Балканска стипендия за журналистически отлични постижения

Application Call 2019

Do you know of a brilliant story that is begging to be reported? Do you want to take your skills as a journalist to another level, receiving close editorial support and a generous allowance in order to research a subject in depth? If the answer to either of those questions is yes, you should consider applying for the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence.

The theme for this year’s fellowship is FREEDOM. If you already have a story that you want to pursue, you can use the theme to frame your proposal. If you are still searching for a story, the theme can help, by making you ask the right questions.

We are receiving applications from journalists from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Greece and Serbia. Please make sure you send us your application, including your proposal for a story based on this year’s theme, by March 06.

As well as answering the who, what, when, where and why of your story, your proposal should answer the question: so what? Why should your readers care?

Before you get started, please look at these tips for making an application from 2017 and 2018.

Each year, 10 journalists are chosen through open competition to receive funding and professional support to conduct in depth research and write journalistic stories that reveal something new about our world – or that reveal the familiar in a new light.

Applicants selected by an independent committee to take part in the fellowship will receive a €2,000 bursary and up to another €2,000 for travel and research expenses. They will also attend international seminars and receive continuous one-to-one mentoring for their stories.

Stories from the programme will be published by BIRN and by prominent regional and international media outlets. The top three stories, as selected by an independent jury, will also receive cash awards.