Deadline: 27-Feb-25
The Earth Journalism Network is seeking applications for the Story Grants to support the production of in-depth reporting on current and emerging marine issues in the Adriatic Sea, with a focus on the Western Balkans.
The Adriatic Sea is crucial to the Balkan region, both ecologically and economically. It serves as a vital waterway for trade and transportation and plays a significant role in the region’s climate, moderating temperatures and supporting biodiversity. Its unique geography provides home for more than 7,000 species, including many endemic, rare and endangered species such as Adriatic sturgeons, giant devil rays and red corals. It is estimated that 49% of the known forms of life in the Mediterranean are present in the Adriatic Sea.
However, the Adriatic faces several pressing environmental issues, including pollution from plastics, oil spills, and agricultural runoff, which harm marine ecosystems. Overfishing, habitat degradation, and invasive species also threaten biodiversity. Additionally, climate change, heavy maritime traffic, and mass tourism further impact the marine environment.
With tailored support, local journalists and media outlets have the potential to be powerful agents of change, helping to address this crisis by sharing vital information about ecosystem services, potential solutions and supporting informed policymaking.
To meet this need, Internews’ Earth Journalism Network is pleased to announce a new story grant call to support in-depth reporting on the marine environment in the Adriatic region—including illegal, under-reported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, pollution, coastal development issues and the biodiversity crisis—as well as solutions to the climate and environmental threats confronting this ecosystem, such as the establishment of marine protected areas, new regulations to curb IUU fishing, community-based marine conservation initiatives and enhanced monitoring and enforcement.
Story Themes
- They welcome story ideas focused on, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Overfishing: Overfishing is a significant threat to the Adriatic Sea. Stories can shed light on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and destructive practices that have led to the depletion of several marine species such as sardines and anchovies, hake and shrimp, with some nearing the point of collapse. The lack of effective enforcement of fishing regulations in the region exacerbates this issue.
- Marine Pollution: Journalists may choose to explore the causes and impact of marine pollution including plastic waste, oil spills, noise pollution, industrial waste and oil and gas exploration. They may look at agricultural runoff that contributes to nutrient pollution (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) and leads toto eutrophication, which causes harmful algal blooms. The Adriatic also faces pollution from sewage, especially in areas where wastewater treatment is inadequate.
- Emerging Anthropogenic Stressors in Marine Environments: Journalists may choose to explore the impact of human-induced stressors (besides pollution) on marine ecosystems. These stressors include increased maritime traffic, seismic or seabed surveys, the installation of underwater cables, introduction of invasive species, offshore gas exploration activities, rising sea temperatures, coastal development plans and broader climate change impacts. The Adriatic Sea is a major shipping route, and the heavy marine traffic contributes to chemical pollution, shipwrecks and oil spills. The risk of accidents involving hazardous materials is also a growing concern. Stories can also dig into the consequences of mass tourism, especially during the summer months, from the overuse of natural resources and waste generation to habitat destruction. Tourism also increases the demand for coastal land, leading to urban sprawl and infrastructure development in ecologically sensitive areas.
- Innovative Solutions to Enhance Adriatic Marine Conservation: Stories could highlight under-reported conservation efforts—for instance through the establishment and management of marine protected areas or community-based conservation efforts—or the innovative use of technology to support marine governance, both within countries’ Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and the high seas, or regions beyond national jurisdiction in the Adriatic Sea. This could include the application of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), or the development and deployment of artificial reefs for marine conservation and restoration.
Story Logistics
- They expect to award up to 10 grants with a budget of up to 1,200 Euros each with the expectation that the stories will be published before the end of September 2025. Applicants should consider this timeline when drafting their workplan.
- Safety: They encourage reporters to follow public health regulations and best practices for local disease outbreaks when out in the field, so you do not endanger yourself or the people you’re interviewing. They also encourage journalists to follow best practices on physical and digital safety.
- Language of publication: Stories can be produced in any language. However, applicants who intend to write or produce stories in their local language need to also include an English translation. Please include the cost for translation in the budget, if necessary.
- Story budget: All applicants are required to provide a detailed budget with justification for the amount requested using the template provided below. They ask that the budgets be reasonable and account for costs necessary for reporting, such as travel and accommodation. Please also note on your budget form if you are receiving funding from any other donors for the story.
- Acknowledgement of EJN support: Published stories and/or broadcasts must disclose EJN support by including this tagline: “This story was produced with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.”
- Republication rights: Those who are awarded grants are free to publish or broadcast their stories first in their affiliated media as long as Internews’ EJN, its partners and the project supporters are also given rights to edit, publish, broadcast and distribute them freely.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications from Western Balkan countries that border the Adriatic Sea are welcome (i.e. Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania). Journalists from inland Balkan countries such as Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia are also eligible to apply if their stories can be directly tied to the Adriatic Sea.
- Groups of journalists are eligible, and cross-border collaborations are most welcome; 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, they will only be accepting written applications in English. Unfortunately, they do not have the capacity to consider applications in other languages at this time. Applicants must 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, social media) and other expert media practitioners with professional reporting experience. They welcome applications from early-career journalists and experienced reporters with a track record of environmental issues. They encourage applications from freelance reporters and staff from all types of media organizations—international, national, local and community-based.
- EJN reserves the right to disqualify applicants from consideration if they have been found to have engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct, including, but not limited to, plagiarism and/or submitting AI-generated content as their own.
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: 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.
- 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 the stories by September 30, 2025 at the latest. Requests for extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
For more information, visit EJN.