 and 1,800 words. These can be history pieces, features on travel destinations of note or profiles on interesting Ohioans. 

LongWeekends Magazine is published twice a year (Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter). We seek freelancers to write 300 word pieces about a specific destination they have visited. The publication seeks ideas across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. 

Stories we have run in each category are outlined below. 

TRAVEL

Ohio Magazine is dedicated to bringing our readers the best travel information in the state: where to go, what to do and what to see. Ohio Magazine readers are interested in discovering new inns and B&Bs in which to stay, finding off-the-beaten-path destinations where they can immerse themselves in local culture, and exploring excellent outdoor parks and recreation areas where they can relax and play. The key to the success of any travel pitch is telling a story that is fresh. We rely on contributors to tell us what's new, unique or different about each destination they pitch.

Visit the Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum: This historic site tells the story of how one of the world’s most famous inventors got his start in the Erie County town of Milan.

Ohio's Shawshank Trail: In 1993, “The Shawshank Redemption” was filmed at the Ohio State Reformatory and more than a dozen other nearby sites. We followed in the footsteps of Andy and Red. Here’s how you can, too.

John Herzig's Famous Endings Museum: The Dover funeral director collects memorabilia from services held for celebrities and historical figures.

ARTS + EVENTS

From museum exhibitions to author Q&As to profiles on compelling artists who have statewide appeal, we celebrate the arts and events across the state.

'Play it Loud: The Instruments of Rock & Roll' in Cleveland: An exhibition co-organized between the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and New York's The Metropolitan Museum of Art highlights some of rock music's most iconic tools of the trade.

Q&A: Pulitzer Prize Winner Anthony Doerr: We talk with the Ohio native about “All the Light We Cannot See.”

FOOD + DRINK

We offer recipes you can try at home courtesy of Ohio chefs, share where to get iconic Ohio eats and highlight our state's landmark restaurants. Subjects in this section also include Ohio craft breweries, wineries and distilleries. 

Cockeye BBQ, Warren: This small and homey spot on the city’s west side serves up slow-cooked barbecue favorites, new creations and a fun lineup of super-premium ice cream

Hocking Hills Orchard, Logan: Visitors to Derek Mills’ orchard get a wide-ranging history lesson that’s a lot sweeter than what we learned in school.

Eudora Brewing Co., Kettering: This Dayton-area brewery offers a welcoming space to gather, great beers and a message of goodwill.

HISTORY, HERITAGE + HOME

From Ohio makers who craft beautiful pieces to landmark spots that offer insight into our state's long history, we celebrate our shared heritage and who we are as Ohioans.

John Rankin House, Ripley: This home overlooking the Ohio River offered hope to more than 2,000 men and women escaping slavery along the Underground Railroad.

Hazelmade, Kent: Designer Susan Hazel Rich’s line features beautiful and colorful items ranging from greeting cards to tote bags to tea towels.

3 Questions: Anthony & Joe Russo: After bringing four Marvel movies to the big screen, the Russo brothers return to their native Cleveland with “Cherry.” 

FEATURES

We tell stories about interesting, unusual and little-known corners of of Ohio history and Ohioans of note from the past and present. Profiles focus on an individual who can claim an impact on the entire state or whose actions would be of interest to a wide audience.

How 'Hang on Sloopy' Became Ohio's Anthem: The McCoys' 1965 hit is our state's official rock song and a staple of halftime shows and sports-arena singalongs. Here's how in the O-H-I-O that all happened. 

Filmmaker Seth Breedlove's Small Town Monsters: Documentary filmmaker Seth Breedlove tells the stories of small-town America through elusive creatures that have become the stuff of legend.

How Ohio Helped Make the Jeep an Icon: Between 1941 and 1945, Willys-Overland of Toledo produced more than 363,000 jeeps for the war effort. Soldiers loved the vehicle, and it grew into a popular consumer brand that today employs thousands of Ohio autoworkers.

LONGWEEKENDS MAGAZINE

LongWeekends Magazine is published in April (Spring/ Summer) and August (Fall/Winter). It covers Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. We seek tightly angled stories on specific destinations. 

Clingmans Dome, Tennessee: Just short drive from Gatlinburg, this section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the Tennessee-North Carolina border and offer incredible views.

Mothman Museum, West Virginia: Explore the legend of the Mothman at this fun storefront museum in the heart of downtown Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

Pizza City USA Tours, Illinois: James Beard Award-winning journalist Steve Dolinsky’s food tours show. 

Pitch Us a Story

For consideration, please provide a resume and at least three clips of your work via e-mail. Direct them to:

Jim Vickers
Editor
Ohio Magazine
jvickers@ohiomagazine.com

Phone queries are discouraged.