Application guidelines 2012

BALKAN FELLOWSHIP FOR JOURNALISTICE EXCELLENCE: BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The Balkan news media are increasingly required to report on complex reform issues with regional and European dimensions. Journalists, however, are under-prepared to tackle these, lacking resources for appropriate training and foreign travel.

To encourage regional networking among journalists and advance balanced coverage of topics that are central to the region as well as to the EU, the Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE Foundation have initiated a fellowship programme in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN.

The programme

Ten fellows from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia will be selected on the basis of applications submitted. The fellowship will run from April until December 2012 and three winners shall be selected during the final seminar held in late November.

Fellows are expected during this period to produce one in-depth journalistic article of no more than 2,000 words, based on the research proposal they submit. Editorial guidance and control shall be provided by BIRN.

The fellowship programme involves the following elements:

1. Fellowship bursary of €2,000 per selected fellow
2. Introductory training seminar in Vienna, with regional and international expert trainers (scheduled for April 2012)
3. Ongoing mentoring and support from BIRN representatives in fellows’ own country
4. Grant of up to €2,000 for research expenses, including one regional trip and one trip within the EU, with guidance and organisational support provided by programme partners
5. Two-day editing sessions in Belgrade or Skopje during September and October 2012
6. Final evaluation seminar and award ceremony in a regional state (scheduled for late November 2012)
7. Publication of reports in all local languages and English (October -December 2012)
8. Promotional events to mark booklet launch in southeastern European countries (December 2012)
9. Membership of fellowship alumni network

Award

The selection committee judges the quality of the reports and awards prizes to three fellows. The top prize-winner will win €4,000, the second will receive €3,000 and the third €1,000.


FELLOWSHIP RULES

1. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

1.1. Who can participate?

Individuals from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia with demonstrable journalistic experience are eligible to apply for the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence. Applicants should be proficient in English (speaking, reading and comprehension), although reports may be written in local languages.

1.2 Employer consent

Applicants must be able to dedicate adequate time to the fellowship, in terms of research, trips, attending the opening and closing seminars (one in Vienna and one in the region), writing and attending publicity events.


To that end, any necessary permission from the applicant’s employer to participate in the fellowship should be secured in advance.

2. THEME OF THE 2012 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME: COMMUNITIES

For this year's programme, we encourage applicants to consider the annual theme, communities, in a broad sense. Candidates should examine different groupings - political, economic, national, gender, generational - and the relationship between them, external influences and the development of entirely new groups or factions.

Ensure you think about your story's significance not just in your home country, but also in at least one other regional state and within the European Union. Choose phenomena that are relevant, current and original.

Like many European states, communities across the Balkans have been under stress as people struggle to cope with new economic realities. As most youngsters head for the cities or go abroad in search of opportunities, many villages have been reduced to virtual ghost-towns. The birth-rate and population size in many countries have also declined in recent decades.

Have these developments fuelled intergenerational conflict over lifestyle, choice, duty, morality and freedom? How well have cities absorbed this influx of young people looking to improve their prospects? How have rural communities coped with fewer young people?

Nationalism has been the most powerful, some might say the most destructive, force in the Balkans for many years. Since the wars of the 90s, the ethnic make-up of villages, cities, districts and countries has changed dramatically, what effect has this had on community cohesion?

What has this meant in terms of access to political representation today? Who find themselves to be entirely without a community, as they are still unable to obtain citizenship? Who struggle to meet basic needs, such as education, healthcare, housing and work?

Who find themselves on the margins because of the community they belong to? Are Balkan states still preoccupied with notions of 'the other' rather than cohesive yet mixed communities? How are current relations with neighbouring states and communities? Are there innovative projects in place bringing people from different backgrounds together?

As one of the benchmarks of European Union membership is good neighbourly relations and respect for diversity,  how far have Balkan states come in terms of ensuring that all communities feel they can influence and have an equal stake in the future?

Proposals should include plans for cross-border research in two countries in the Balkans and one EU member state. They should unearth fresh information that will attract a wide readership in the Balkans and the EU. Completed articles should be no more than 2,000 words in length.
 
3. ELIGIBILITY AND COMPULSORY ACTIVITIES

3.1 Project idea and implementation

The theme of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence 2012 is COMMUNITIES (see section 2 above). The submitted project proposal must refer to this theme and demonstrate an original approach to researching and reporting an important aspect of the topic. The project should also seek to enhance information and dialogue among the countries of south-eastern Europe, SEE, and between SEE and the EU.

Appropriate research should be conducted in order to produce a 2,000 word article. The article should feature fresh information and interviews, and be analytical in nature.

The report may be written in a local language or English, at the fellows’ discretion. Editorial support will NOT be available in the local language, but in English.
Applicants’ proposals should refer primarily to the country where they normally reside, but include plans to conduct useful research in one other country in the region and one EU member state. Fellows should meet with their counterparts when visiting another country in the region.

Research and travel costs provided by this programme shall not exceed €2,000. Practical support shall be provided by programme partners to help organise research trips and access information and sources.

Fellows may carry out all forms of journalistic research necessary to further their approved project. Illegal means of gathering information or trips without relevance to the fellowship will not be approved and should not be carried out.

