An independent, women-founded media company and modern exploration society, transforming audience participation in journalism and exploration.

Hidden Compass is an independent journalism outlet and modern exploration society that transforms how audiences engage with journalism and exploration. Founded in 2017 by award-winning journalists Sivani Babu and Sabine K. Bergmann, the magazine offers in-depth, ad-free stories that inspire curiosity and adventure. In 2020, Hidden Compass pioneered a unique business model, leveraging patronage campaigns to increase journalists’ pay and audience participation. The magazine has been recognized in Newsweek's Future of Travel Awards and continues to publish quarterly issues featuring compelling narratives from around the globe.

Hidden Compass is an award-winning online publication that showcases the frontiers of human exploration and knowledge through powerful storytelling.

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Hidden Compass

General Submission Call

We publish stories told through words and images. Every story runs roughly between 2,500-3,500 words, and fits into one of our five unconventional themes:<div><br></div><div><b>Quest</b>: Take us on a journey alongside characters in pursuit of elusive truths. Bring our readers into extreme landscapes, to far reaches of the planet, and into the unknown.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Portrait</b>: Introduce us to extraordinary characters around the world — individuals, cultures, places, creatures, and even objects.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Human and Nature</b>: Investigate the relationship between humankind and the planet. Bring us face-to-face with nature as an unpredictable danger, a wise teacher, and a precarious organism.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Chasing Demons</b>: Delve into the dark and difficult aspects of a place, even (especially!) when the darkness exists only in the narrator — investigative pieces, historical exposés, and tales of narrators immersed in danger.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Time Trave</b>l: Inhabit the past, present, and future of a place. Unearth layers of ancient legends and traditions; probe the transient nature of the current moment; adventure out into prediction, peril, and possibility.</div><div><br></div><div>*<b>Photo Feature</b>: One story in every issue is a story told through the arc of 8-10 photographs and an accompanying narrative. The word count for these pieces is also 2,500-3,500 words. We’re looking for rockstar photographers willing to weave in the written word. We promise it’s not as scary as it sounds.</div>

Hidden Compass

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