The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network office in Macedonia on February 18 held a reception to promote the ninth annual Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence. Experienced journalists are invited to send story proposals by February 25 based on the theme of “Values”.
BIRN Macedonia Director Ana Petruseva explained the programme to journalists and editors who wish to apply with proposals for stories that involve cross-border investigations.
“The Fellowship is an opportunity to learn from some of the best journalists and editors out there and for your stories to be published in such renowned world media outlets as the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian and others,” Petrusheva said.
Macedonian 2014 Fellow Marija Mitevska said work on such investigative stories was time-consuming but she nevertheless urged journalists to apply for what she called a “once-in-a-lifetime experience”.
The application deadline is February 25. Journalists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Greece and Serbia are eligible.
Applicants selected for the Fellowship will receive €2,000 as a bursary and up to another €2,000 for travel and research expenses. They will also attend international seminars and receive one-to-one mentoring for their stories.
Completed articles will be published in English and in local languages by leading regional and international media. In addition, the top three articles will receive awards of €4,000, €3,000 and €1,000.
The Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme is supported by the ERSTE Foundation and the Open Society Foundation in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN.
The application form, guidelines and further information about the fellowship are available online: fellowship.birn.eu.com.