Deadline: 12-Nov-2025
The Earth Journalism Network is hosting a two-day virtual media workshop from 28-29 January 2026 for journalists in the Western Balkans interested in reporting on environmental threats and solutions.
The Environmental Journalism Network’s (EJN) Boosting Environmental Coverage in the Western Balkans project aims to deepen and diversify environmental storytelling and build the capacity of local journalists to report on under-reported threats to nature, as well as the solutions needed to protect and conserve the Western Balkans’ vital ecosystems.
The workshop will focus on several key themes, including understanding what biodiversity is and how it is measured, as well as exploring what an ecosystem is and the services ecosystems provide to communities. It will examine the links between biodiversity, climate change, and human health, and cover biodiversity-related policies at the international and regional levels, from the Ramsar Convention to EU accession regulations and requirements.
Participants will also learn about conservation, with examples of successful conservation instruments such as protected areas and nature-based solutions, and delve into biodiversity credits or biodiversity offsets. Additionally, the workshop will explore the use of technologies such as satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to track threats to biodiversity and monitor biodiversity protection measures.
This upcoming virtual workshop will introduce journalists to biodiversity and its critical role in the natural world. Designed as an interactive learning experience, the sessions will combine presentations and discussions led by media trainers, researchers, policymakers, civil society organizations, and local communities engaged in biodiversity initiatives.
Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity’s definition and importance, learn about protection strategies ranging from national policies to grassroots initiatives, and develop journalistic techniques to effectively engage audiences on biodiversity issues.
The workshop will also equip attendees with skills to access data, sources, and tools for biodiversity reporting. Upon completion, participants will receive an EJN certificate acknowledging their successful participation across both days of training.
Following the workshop, EJN will offer 10 to 12 story grants to support in-depth reporting on biodiversity threats and innovative conservation solutions. Journalists who attend the workshop will receive special consideration for these grants, which may cover travel, reporter stipends, and multimedia elements. Grantees will also benefit from one-on-one editorial mentorship from senior journalists.
Eligible applicants include journalists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo. The training will be conducted in English only, with applications accepted exclusively in the language. EJN encourages applications from freelance reporters and staff from various media organizations, including community-based, local, national, and international outlets, with a particular emphasis on women, rural, and early-career journalists.
Approximately 30 participants will be selected to attend the workshop, which will take place virtually via Zoom over two days in January 2026, featuring four hours of training sessions each day. Successful applicants will be notified in December 2025, while the final workshop agenda will be shared at that time. The subsequent call for story grant applications will open in January 2026, with awards distributed between February and March 2026.
The deadline for applications is 12 November 2025.
For more information, visit EJN.