Submit a piece for editorial consideration in the Mensa Bulletin

The Mensa Bulletin, national magazine for American Mensa members, is eager to consider for publication interesting ideas, insights, expertise, and expressions liable to stimulate readers’ intellects. The vast majority of the magazine’s content comes from members, but the Bulletin will also consider submissions from nonmembers as well.

All contributions must be the original property of the contributor. Submission to the Bulletin constitutes the contributor granting American Mensa, Ltd., the privilege of reproducing and distributing the contribution as part of the Bulletin issue in which it appears. Unless otherwise contracted, contributors retain ownership of their work. Contributors may be sent a nonexclusive license agreement form by which they may further grant to American Mensa, Ltd., sublicensing rights for the benefit of American Mensa, its affiliate corporations, and other Mensa organizations worldwide. Please include your name and member number with all submissions.

Manuscripts

We prefer unpublished manuscripts but will also consider submissions that have in part or in whole been published elsewhere.

The topics covered in the Bulletin range as widely as American Mensa members’ interests. There are no specific subjects we pursue or avoid but are generally guided by two questions when considering content: Will Mensans find this compelling? And is this content Mensans aren’t likely to find in other commoditized mediums? We value articles about intelligence or experiences in Mensa but also appreciate esoteric subjects. Readers tend to favor depth and specificity over breadth, a preference that has led to some delightfully narrow explorations in the magazine.

Feature articles usually fall in the range of 1,000 to 3,000 words, but shorter and longer submissions have been accepted. In general, the longer a submission is — the more of the magazine’s limited pages needed to print it — the higher standard it will face to be published. Fiction submissions should not exceed 4,000 words.

We prefer to receive writing submissions as Word document attachments or with the copy included in the body of an email to our Editor. We are not especially concerned with formatting — font, spacing, layout, etc. — so long as the submission is legible and easy to follow. All submissions in Comic Sans will be rejected.

We reserve the right to select submissions for publication. All contributions are subject to editing for content and house style. But for extenuating circumstances, no anonymous contributions are accepted.

Art and Photography

Art must be original and submitted digitally via email in one of the following file formats: .jpg, .pdf, .eps, .tif. If you wish to become an artist for the Bulletin, email the Art Director with samples of your work. To be considered for publication, photos must be original and high resolution (the larger the better). Digital submissions are preferred.

Letters

Letters shorter than 450 words receive preference for publication. Letters longer than 750 words are rarely published. Selection of letters favors letter-provoking ideas, representative rebuttals, humor, and temperate, logical, persuasive expression. Dead horse topics will not be beaten. No ad hominem attacks. Send letters to bulletinletters@americanmensa.org.

AI Use in Creative Submissions

At Mensa, we celebrate human intelligence. It’s kind of our thing. We welcome work that reflects your own ideas, skills, creativity, and voice. Please don’t submit art, photos, or writing that’s been generated or heavily altered by artificial intelligence or work that includes AI-generated elements you didn’t create yourself.

Limited use of AI tools for routine cleanup or assistance is fine — think grammar correction, photo retouching, layout help, or idea organization. But any use of generative tools (for example, ChatGPT, Midjourney, DALL·E, Firefly, or similar) to create or modify the creative content itself should be disclosed when you submit. If you used a generative tool at any stage of your process, just mention briefly how — whether for brainstorming, outlining, or refining. We don’t discourage new technology; we simply want transparency about what’s human-made and what’s machine-assisted.

We may decline or request revisions to any submission that relies substantially on AI-generated material or misrepresents its authorship. Our goal is to make sure every piece we share reflects what Mensans do best: using intelligence, imagination, and originality to create something genuinely human.

Deadlines

Typically, we are working on content at least four weeks (and typically closer to six weeks) from the beginning of the month of that month’s issue.

Reprints

Permission to reprint contributions must be obtained from the Editor.

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