Grants of 3,500 Euro for Journalists from Zenith Magazine 2020

Zenith magazine is announcing in partnership with Candid Foundation a new stipend program, supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. Zenith is calling for stories to be pitched that demonstrate a clear connection to one of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. 

Eligibility:

Any journalist who is above the age of 18 and comes from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco Syria, Tunisia and Yemen is eligible to apply for a grant. Both journalists on fixed-term contracts and freelancers can apply. However, the ideal candidate would be somebody with a proven track record of producing excellent work that has satisfied the highest journalist standards. Zenith strongly encourage female and non-binary journalists to apply.

Journalists can apply as individuals or in a collaboration partnership, 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.

Story Topic:

Zenith is looking for in-depth reporting that tackles fundamental issues that newsrooms usually struggle to fund. Each story has to demonstrate a clear connection to one of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Zenith value stories that resonate beyond national boundaries, and that take on a meaning for regional or even global audiences. All final texts will be translated from Arabic to either English, French or German and then made available to prominent European media outlets, which will increase the impact of the reporting.

Zenith encourage applications with stories in all of the following formats: audio, visual, photographic, multimedia, and written.

Grant Amount:

Each grant is worth up to €3,500, which will be paid in two installments: 50% upfront, 50% percent after the project has been completed. On top of these funds, Zenith offer each successful applicant guidance and mentoring throughout the entire process of research until final publication. Zenith will also use the research material as a basis for podcasts which will detail the grantees’ journey. This will guarantee that the stories of the successful applicants will reach an even wider audience.

Zenith 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. However, with the exception of an audio recording device to record audio for the podcast production, Zenith do not fund the purchase of technical equipment. Freelance reporters are strongly encouraged to add their salary to the list of expenses.

Evaluation Criteria:

There are no limitations regarding the subject of the story, but the pitch will be evaluated with the following criteria in mind:

• The topic is urgent, underreported and of importance to a wider audience.
• The jury must be satisfied that candidates can deliver their story.
• The ethics of good journalism must not be violated.

Additionally, Zenith require all potential grantees to provide written and audio documentation of their research for the story. This is not only to verify key elements of the story, but also so that this research material can be used as the basis for a podcast to showcase how journalistic work can be undertaken.

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