Open Notebook Early-Career Fellowship 2027 | $6,600 Stipend

The Open Notebook Early-Career Fellowship 2027 is a part-time, remote journalism fellowship designed for early-career science journalists. It offers an opportunity to explore career interests, sharpen skills, and become part of The Open Notebook's editorial team. Fellows will work with mentors to plan, report, and write articles for publication. This one-year program is an initiative of The Open Notebook (TON), a non-profit organization based in the USA, and is scheduled to start on February 9, 2027.

This is a paid fellowship providing a stipend of $6,600, disbursed in four installments. As a remote fellowship, it eliminates concerns about travel and visa requirements. Fellows will receive mentorship, guidance, and career advice from experienced journalists, gaining valuable writing, editing, and reporting experience.

This fellowship is open to early-career science journalists from around the world, including international applicants outside the USA. Applicants must have less than three years of regular professional experience in science journalism; internships and student work do not count towards this limit. Exceptions may be made for those with more than three years of experience if some or all of their professional science writing was not in English. Essential requirements include some previous training or experience in writing for the general public, a clear intention to pursue a career as a professional science journalist, and strong writing skills. While flawless English is not required for non-native speakers, a fairly high level of proficiency is essential. Applicants must be prepared for a significant part-time commitment, typically 5-7 hours per week, and be able to produce high-quality work consistently meeting deadlines. Familiarity with the science journalism field, its challenges, and The Open Notebook's topics is also expected.

Applicants must submit a Resume/CV, one letter of reference, short proposals (100 words each) for two Open Notebook features or multimedia stories, up to two writing or multimedia samples, and responses to questions about their interests, prior training/experience, skills, perspectives, and plans for the fellowship period. Additional information about yourself is optional. All application materials, including writing samples and letters of recommendation, must be in English; translated materials are acceptable.

To apply, visit the official program page and submit all required documents along with the application form before the specified deadline. Ensure all materials are in English.

The fellowship is supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Fellows will work on four articles, each 1,500-2,000 words, for The Open Notebook. They will participate in weekly phone or video meetings with their mentor and engage in cohort-based activities within a Slack discussion group, which they will remain a part of even after the fellowship concludes.