Travel Fellowships Now Open: Cover COP30 in Brazil with EJN’s Climate Journalism Program

The Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP), led by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, invites early-career and seasoned journalists from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and growing Asia to apply for a prestigious fellowship to report on the thirtieth United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which can be held in Belém, Brazil from November 10 to 21, 2025. A digital fellowship observe can be obtainable for journalists based mostly in Pacific Island nations.

About the Fellowship

Now in its 18th 12 months, the CCMP Reporting Fellowship Program is designed to amplify local weather reporting from the Global South. Since its inception in 2007, the fellowship has enabled greater than 500 journalists from low- and middle-income nations to cowl vital UN local weather summits, producing highly effective and domestically related tales.

Selected fellows will achieve in-depth publicity to local weather negotiations, profit from editorial steerage and mentorship, and be supported in producing impactful local weather tales that resonate with their native audiences.

Fellowship Details

In-Person Fellows

In-person CCMP Fellows will journey to Belém to attend the UN local weather negotiations in November 2025, with particular arrival and departure dates to be decided. Fellowship help contains:

• Operational and logistical help: The CCMP will cowl non-refundable economy-class airfare, lodging, meals, journey medical insurance coverage and floor transportation prices associated to Fellowship participation. Organizers may even facilitate the press accreditation course of and supply logistical help regarding the journey. Please notice that the method of acquiring any crucial visas is the man’s particular person duty, although the CCMP will reimburse visa prices.
• Accommodation: Given the uncertainties round lodging, candidates ought to be comfy with the opportunity of shared housing.
• Financial help: Selected fellows can be supplied a small stipend to offset the price of meals and different incidental bills associated to the fellowship.
• Reporting sources and editorial help: Fellows can be guided by EJN trainers, who’re senior journalists with expertise overlaying UN local weather summits. Prior to the beginning of COP30, fellows will obtain informational sources and technical help to assist put together for reporting on the convention, together with a pre-COP digital workshop to fulfill the trainers, focus on reporting alternatives, and ask any questions. Once in Belém, fellows will take part in an in-person orientation session with seasoned local weather journalists and specialists on the important thing points at this COP and specifically designed actions on the bottom, together with each day briefings and 1-1 discussions with mentors. They may have entry to a Trello board for ease of entry to sources on-the-go and be part of a bunch chat to share data, focus on and ask questions on a protected and safe platform. Fellows may even be inspired to hunt suggestions from EJN trainers on story concepts and drafts all through the fellowship.
• Opportunities for interviews: Fellowship organizers will organize group interviews with high-level officers and subject material specialists.
• Opportunities for networking: Fellows can be inspired to attend networking mixers with different journalists and take part in cohort-building actions together with group meals and/or native excursions. Selected fellows might also be invited to take part as audio system or moderators at official and/or unofficial facet occasions happening through the summit.

Virtual Fellows (Pacific Island Countries Only)

CCMP digital fellows will cowl the COP remotely from their home nations and can take part in program actions totally on Zoom. Fellowship help contains:

• Financial help: Virtual fellows can be supplied with a communications stipend to make sure they’re able to preserve a steady web connection all through the fellowship.
• Reporting sources and editorial help: Fellows can be guided by an EJN coach, who’s a senior journalist with expertise overlaying UN local weather summits. Prior to the beginning of COP30, Fellows will obtain informational sources and technical help to assist put together for reporting concerning the convention, together with a pre-COP digital workshop to fulfill the coach, focus on reporting alternatives, and ask any questions. The CCMP will present entry to livestreams, recordings, and different sources to allow digital fellows to observe COP proceedings and report successfully just about. Fellows will take part in different specifically designed digital actions, together with common briefings and 1-1 discussions with mentors. They may have entry to a Trello board for ease of entry to sources on-the-go and be part of a bunch chat to share data, focus on and ask questions on a protected and safe platform. Fellows may even be inspired to hunt suggestions from EJN trainers on story concepts and drafts all through the fellowship.
• Opportunities for interviews: Fellowship organizers will organize group interviews with high-level officers and subject material specialists on Zoom when attainable.

Who Can Apply?

