Applications are open for Asia-Pacific Story Grants 2020-21. With the world undergoing dramatic social and environmental change, Earth Journalism Network believes it is increasingly important for journalists to dig deep into stories that uncover the various drivers of this degradation, point out the actors and push decision-makers to respond.
They’re seeking stories that go beyond answering the basic who, what, when and where, and investigate how and why governments, businesses, and financial institutions are acting in ways that directly or indirectly exploit our land and natural resources, and then outline the repercussions.
Looking for fully-funded opportunities, install the Youth Opportunities Android or iOS App here.
Environmental issues are often highly complex and interlinked with so many other social, political and economic challenges. They’re seeing that play out now in the Covid-19 pandemic and the ways in which it has exposed how closely tied environmental abuse is to public health outcomes. They encourage journalists to unravel the linkages that enable these exploitations to take place and explain their combined impacts on our planet. Addressing these facts send your story and participate for Asia-Pacific Story Grants!
Story Themes
EJN looking for incisive, in-depth stories that put human experiences at the centre of the storytelling. Ideas should consider but not be limited to questions such as:
- Could Covid-19 lead to a green wave in Asia? Are governments thinking of ways to integrate more sustainable and environmentally friendly policies into economic stimulus packages? Or are governments pumping in funds to support polluting industries?
- Have coal or oil and gas companies get bailouts? What about animal processing plants and factory farms? What does this indicate about those government’s commitments to the environment?
- What’s the future for coal vs. renewable energy in a Covid-19 altered world?
- What implications could the global economic downturn have on efforts to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss? Could countries shift funds they’d committed to cutting carbon emissions and boosting conservation toward rebooting their economies?
- Could air quality in Asian cities worsen or improve amid the economic shutdowns many places have imposed?
- How could Covid-19 travel restrictions and the resulting slump in tourism affect eco-tourism and conservation efforts?
- How will Covid-19 travel restrictions affect migration and land rights?
- Are communities that have responded to past disasters – by creating community gardens to ensure access to food, for example – weathering the pandemic better?
- Are communities that bear the brunt of climate change and other environmental destruction more vulnerable to the health and economic impacts of Covid-19?
- How are Covid-19 restrictions impacting the ability of governments and/or communities to respond to environmental threats? The locust swarms in East Africa and India, for example.
- How are indigenous people managing their customary forests and protecting and conserving forests and biodiversity? Are they pushing for greater land rights or finding innovative ways to protect themselves from the impacts of environmental degradation? Has the Covid-19 pandemic made those efforts more challenging?
Benefits
EJN expects to award around 30 grants averaging $1,500 depending on the proposal and needs. They will consider larger grant amounts for stories using innovative or investigative approaches that may be more costly and time-consuming.
Eligibilities
- For the purposes of this grant call, they are accepting applications from South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific region but not Australia or New Zealand.
- Applications are open to journalists (online, print, television, radio) and other expert media practitioners with experience in investigative reporting and covering environmental issues. They encourage applications from freelancers and staff from all types of media organizations – international, national, local and community-based.
- They are seeking to support both early career and senior journalists with many years of reporting experience. They’ll accept both individual and group applications, but for the latter, they ask that the application is made in the name of one lead applicant who will receive the grant on the group’s behalf if awarded.
Application Process
- Apply online through the given link.
- If you have an existing account, you’ll need to log in. If not, you must register for an account by clicking “Join the Network” on the top right of the page.
- If you start the application and want to come back and complete it later, you can click “Save Draft.” To return to the draft, you’ll need to go back to the opportunity and click “Apply Now” again to finalize the application.
- Applicants should provide a detailed budget with justification for the amount requested. Download the budget template from the Apply Now link They expect that proposals will largely reflect what equipment the applicant already has access to (including cameras, drones, lighting, tripods, etc.) and will not consider budgets that heavily focus on procuring new supplies. Please include the cost for translation in the budget, if necessary. Please also note on your budget form if you are receiving funding from other donors for the story.
- You must submit three samples of stories or links to relevant work. You’ll be asked to upload these once you start the application process so please get them ready beforehand.
- Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Looking for fully-funded opportunities, install the Youth Opportunities Android or iOS App here.
Application Deadline: August 27, 2020
Application ClosedOfficial link
