Application Deadline: 15 October 2022
Internews’ Earth Journalism Network is seeking to award 10 journalists with grants of up to $1,200 to produce in-depth biodiversity and conservation feature stories in East Africa.
The stories, besides appearing in the successful journalists’ platforms, will also be showcased in the newly launched Biodiversity Knowledge Hub, led by EJN’s East Africa Wildlife Journalism project to improve media coverage of environment issues in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
This opportunity is part of EJN’s East Africa Wildlife Journalism project, which is supported by funding from the US Department of the Interior (DOI) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Eligibility Requirements
- Journalists from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda are welcome to apply. All applicants are strongly encouraged, but not mandated, to complete EJN’s online course on biodiversity before submitting their proposal to EJN.
- Groups of journalists are eligible. However, the application must be made in the name of one lead applicant. Lead applicants are responsible for communicating with EJN and receiving funds on the group’s behalf, if awarded.
- For the purposes of this grant opportunity, we will only be accepting applications in English. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to consider applications in other languages at this time. Applicants must either have a working understanding of English or have a translator available to assist with communication with Internews staff.
- Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio) and other expert media practitioners with professional reporting experience. Photojournalists and multimedia practitioners with published visual work are also eligible. We welcome applications from experienced reporters with a track record of covering environmental and climate issues. Experience in investigative reporting, particularly on wildlife or biodiversity issues, is preferred.
Judging criteria
Applicants should consider the following points when devising their story proposals.
- Relevance: Does the proposal meet the criteria and objectives of the call? Why does this story matter and to whom? Is the main idea, context and overall value to the target audience clearly defined?
- Angle: If the story has been covered, does your proposal bring new insights to the topic or offer a fresh angle?
- Impact: What is the audience size of the proposed media outlet? Does the proposal have a compelling narrative or investigative element that will inform and engage, draw attention, trigger debate and spur action?
- Innovative storytelling: The use of creative approaches, multimedia and data visualization will be considered a plus and should be explained in detail in the proposal.
- Feasibility: Can the story be realistically completed within the target time frame? Is the budget realistic? Judges will strongly evaluate and consider whether the budget is reasonable and is aimed at covering costs needed for the research and reporting rather than externalities.
- Diversity: We will take gender and geographical distribution into account when selecting the grantees in addition to the criteria above.
- Plan for timely publication: Reporters, whether freelance or employed at a media outlet, will need to include a letter of support from an editor in their application, committing to publish no later than March 15, 2023.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the EJN East Africa Biodiversity Story Grants 2022
