Deadline: 20-Jul-2025
The Fellowship for Journalists offers a unique blend of intensive capacity building and robust production support to empower you.
Sharpen your investigative and multimedia skills, and produce compelling stories that truly illuminate the complexities and opportunities of a sustainable future for the region. Join them and become a leading voice in this critical field.
The Fellowship is part of the project “Greening the Narratives: Advancing Awareness of the Green Transition in the Western Balkans”, supported by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans. It is designed to enhance the journalistic capacity of reporters and content creators by combining online and onsite training, expert mentoring, and story production grants.
Main objectives are to increase transparency of the renewable energy sector, promote public awareness, and support the democratization and decentralization of energy markets through more robust media coverage. It consists of several interconnected activities designed to enhance media reporting on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. The goal: to empower a new generation of journalists to produce high-quality, cross-border, and inclusive reporting on the just green transition – with a focus on transparency, energy reforms, and the voices of vulnerable communities.
Benefits
- Selected participants will benefit from:
- In-person and online training modules on investigative, mobile, and multiplatform journalism, and use of AI tools in content production;
- All expenses for the mandatory onsite training (including travel, accommodation, and meals) will be covered by the organizer;
- Editorial and mentoring support from experienced journalists and trainers;
- A competitive production grant of approximately $1,000, awarded to the five fellows who develop the top story proposals;
- Networking opportunities.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Fellowship is open to journalists, media workers, and digital content creators based in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia with a demonstrated interest in environmental or just green transition topics. A good command of English is a mandatory requirement for all applicants.
- Up to 15 fellows will be selected for the fellowship. Only the accepted fellows will be invited through a targeted call to apply for production grants.
Selection Criteria
- Motivation and potential for growth: Your CV and motivation letter (max. 750 words) should clearly articulate why you are interested in this fellowship, how it aligns with your professional aspirations, and how you see yourself growing as a journalist through this program.
- Interest or experience in reporting on just green transition: In the application form highlight your previous engagement with environmental and energy topics. This can include: Participation in relevant workshops or projects/or a proven track record of published articles, multimedia pieces, or digital content focused on environmental issues, climate change, or energy transition.
- Quality and relevance of previous work: Submit up to 3 relevant work samples that showcase your journalistic skills, particularly in investigative or multimedia storytelling. These should ideally relate to environmental or social justice issues. Please provide direct links or upload PDF/media files as specified in the application form.
- Commitment to full participation: You should confirm your availability and commitment to participate fully in all online and onsite training sessions, mentoring, and story production phases from Late July 2025 to December 2025.
- Willingness to engage in potential cross-border collaboration: In the application form describe any prior experience with cross-border projects or your interest and ideas for potential cross-border journalistic collaboration on green transition topics within the Western Balkans.
For more information, visit Open Society Foundations.