message in a bottl

Have feedback, ideas, or submissions?

Beachcombing magazine is of, by, and for beachcombers. We love to hear your favorite beachcombing stories. the people you met, the places you went, and the things you learned. We are proud to be able to share stories and images from beachcombers around the world in the pages of the magazine. Beachcombing is the winner of numerous awards thanks to the contributions of our global beachcombing community. We are looking forward to hearing your story and seeing your photos and videos. We hope we can include them in an upcoming issue.

We always love hearing about:

  • Stories and photos of unique finds
  • Research articles about beach finds
  • Conservation and nature
  • Beach craft ideas and step-by-step tutorials
  • Beachcombing destination articles
  • Sea and beach glass
  • Seashell hunting
  • Rock and fossil collecting
  • Metal detecting
  • Unique art made with beach finds
  • Creative writing and poetry inspired by the beach
  • Beach buddy and favorite finds photos

Upcoming Articles & 🎁 Giveaways

future stories in beachcomber magazine

Check out the list of some upcoming articles we have planned for future issues. Send your submissions and you might win one of our fun 🎁 giveaways! We'd love to see your photos and read your stories!

See a list of what we're currently working on ›


WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS

Please submit your original work that has not been previously published online or in print. Before you click "send," please check your copy to make sure it follows our copy and style guidelines. All images must be submitted separately from your copy, so please don't embed them in a Word document. See below for how to submit your images. Please email your submission ideas to submissions@beachcombingmagazine.com.

PHOTO AND VIDEO SUBMISSIONS

We are always looking for visually striking, engaging, inspiring, high-resolution photos and videos featuring unique sea and beach glass, beaches, shells, fossils, minerals, special finds, collections, art, coastal crafts, beach decor, jewelry, and other images related to beachcombing. We look forward to seeing your photos and videos of your beach finds, sunset shots, art, and beachcombing adventures. Before submitting, please read our image requirements ›

Please submit your original photos and videos that have not been previously published online or in print. Please make sure your submission is in the right format and that you are uploading or sending it to the right place by reading our photo and video submission guidelines. Please don't send images through Facebook or Instagram as they shrink them way down. Thanks!

While you may have a whole bunch of one kind of beach find, showing just one or a few of your favorites in a photo makes a way better photo and lets readers focus on your very best finds. Feel free to send multiple photos, but try to limit the number of items you're trying to show in each image.

We love when photos share the thrill of discovery, so be sure to send along your "as found" photos if you have them!

Options for submitting photos:

✅ Email: Email your photo and include your name, address, and where you found your beach find (you can be as vague or specific as you want on the location!). Send one photo per email. 

✅ File Sharing: Email the shareable link(s) to your files or folders on Google Drive, Dropbox, or Google Photos and include your name, address, and contest category(ies). If you can't figure out how to create a link that is visible to anyone with the link, share a Google Drive folder or Google Photos Album you have created with etchedbytheseashop@gmail.com. Or, send an email to submissions@beachcombingmagazine.com if you would like us to set up a folder on Google Drive or Dropbox where you can upload photos.

✅ Upload: If you would prefer to upload your photo, please use the online Photo Submission Form You can upload up to 10 images at once.

❌ Social Media: We can't use photos that are posted on social media or sent via Facebook Messenger or Instagram as Instagram and Facebook shrink down the images. Plus we don't want everyone to see your photos before the they are in the magazine!

Please make sure that photos are high-resolution, unretouched, and have not been resized.


Permission to use your copy and images

We can't contact everyone who sends in submissions, so please make sure you confirm that your submission follows our copy and image guidelines before you click "send." By submitting copy, photos, and/or videos — through an online form or via email — you agree to the terms of the Beachcombing Magazine Contributor Agreement. Please sign the PDF version of agreement form so we can use your submission in the magazine, website, and videos; to tell us how your name should appear; and to let us know where to mail a free copy of the magazine where your image or story appears.


Feature Article

feature article

Our feature articles may relate to any relevant, informative, or fun topic to engage and educate readers on some aspect of beachcombing, sea and beach glass, seashells, beach fossils, mudlarking, river combing, bottle digging, coastal arts, fossils, driftwood, rock collecting, and more. The articles are sometimes personal stories, but they are more often about sharing information in an interesting and succinct manner, to enlighten, inform, and entertain readers. Please email your submission idea to submissions@beachcombingmagazine.com.


Beach Destinations

beach destination

We love learning about the favorite beaches, shores, and beachcombing destinations of our readers. Share your favorite beach town — and things to do on and off the beach — with our readers. We are happy to send you a questionnaire to complete that will help us write the story about your location using your input.

You can be as specific or vague about your beach locations as you like! Most people aren't necessarily planning to visit your beach — they just want to take a virtual beachcombing trip there. These stories tend to be more about what is found on different beaches, not the specific locations of the beaches.

Readers are particularly interested in the following beaches: Alaska, Bahamas, Bailie Beach, Barrera Beach, Bermuda, Black Bay Beach, Bovisand Beach, Brighton Beach, Camp Hero, Cape Cod, Carreiro de São Marcos, Chesapeake Bay, Coopers Beach, Crossing Rocks, Delaware, England, Flying Point Beach, France, Great Peconic Bay, Greece, Hawaii, Homer Spit Beach, Hope Town Harbour, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jasper Beach, Los Angeles, Maro Beach, Martinique,  Mexico, Michigan, Mornington Back Beaches, Mowry Beach Preserve, Ness Cove Beach, New England, New Jersey, New Zealand, Nova Scotia, Oregon, Portugal, Roque Bluffs State Park, Russia, Scotland, Sorrento Back Beach, South Africa, South Lubec Beach, Spain, St. Thomas, Summerland Beach, Sunzal Beach, Wales, or any other beaches where you’ve found a interesting beach treasures. Let us know about your trip!