Eligible candidates should:

• Be knowledgeable journalist from or representing a longtime media home and reporting from a low-and middle-income nation in the checklist beneath.*
• Must not have attended a UNFCCC local weather COP earlier than—both self-funded or as part of a fellowship.
• Those making use of for the in-person fellowship should be obtainable and keen to journey to Belém to attend COP30 in individual.
• Have a great command of the English language.
• Have earlier expertise reporting on local weather change points and clearly point out the sorts of tales you would possibly pursue through the convention.
• Commit to take part in all fellowship actions.
• Share an up-to-date resume/CV.
• Share a video, not more than 2 minutes in size, explaining what you may be reporting on at COP30.
• Provide a letter of help from an editor, producer, or supervisor who can verify that your information experiences can be revealed or broadcast in a longtime media outlet. Freelancers are welcome to apply however should present a signed letter of help from a media outlet for which they intend to report, which commits to publishing the tales they produce as part of this fellowship. Applicants ought to fastidiously contemplate their chosen outlet’s attain, article format, viewers and publication schedule to make sure it aligns with the rigorous and fast-paced nature of reporting from COP30.
• Provide current, related and journalistic work samples on local weather change subjects that had been revealed between 15 July 2024 to fifteen July 2025, which may be uploaded as paperwork or internet hyperlinks. Stories ought to be centered on particular local weather change subjects related to the applicant’s nation—broad or common tales can be much less aggressive. Stories may be in any language so long as they’re accompanied by a brief English synopsis.

Note: You’ll be requested to add these supporting paperwork when you begin the application course of, so please have them prepared. 

*Journalists making use of for the in-person fellowship should be reporting from a rustic in this list of eligible countries (up to date on June 17 , 2025). These nations had been chosen as a result of they’re low- and middle-income nations as defined by the World Bank. 

Journalists making use of for the digital fellowship should report from these Pacific nations: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna. Journalists initially from the Pacific Islands now dwelling in New Zealand or Australia are eligible to apply, so long as they’re reporting for media retailers whose audiences are in the Pacific Islands. 

For the needs of this chance, we are going to solely be accepting functions in English. Unfortunately, we do not need the capability to think about functions in different languages presently. Applicants should be capable of take part totally in an English-language Fellowship to be awarded.

Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (on-line, print, tv, radio). We encourage functions from freelance reporters and workers from all forms of media organizations—worldwide, nationwide, native and community-based.

Journalists who attended local weather COPs in the previous with or with out EJN’s help usually are not eligible for this chance.

The CCMP reserves the appropriate to disqualify candidates from consideration if they’ve been discovered to have engaged in unethical or improper skilled conduct, together with, however not restricted to, plagiarism and submitting AI-generated content material as their very own.

Judging Criteria

Applicants can be evaluated based mostly on:

• Demonstrated expertise in local weather/environmental reporting
• Have reported not too long ago on local weather change and may present two work samples centered on local weather change themes that had been revealed in the final 12 months;
• Have developed a transparent and well-researched reporting plan for the COP, together with potential story concepts. Please evaluate past COP programmes and agendas and guarantee your reporting plan is as particular and detailed as attainable;
• Are capable of present an estimated variety of tales they’ll produce through the Fellowship;
• Have a relationship with a longtime media home and a signed letter of help from an editor agreeing to publish or broadcast work produced on the COP.
• Diversity in geography, medium, and perspective inside the applicant cohort

Story Requirements

Fellows are anticipated to:

• Produce a number of tales through the fellowship, in any format or language

• Provide at the least one English-translated article

• Acknowledge CCMP help in all revealed tales

• Grant EJN and the Stanley Center republication rights

Travel & Safety

Participants are answerable for making certain compliance with Brazilian visa and entry laws. Internews and the Stanley Center will present up-to-date details about journey security and logistics.

Application Process

Applications should be submitted by July 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM (Pacific/Niue Time). No late functions can be accepted.

Start your application by visiting the Earth Journalism Network platform. All candidates should register for a free account to start. Be positive to organize your supporting paperwork in advance.

For technical help or application-related questions, contact: data.ejn@internews.org

---

This fellowship is made attainable with help from Sida, the Smart Family Foundation, and the Friends Foundation, with extra funding companions to be introduced.

Learn More and Apply:

For extra alternatives, please go to the web site of Opportunities For Youth.