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Every issue of Unicorn Magazine is made possible thanks to volunteers in the editorial team as well as contributors to the publication from the community who also volunteer pieces. Not only do we get to showcase amazing stories to inspire others to find comfort in their identity – we also raise money through merch to fund community projects via our governing charity.
So, if you want to either contribute a bit of writing, tell us how much you love us, or ask to join the team – use the form below. We don’t bite.
UNICORN FUND
Bi Pride UK launched Unicorn Magazine in early 2020, as the first digital bi-focused culture magazine to tackle the lack of representation of bi voices in LGBTQ+ publications. It started as an act of protest and conversation. Since then Unicorn magazine has covered stories from over 20 countries, been read by hundreds of thousands of readers around the world, and seen cover stars such as Joe Lycett and RuPaul’s Drag Race Queens.
Community has and will always be an integral part of Unicorn Magazine which is why the magazine is now launching a fund for anyone who wants to contribute writing or artwork to the group. Even though Unicorn Magazine has always been volunteer-run and written, the magazine has been trying to find ways to ensure queer writers and artists are paid for their time.
Writers and artists will be able to submit work that is assessed by volunteer Editors at Unicorn Magazine. For each Issue, at least 15 Fund Applicants will be chosen to have their work published. Editors will be mindful of representation within the LGBTQ+ community and will therefore aim to publish more than half of stories and artwork from creatives under the bi umbrella. However, the fund will be open to all, as queer communities need to uplift, empower, and stick together.
As Unicorn Magazine receives more charity funding, so will the Unicorn Fund increase. Every penny raised goes back to creatives, as Unicorn Magazine has no staff, overheads, or administrative costs.
Q: How can I submit work to the Unicorn Fund?
A: Please visit our contribution link on our website which sends submissions directly to our Creative Director and Executive Editor, they will then decide which Editor should be allocated this submission to review.
Q: How much do Unicorn Fund recipients receive?
A: At the moment, we are limited to £66 per article. This means 100% of the Unicorn Fund goes to 10 writers per issue and 5 artists. As the Unicorn Fund increases, so will the amount we are able to give. Every penny goes to the writers and artists.
Q: What should my submission look like? Should I submit a full article?
A: We advise you to write a 100-200 word pitch for the submission instead of writing the full piece. This will help you focus your idea into a clear argument and help our Editors assess the potential of the piece.
Q: Do you have any tips on pitching?
A: We very rarely publish personal essays – we’re an arts and culture magazine so we love to read new takes on culture. In particular queer culture. Are you investigating something? Are you discovering something? Is there a person or group you have access to? Your pitch should read like a blurb or a story we HAVE to find out more about.
Q: I’m an artist and not a writer, can I submit artwork?
A: Yes we publish interviews with artists on every issue, however as this is promotional and one of our volunteer writers will need to write this, it would not be eligible for the Unicorn Fund. However if you wanted to write a piece to accompany your visual artwork, this would be eligible, and we recommend you write a pitch as above.
Additionally if you would like to work on an illustration or artwork for a piece of writing you can also apply for the Fund! Please make this known in the submission box.
Q: When will I find out if my submission has been successful?
A: We will try to respond to all submissions, however this is an experiment for us. We don’t know how many submissions we will receive and all our Editors are volunteers. So, we can’t promise to get back to everyone but we will try our best and it should be within one week.
Q: Can I just submit writing and artwork without applying to the fund?
A: Unicorn Magazine is fully volunteer run and written, we publish almost all content we receive and you are more likely to be published not going through the Fund. Our volunteer Editors will still coach and mentor you and help you write the best possible piece of writing. Make this known in the submission box.