Fellows must attend the opening and closing programme seminars, and work cooperatively with the BIRN editor/trainers throughout the training, research, reporting and editorial phases. During the programme, fellows must keep in touch with, and respond to requests of the appointed local BIRN editor/trainer and programme manager.

Fellows must cooperate with the programme’s editorial team throughout the editorial phase to resolve outstanding issues and prepare the submitted report for publication.

Research and training should result in the timely submission of an article of no more than 2,000 words (see schedule below, section 3.4).

3.2 Editorial control

BIRN editors shall edit all fellows’ reports. While fellows retain the right to approve the version of the report which is published, BIRN editing shall be compulsory.

The English-language edition shall be the definitive version, with other language versions provided by translating it.

Guidance and training in editorial style and standards shall be provided at the introductory seminar, and supplemented by the BIRN programme team throughout the project phase.

3.3 Publication

Reports shall be published exclusively by BIRN. Following the launch of the reports, further media outlets shall be encouraged to republish them, providing they inform BIRN and accredit the fellow-author, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, ERSTE Foundation and BIRN.

BIRN shall retain all rights to the reports, in all language versions and formats in which they are published.

Fellows may not use, promote or publish versions of the reports other than the approved BIRN edit.

3.4 Duration and location

The fellowship programme officially begins in April 2012 with a four-day seminar in Vienna but fellows are obliged to conduct some research and fine-tune travel and interview plans, in writing, before the opening seminar. The research phase, during which time one trip to another country in the Balkans and one trip to a European Union member state must be completed, lasts until the end of July 2012. First drafts of reports must be submitted by September 1, 2012. The editing phase lasts from September to October 2012. The four-day final seminar shall take place in late November 2012 in a regional country. The articles are published during October/November and programme promotion events take place during December 2012 across the region.

3.5 Number of applications

Applicants should complete and submit only one application with one research proposal. Multiple applications by individuals and joint applications by more than one individual are not eligible.


4. AWARDS FOR FELLOWS’ ARTICLES

The top prize-winning fellow shall receive €4,000, the second €3,000 and the third €1,000. Winning articles will be selected by members of the selection committee, based on transparent evaluation criteria. Selection committee members will be judging original, unedited, versions of articles submitted by fellows.


5. FINANCIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• Fellows shall receive their €2,000 fellowship bursary at the project’s outset
• Research and travel expenses of up to €1,000 shall be given in advance
• Research and travel expenses of up to €1,000 shall be reimbursed in arrears
• Research expenses shall only be reimbursed upon provision of adequate receipts and approval by BIRN
• Eligible expenses include: travel costs incurred on the basis of BIRN-approved travel plans; per diem costs according to BIRN’s scale; reasonable accommodation costs; reasonable telecommunications costs; costs incurred to access databases; reasonable representation costs.
• Further details of eligible costs and receipts shall be provided to fellows at the programme’s introductory seminar.
• Fellows should include the cost of travel insurance as a research expense. The Robert Bosch Stiftung, ERSTE Foundation and BIRN shall not be held liable for fellows’ health, safety or security during the programme
• Should research costs amount to less than €2,000, the balance shall not be provided to fellows
• Should any fellow fail to make appropriate efforts to participate in the programme and complete his/her report, the award and travel expenses shall be returned to BIRN

6. HOW TO APPLY?

6.1. Application form

The proposal for a fellowship reporting project must be submitted using the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence application form. It must be accompanied by the signed declaration of the applicant.

In order to be properly assessed, all parts of the application form should be filled in as carefully and clearly as possible. Any additional information attached to the application must be clearly marked and included in the same e-mail in which the application is submitted.

The application must be in English.

6.2. Example of applicant’s work

Applicants shall provide at least one relevant example of their writing, samples may be provided in local languages.

6.3. Deadline for applications

The deadline for applications is March 5, 2012. BIRN will advise applicants if they have any questions up to this date.

6.4. Where and how to send the application?

Completed applications should be sent as electronic files by email to: fellowship [at] birn.eu.com

Or by post to:

Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence - Application
c/o: BIRN
Gospodar Jevremova 47
11000 Beograd
Serbia

Applicants will receive an email acknowledging receipt.


7. EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS

An international selection committee will assess the submitted proposals according to the eligibility and quality criteria of the fellow selection grid (point system, see ANNEX A). Up to 10 of the best applications for research and reporting projects will be awarded.


8. NOTIFICATION OF SELECTED PROJECT PROPOSALS
 
Successful candidates will be informed by email about the results of the evaluation and awarded project proposals by the end of March 2012.

Information and coordination

For Information about the fellowship and application documents visit:  Apply Now for 2012 Fellowship

Information on the Robert Bosch Stiftung:  www.bosch-stiftung.de  

Information on ERSTE Foundation: www.erstestiftung.org  

Information on BIRN:  www.birn.eu.com


GUIDELINES: ANNEX A

BIRN fellow selection grid

To be able to assess the submitted applications in a transparent way, BIRN and the fellowship committee will use the following evaluation grid and, depending on the quality of the respective proposal, will assign points to the applications. The maximum score of this evaluation point system is 120 points and fellowships will be awarded to applicants with the highest scores.