🖊 Beachcombing Destination Interview Text ›


Seashells, wildlife, and conservation

hermit crab

We love sharing stories about animals found on the beach — including the seashells some animals create and fossilized remains of animals — plus stories about conservation and ecology. We are also looking for insightful, useful articles about caring for our beaches and the animals that live there, how we can influence change and support organizations that will protect our lakes, oceans and rivers, and safe interactions with the animals and plants that call our beaches home. Please email your submission idea to submissions@beachcombingmagazine.com.

🦀 Beachcombing Wildlife Interview Text ›


Collections, artists, and more

mudlarking collection

Our readers love to learn about new artists, jewelers, craftspeople, and collectors! Consider sharing your creations and collections on our pages through a collector or artisan interview, or share the great crafts you make with your beach finds. These stories are about the interesting things you collect on the beach — beach glass, seashells, beach rocks, fossils, and more — and what you do with them. We prefer stories about artists and collectors who have personally beachcombed the items they use in their work or that they have in their collections, not those who purchase beach materials. View some past stories about beach artists and collectors.

Collectors:

🐚 Beachcombing Collector Interview Text ›

Artists:

🎨 Beachcombing Artist Interview Text ›


Beachcombing Craft How-To

beach arts and crafts diy

Our readers also love how-to articles on crafts that use beach finds. Materials should be reasonably easy to obtain and the skill level should be beginner to intermediate. View some beach crafts we've shared in the past. Please email your arts or crafts idea to submissions@beachcombingmagazine.com


Magazine Covers

beachcombing magazine covers

Have you always wanted to be on the cover of a magazine? Find out how we select Beachcombing magazine cover photos.


Beachcombing Club Events

beachcombing club speaker proposal

If you are interested becoming a Beachcombing Club speaker, we'd love  to hear about your idea! Our goal is to create engaging, interesting videos on subjects about beachcombing, mudlarking, beach destinations, coastal arts, nature, ocean conservation, and virtual beachcombing trips. Following is the basic process:

  1. We agree on a topic together for you to cover.
  2. You upload video and audio clips, photos, and other materials as needed.
  3. Beachcombing creates a professionally edited video.
  4. Beachcombing premieres your video on YouTube with a live text chat with you and live viewers.
  5. Beachcombing hosts a live Zoom Q&A reception with you.
  6. Beachcombing gives you the edited video to post on your website, YouTube channel, and social media. 

If your topic lends itself to a print article, we love featuring our Beachcombing Club speakers in the magazine.

Please contact us with your Beachcombing Club speaker proposal.


Got another idea?

It's no surprise that our beachcombing community is the source of most of the stories in Beachcombing. Let us know if you have something unique to share, a new perspective to bring, or information about your favorite beachcombing finds, locations, and experiences. And, introduce us to someone who has a great story to tell. We'd love to be connected with them! Visit the index of past Beachcombing articles to see the types of stories we print. Please contact us with your ideas.


Submitting Your Stories and Images

Articles should include photos that relate specifically to the topic, and we can help with finding additional images as needed. Email us your article ideas. Please allow 4-6 weeks for a response, as we work on issues 3-4 months ahead of time. All submissions should be suitable for publication in a family magazine. We will contact you if we have questions about your submission.

We do not have strict article length restrictions as we feel the story should dictate how long the article runs. In general, our stories are from 500 to 1,500 words. We will, however, edit your story for length, clarity, and to tailor it to our audience. 

Please read our copy and image guidelines before you submit your article. 

Prefer to upload your copy and images online?

🖊 Beachcombing Destination Interview Form ›

🦀 Beachcombing Wildlife Interview Form ›

🐚 Beachcombing Collector Interview Form ›

🎨 Beachcombing Artist Interview Form ›

🎨 Beachcombing Craft How To Form ›


One final step

By submitting copy, photos, and/or videos — through an online form, file sharing site, or via email — you agree to the terms of the Beachcombing Magazine Contributor Agreement. Please sign the PDF version of agreement form so we can use your submission in the magazine, website, and videos; to tell us how your name should appear; and to let us know where to mail a free copy of the magazine if your image or story appears. Because things can change at the last minute, completing and returning the waiver does not guarantee that your image will appear in the magazine, but will ensure we have your permission to include your words and images if possible. 

Content Deadlines

Putting the magazine together is a lot like beachcombing: You never know what will wash in and when. Sometimes stories we were planning on don't come through, and sometimes complete stories arrive in our mailbox unexpectedly, so we hope you will not hesitate to send in your stories, advice, and photos. All copy and photographs are due to the magazine 6-8 weeks before the date on the cover. Most of our stories are not time-sensitive, so please feel free to submit your stories at any time of the year. We will contact you if we have questions about using your submission in the magazine.

  • Submissions for the January/February issue should be sent by November 1.
  • Submissions for the March/April issue  should be sent by January 1.
  • Submissions for the May/June issue  should be sent by March 1.
  • Submissions for the July/August issue  should be sent by May 1.
  • Submissions for the September/October issue  should be sent by July 1.
  • Submissions for the November/December issue  should be sent by September 1.
beach magazine awards

As a member of the International Sea Glass Association, we are committed to educating collectors, consumers, and retailers as to the properties and benefits of genuine, pure, unaltered sea and beach glass. We do not accept articles or advertisements from those who use or sell fake sea glass. As a member of the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club we promote the study of mollusks and the shells they create. We have a no-live-shelling policy and do not accept articles or advertisements from those who use or sell shells harvested from live animals, including live sand dollars, sea stars, and sea urchins.

international sea glass association sanibel captiva shell club beachcombing club