Deadline: March 15, 2024
Applications are open for the Mongabay Africa Scholarships for Environmental Journalism 2024. In an era where signs of environmental degradation are increasingly visible, the role of quality environmental journalism is essential. But like the news industry as a whole, environmental journalism is weakened by changing business models that reduce funding for reporting, by the decline in press freedom in many countries, and by the lack of professional opportunities for journalists at the start of their careers. Problems that are particularly exacerbated in regions that are bearing the brunt of climate change, while loss of biodiversity, degradation of land and oceans and various forms of pollution threaten indigenous communities.
To combat this situation, Mongabay Africa is launching its French-speaking scholarship program for environmental journalism on the African continent. A course that allows aspiring journalists residing in key biodiversity locations to produce reports on crucial environmental issues. The objective: to contribute to the career development of their fellows, by allowing them to gain training, experience and credibility. Ultimately, Mongabay hopes that participants will join its growing global network, becoming regular contributors.
Benefits
- Each scholar receives $500 USD per month during the 3 months of the program, for a total of $1,500 USD. He will work closely with the editor-in-chief of scholarship programs as well as other journalists in the editorial office to produce a total of three reports.
- Each fellow thus undertakes to work 10 hours per week to produce an average of one report per month. His productions are intended to be published on the Mongabay site.
- Work is done remotely – Mongabay does not have an office and cannot provide work visas.
Eligibility
- Applicants must aspire to pursue a career as an environmental journalist;
- Applicants must be able to work remotely with a good internet connection and webcam, and commit to a total of 10 hours of work per week;
- For this first cohort, candidates must reside in one of the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger or Togo;
- No level of education is required to apply. This scholarship program is not linked to any university;
- All application documents must be submitted in the appropriate language (French for the French-speaking program).
Required Qualifications
- Understanding of the basics of reporting and interest in writing news articles
- Interest in nature conservation issues
- Aspire to a career as an environmental journalist
- Proven information and writing skills
- Ability to meet scholarship program planning requirements
- Any affinity towards multimedia content will be carefully considered
Application
On the application form, you will be asked to fill in your contact details, answer a few questions about your interests and upload the following documents:
- A CV (1-2 pages maximum)
- A cover letter (1 page maximum) to introduce yourself and answer these questions:
- What are your career goals? How are they linked to environmental journalism?
- Why should Mongabay select you for this program?
- An example of a text (published or not) written in a journalistic style, linked to an environmental theme.
Apply here for the French-speaking program
Apply here for the English program
Apply here for the Spanish speaking program
For more information, visit Mongabay Africa Scholarships.
