The 2015 fellows are Yam Kumari Kandel and Shilu Manandhar from Nepal and Mary Wairimu Michengi from Kenya, all three journalists with the Global Press Journal. See the announcement here.

The fellowship, overseen by the Pulitzer Center in collaboration with Internews, is designed to help media professionals outside of the United States do the kind of reporting they’ve always wanted to do and enable them to bring their work to a broader international audience. The fellowship will benefit those with limited access to other fellowships and those whose work is not routinely disseminated internationally.

See the announcement of the fellowship at the Internews ceremony in honor of Persephone in October 2010, as well as the work of the 2014 fellow Ana P. Santos, the 2013 fellow, Ameto Akpe, the 2012 fellow, Anna Nemtsova, and the three 2011 fellows.

Terms of travel grant: The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting will provide a travel grant of $5000 for a reporting project on topics and regions of global importance, with an emphasis on issues that have gone unreported or under-reported in the mainstream media. Specific grant terms are negotiated during the application process based on the scope of proposed work and intended outcomes. Payment of the first half of the grant is disbursed prior to travel, upon receipt of required materials, and the second half on submission of the principal work for publication/broadcast.

Before beginning the travel project the Persephone Miel Fellow will come to Washington, DC, to meet with Pulitzer Center staff and journalists and take part in a 2-day workshop on the pending project and strategies for placement and outreach. The Pulitzer Center will provide $2500 to cover travel expenses associated with the Washington workshop.

The Center works with fellowship recipients to distribute their work across multiple platforms in the U.S. to reach the widest possible audience. Projects with multimedia components that combine print, photography and video are strongly encouraged.

Eligibility: The Persephone Miel fellowships are open to all journalists, writers, photographers, radio producers or filmmakers, staff journalists as well as freelancers and media professionals outside the U.S. who are seeking to report from their home country. Women and journalists from developing countries are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants must be proficient in English.

Selection: The fellowship recipient will be selected by the Pulitzer Center in consultation with Internews. Selection will be based on the strength of the proposed topic and the strength of the applicant’s work as demonstrated in their work samples. We are looking for projects that explore systemic issues in the applicant’s native country and that provide an overarching thesis, rather than individual spot-reports from the field.

How to apply for the Miel Fellowship

Applications must be received in English.

Applications include the following:

• A Description Of The Proposed Project, Including Distribution Plan, In No More Than 250 Words
• A Preliminary Budget Estimate, Including A Basic Breakdown Of Costs. Travel Grants Cover Hard Costs Associated With The Reporting; Please Do Not Include Stipends For The Applicants. Fixer/Translator/Driver Fees Are Acceptable
• Three Samples Of Published Work, Either Print Or Broadcast.
• Three Professional References. These Can Be Either Contact Information, Or Letters Of Recommendation. The Latter Is Encouraged When Letters From Interested Producers Or Editors Are Available.
• A Copy Of Your Curriculum Vitae.

Applications may also include a more detailed description of project but this will be considered as optional supplement only. The most important part of the submission is the 250-word summary.