Reporting grants

Reporting Grant 2022 +++ CLOSED+++

Fellow journalists,

Do you have a story that needs to be told? You’ve come to the right place. zenith magazine is announcing in partnership with Candid Foundation a third iteration of our stipend program, again supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. We are calling for stories to be pitched that demonstrate a clear connection to the ever accelerating climate change and its effects on public health in the region. There are no limitations regarding the subject of your story, but your pitch will be evaluated with the following criteria in mind:

  1. The topic is urgent, underreported and of importance to a wider audience
  2. Our jury must be satisfied that candidates can deliver their story
  3. The ethics of good journalism must not be violated
  4. The report emphasizes solutions and / or highlight constructive approaches to the problems at hand

As this program aims to help develop the grantees portfolio suitable for international markets, all candidates must have a strong command of English as the main outputs are expected to be in English. Eligible are journalists from the following countries:

Algeria | Egypt | Iraq | Jordan | Lebanon | Libya | Palestinian Territories | Sudan | Syria | Tunisia

The 2022 iteration of the Candid Journalism Grant is designed as a cross-border tandem program. We will award 4 stipends in total, each is given to a team of two journalists from neighboring countries. At least one team member must reside in either Iraq, Tunisia, Lebanon or Sudan. Each stipend is worth 4,000 EUR to be shared equally between the tandem partners.

We are looking for a candidates with several years of professional experience, a track record in investigative journalism and a proven history of well-researched publications. Both freelancers and colleagues on fixed contracts are invited to apply. Applicants have to be at least 18 years old and we strongly encourage female journalists to submit an application.

The application phase ran from 14 March until 29 May 2022. Within a reasonable timeframe, our jury will decide which candidate will be awarded a stipend.

Apply now

 You have questions? Check out our FAQ

 

Applications can be submitted from 14 March until 29 May 2022. After a reasonable amount of time as elapsed following the submission deadline, our jury will decide which candidate will be awarded a stipend. We will then inform the winners. Given the large volume of applications we expect to receive, we would kindly ask applicants to please refrain from contacting us regarding the status of their applications as we will not be able to respond.
Any journalist who is above the age of 18 and comes from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestinian Territories, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia is eligible to apply for a grant together with a colleague from a neighboring country. Both journalists on fixed-term contracts and freelancers can apply. However, our ideal candidate would be somebody with a proven track record of producing excellent work that has satisfied the highest journalist standards. We strongly encourage female and non-binary journalists to apply.
We are looking for in-depth reporting that tackles fundamental issues that newsrooms usually struggle to fund. Each story has to demonstrate a clear connection to climate heating and public health in the region. We are explicitly looking for stories that transcend national borders, and that take on a meaning for regional or even global audiences.
Not necessarily. We encourage applications with stories in all of the following formats: audio, visual, photographic, multimedia, and written.
Each grant is worth €4,000, the amount will be split between the two tandem partners. Each grant will be paid in two instalments: 50% upfront, 50% after the project has been completed. On top of these funds, we offer each successful applicant guidance and mentoring throughout the entire process of research until final publication.
Yes, you need to apply as a team of two. Teams are required to provide the details of each individual team member in the application process and must decide on which team member will head the team and serve as the main point of contact. Kindly note, that at least one team member must reside in either Iraq, Tunisia, Lebanon or Sudan.
Our jury consist of a diverse range of highly-skilled and experienced journalists from both the MENA region and Europe.
Each grant we offer is worth up to €4,000 Euro. We require each applicant to provide a list of what specifically the funds will be spent on. This can include but is not limited to: accommodation, travel expenses, rental cars, visa fees, and hiring fees for local fixers or stringers. We do not fund the purchase of technical equipment. Freelance reporters are strongly encouraged to add their salary to the list of expenses.
You can send an email to grant@zenith.me. We would kindly ask if prospective applicants only contact us after having thoroughly read both this Q&A and the grant announcement.
All stories must be written in English, as the intention of the grant program is to further build an international portfolio of the grantees and thus allows them to be more competititve. However, we encourage all grantees to translate their pieces to their native language as well to find additional publishing opportunities.