Location: Anywhere in Canada
Submission Deadline: October 31, 2019 (extended from September 27, 2019)
We’re looking for talented Indigenous journalists in Canada to apply for The Narwhal’s Indigenous Journalism Fellowship
About The Narwhal
The Narwhal is an award-winning online magazine that publishes stories about Canada’s natural world you can’t find anywhere else.
We have just two rules: 1) Follow the facts. 2) Tell it like it is.
We’re tired of false dichotomies and business-as-usual perspectives. We’re not shy about the fact we think Canada’s greatest assets are our people, our lakes, our rivers, our forests. We tell stories Canada’s big news outlets miss and hustle to help our readers make sense of complex (sometimes downright messy) issues.
As a non-profit organization, our goal isn’t to sell advertising or to please corporate bigwigs — it’s to bring evidence-based news and analysis to the surface for all Canadians.
In 2018, The Narwhal won four Canadian Online Publishing Awards, including silvers for best news website and best publication and gold and silver for best photo journalism. In 2019, The Narwhal won an award for excellence in photojournalism from the Canadian Association of Journalists and became the sole Canadian member of the Institute for Nonprofit News.
About the fellowship
The Narwhal frequently reports on stories that touch on the lives of Indigenous communities across Canada, especially as many of these communities grapple with the ongoing pressures of natural resource extraction and efforts to protect traditional territories from environmental degradation.
Yet, often these stories aren’t told by Indigenous journalists.
The Narwhal’s Indigenous Journalism Fellowship is designed to help change that.
The fellowship will provide an opportunity for an Indigenous journalist to dive deep into a unique reporting project that relates to Indigenous communities and the natural world in Canada. The fellowship is meant for journalists who have a specific project in mind but don’t have a publication venue or the editorial support necessary to bring it to life.
The fellowship will provide the recipient with $5,000 to produce an original piece of work by June 2020. In addition, fellows will receive support from The Narwhal’s editorial team and will gain skills and insight into the workings of an independent digital newsroom.
Because telling difficult and overlooked stories is The Narwhal’s jam, this fellowship is designed to support an original reporting project that looks beneath the surface, whether in the form of a series, a photo essay, an investigative piece or a documentary.
Projects with a strong visual component are encouraged.
Who should apply?
Applicants who are Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) from across Canada and have strong samples of written, photo or video journalism are encouraged to apply.
We’re looking for individuals with a unique reporting project in mind. Skills in multimedia reporting are an asset (though not a requirement). You may have started on the work for this project, but haven’t secured a publication for your work yet.
How to apply
Please submit a resume, two journalism samples and a one-page pitch detailing a specific reporting project you would like to publish on The Narwhal with the support of our editorial team.
Applicants with a demonstrated knowledge of The Narwhal’s mandate, reporting style and coverage will have a greater chance of success.
Please submit your applications to editor@thenarwhal.ca.
The Narwhal’s Indigenous Journalism Fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Reader’s Digest Foundation.
