EJN Story Grants on Fisheries Transparency 2026 – YOA

Deadline: January 15, 2026

Applications are open for the EJN Story Grants on Fisheries Transparency 2026. EJN is providing 5 story grants with assist from the Oak Foundation to assist construct the capability of journalists to report on and enhance their protection of fisheries transparency points. In addition to funding, chosen journalists will obtain assist from skilled mentors all through the story manufacturing course of.

They welcome story concepts that focus on the next themes, together with, however not restricted to:

• Fisheries administration: The affect of corporations not reporting catch volumes and lack of presidency transparency on fishing legal guidelines and agreements, subsidies, inventory assessments and monetary contributions.
• Fishing vessel actions at sea: The challenges of monitoring and regulating vessel actions, together with trawling, underreporting catches, transshipment, unauthorized fishing in restricted areas, lack of know-how on vessel possession and the complicated administration of multinational fishing fleets.
• Supply chains: The challenges of verifying seafood sustainability claims, monitoring the certification panorama and monitoring the place seafood comes from and the way it will get to a client’s plate.
• Technology options for elevated transparency: The improvements being made in fields similar to generative AI, satellite tv for pc monitoring, DNA testing and extra to allow higher vessel monitoring and species and origin verification.
• Policy options for elevated transparency: Global, regional and nationwide frameworks, such because the Charter and others, and whether or not they’re efficient in pushing governments to extend transparency within the fisheries sector.

grant

• They count on to award 5 grants with a funds of $1,500 USD every.

Eligibility

• Applicants will be from any coastal nation. For the needs of this grant name, they are going to solely be focusing on marine fisheries, not freshwater.
• They are notably enthusiastic about cross-border and transboundary tales, and teams of journalists are inspired to apply. However, the application have to be made within the identify of 1 lead applicant. Lead candidates are answerable for speaking with EJN and receiving funds on the group’s behalf, if awarded. 
• For the needs of this grant OPPORTUNITY, they are going to solely be accepting purposes in English. Unfortunately, they don’t have the capability to contemplate purposes in different languages right now. Applicants should both have a working understanding of English or have a translator out there to help with communication with Internews workers.
• Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (on-line, print, tv, radio) and different professional media practitioners with skilled reporting expertise. They welcome purposes from early-profession journalists and skilled reporters with a observe document of overlaying ocean points. They encourage purposes from freelance reporters and workers from all sorts of media organizations—worldwide, nationwide, native and neighborhood-based mostly.
• Applicants are required to be clear about the usage of generative AI instruments, if any, to revise their proposals. EJN 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, submitting AI-generated content material as their very own. 

Judging Criteria

Applicants ought to contemplate the next factors when devising their story proposals.

• Relevance: Does the proposal meet the standards and targets of the decision? Why does this story matter and to whom? Is the principle concept, context and total worth to the audience clearly outlined?
• Angle: If the story has been lined, does your proposal carry new insights to the subject or supply a contemporary angle?
• Reach: Does the proposed media outlet have a large attain? Journalists publishing their work at shops that usually limit content material behind paywalls are inspired to safe commitments to publish from further shops or request an exception to make sure their EJN-supported story stays accessible to audiences.
• Impact: Does the proposal have a compelling narrative or investigative aspect that may inform and have interaction, draw consideration, set off debate and spur motion?
• Innovative storytelling: The use of artistic approaches, multimedia and information visualization can be thought-about a plus.
• Plan for well timed publication: Reporters, whether or not freelance or employed at a media outlet, might want to embrace a letter of assist from an editor of their application, committing to publish the tales by October 31, 2026.

Application

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to EJN Story Grants.