Deadline: October 15, 2022
Applications are open for the EJN East Africa Biodiversity Story Grants 2022. Internews’ Earth Journalism Network is seeking to award 10 journalists with grants to produce in-depth biodiversity and conservation feature stories in East Africa.
East Africa is a global biodiversity conservation priority, but systematic conservation planning is hampered by the absence of a comprehensive understanding of the most prevalent biodiversity threats in the region.
There are known data gaps in understanding the top threats to biodiversity in many regions of sub-Saharan Africa, including East Africa. Improved awareness of the regional and sub-regional threats would help local and regional conservation projects and policymakers successfully address these threats, and ensure their strategies to ensure conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity are more effective.
Grant
- They expect to award up to 10 grants with an average budget of US$1,200 each.
Eligibility
- Journalists from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda are welcome to apply.
- All applicants are strongly encouraged, but not mandated, to complete EJN’s online course on biodiversity before submitting their proposal to EJN.
- Groups of journalists are eligible. 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.
- They encourage applications from freelance reporters and staff from all types of media organizations – international, national, local and community-based.
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: What is the audience size of the proposed media outlet? 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 and should be explained in detail in the proposal.
- Feasibility: Can the story be realistically completed within the target time frame? Is the budget realistic? Judges will strongly evaluate and consider whether the budget is reasonable and is aimed at covering costs needed for the research and reporting rather than externalities.
- Diversity: They will take gender and geographical distribution into account when selecting the grantees in addition to the criteria above.
- 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 no later than March 15, 2023.
Application
Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
For more information, visit EJN Grants.