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We are awarding 10 Fellowships to journalists from Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe who have an idea for a story that needs dedicated on-the-ground reporting, in-depth research, generous funding and sustained editorial attention to do it justice.
Applications are solicited under this year’s theme, Transformation. Successful applicants will be chosen by an independent committee to take part in our ten-month programme for professional development, culminating in the production of a compelling longform story to be published by BIRN and its media partners.
The Fellowship provides:
- a bursary of €3,000
- the chance to improve your reporting skills by working in close collaboration with world-class editors
- ongoing mentoring and support from BIRN’s leading regional journalistic network, present in 14 countries of the Central and SEE region
- the opportunity to participate in an introductory seminar focused on reporting and storytelling techniques
- the chance to win additional awards worth between 3.000 and 1.000 euros for the best three stories
- worldwide publication of reports in local languages and English through our network of media partners
- membership of the Fellowship alumni network, designed to support networking between fellows who have participated in the programme since 2007
Here to inspire you to with this year’s theme is our editor, Neil Arun:
“This is a chance to pitch a story that probes the changes that have been set in motion, or that have gathered pace, over the past year. We would love to hear something fresh about the shifting power relationships in society – between governments and the governed, nation states and the EU, rich and poor, individuals and institutions. What new energies have been released? What old liberties have been curtailed? How have criminality and corruption been forced to innovate?
How are powerful institutions – formal and informal, legal and illicit – adapting to instability? As well as showing what has been altered and sacrificed, your pitch might also want to highlight what has been preserved, taking its cue from Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s maxim: “Everything must change to stay the same.”
While we expect you to think politically and to follow the money, your story does not have to come from the world of politics or commerce. Your inspiration may also come from culture, science or technology, the events unfolding in your social networks or outside your front door.”
As always, the best pitches establish a link between the specific and the general. So, where you only have a general idea for the story you want to cover, please also think about the specifics – the incidents, institutions and individuals – that will illuminate that idea. Conversely, if you have a very specific story that you want to pursue, please also consider what it means in general terms, in a global context.
A good Fellowship story will be the product of months and months of your dedication as a reporter – meeting people, sifting through documents, revising drafts, and examining every possible angle with an editor. If your pitch holds the promise of just such a story, it has a good chance of success.
