Applications are invited under this year’s theme, Resilience. An independent committee will select the successful applicants to participate in our annual professional development programme, which provides intensive editorial support and resources to produce a long-form investigative or analytical story for publication by BIRN, its media partners, and regional media outlets.
Our published work includes features, analysis, and investigative reports presented in depth for a global audience. We prioritize strong storytelling and rigorous, on-the-ground reporting, hallmarks of high-quality magazine journalism.
Who Can Apply?
Journalists with demonstrable professional experience from the following countries are eligible:
Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia.
Applicants must hold citizenship or permanent residence in one of the eligible countries.
What the Fellowship Offers?
Selected fellows will receive:
- A bursary of €3,000 to support their reporting
- Intensive training and mentoring from world-class editors
- Ongoing editorial and networking support from BIRN’s leading regional journalistic network across 14 countries of the Central and SEE region
- An introductory seminar in Vienna (May 13-17) focused on advanced reporting and storytelling techniques
- Additional awards ranging from €1,000 to €3,000 for the three best stories
- Global and regional publication in English and local languages through BIRN’s media network
- Membership in the Fellowship alumni network, fostering collaboration among journalists since 2007
How to Apply?
The application deadline is March 18. To apply, submit your proposal using the official application form.
To increase your chances of selection, we encourage you to explore more details about the programme, including expert tips from our editors.
Here’s what our editor, Neil Arun, has to say about this year’s theme:
Resilience is a great thing, we are told. Resilient individuals easily bounce back from life’s setbacks. Resilient organisations readily adapt to changing market conditions. Resilient supply chains keep the shelves stocked through wars, trade wars and pandemics. As European societies brace for a seismic jolt from a new political reality, you may want to consider what resilience means in this context. Perhaps your proposed story has protagonists who embody resilience in the face of hard times. Or perhaps your proposal itself embodies that spirit, in seeking to deploy journalism as a tool to address a persistent problem.
There is another way of thinking about resilience as a quality embodied not by principled journalists or activists – the usual “good guys” – but rather, by their adversaries. Seen this way, the new order emerging in Europe is testament to the resilience of the forces that are now in the ascendant. How did they succeed despite so many apparent setbacks? If resilience played a part in their ascent, was it the only factor? Or was their ascent also aided by the lack of resilience, the fragility and rigidity, of the alternatives on offer?
I hope that’s enough to get you thinking and don’t stress if the story you want to pursue for the Fellowship has no obvious link to resilience. It is better to propose a strong story that loosely fits the annual theme rather than pitch a weak story that fits the theme perfectly. The annual theme is, as always, our way of testing your ability to re-mould your proposal. It is a test, in other words, of your resilience. Have fun with it.
About the Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence
Since 2007, the Fellowship has provided journalists with funding, mentorship, and editorial guidance to produce agenda-setting investigative stories. Designed to foster a strong and responsible press, the programme has played a vital role in shaping journalistic standards across the region while advancing the careers of its fellows.
Established by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and Erste Foundation, the Fellowship originally focused on South-Eastern Europe and expanded in 2020 to include Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.
To read past Fellowship stories and learn more about the programme, visit the official Fellowship page.