EJN Our Ocean Conference 2026 Fellowship: Historical Reference for the Closed Mombasa Journalism Call

EJN Our Ocean Conference 2026 Fellowship: Historical Reference for the Closed Mombasa Journalism Call

The EJN Our Ocean Conference 2026 Fellowship is closed. Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) invited professional journalists to attend and report from the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya. The official call set April 7, 2026 as the application deadline. The conference and fellowship travel window have also passed, and the official EJN material reviewed for this update does not announce a next fellowship cycle.

This page remains useful as a record of what the 2026 call offered and who it was designed to support. It is not an invitation to submit a late application. The real closed-cycle date is retained in the deadline field, while historicalReference = true tells the site that this is an archive entry rather than an apparently expired live listing. Anyone looking for a future EJN journalism opportunity should check the current Earth Journalism Network opportunities page and confirm a new call before preparing materials.

Verified status and key details

The official call described the fellowship as an in-person reporting opportunity, not a general ocean-conservation scholarship. Its purpose was to help journalists cover a major policy gathering for audiences in their home countries. The selection criteria therefore placed weight on reporting experience, a clear plan for stories, a relationship with an established media outlet, and the ability to work in English during the programme.

What the fellowship was for

The Our Ocean Conference brings together governments, researchers, civil-society organisations, funders, businesses, and other stakeholders around commitments related to marine protection and sustainable use. The 2026 meeting was scheduled for Mombasa and was presented by EJN as the first Our Ocean Conference to take place in Africa. Its theme was “Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future.” The call also highlighted Kenya’s domestic priorities, including elevating youth ocean leaders and strengthening collaboration against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, commonly called IUU fishing.

Those details mattered to the fellowship because EJN was looking for reporting angles rather than attendance without a journalistic purpose. An applicant might have proposed coverage of fisheries enforcement, marine protected areas, the blue economy, coastal livelihoods, marine pollution, climate pressure, maritime security, or another ocean issue connected to the conference. The proposal needed to explain what the journalist would seek to report and why the resulting work would matter to the outlet’s audience.

The call was especially relevant to reporters who work close to coastal communities and can connect international commitments to local consequences. A conference story could examine whether a public pledge changes fishing rules, whether funding reaches communities, how port or shipping decisions affect coastal residents, or what accountability exists after a government announces a new ocean commitment. EJN’s role was to give reporters the access, preparation, logistics, and editorial support needed to pursue those questions responsibly.

What EJN covered

The official call did not state a single stipend amount or a fixed grant total. Instead, it listed the costs and support attached to participation. EJN said it would cover non-refundable economy-class airfare, accommodation, meals, travel medical insurance, and ground transportation costs related to the fellowship. EJN would also facilitate the press-accreditation process and provide logistical help connected with the trip.

Visa arrangements remained the fellow’s responsibility. A selected journalist had to handle any necessary visa application, but EJN said it would reimburse visa costs. Fellows also received a per diem for daily expenses during their time in Mombasa. Because the official page did not provide a dollar or local-currency amount for that per diem, this archive does not invent one. The support should be understood as covered participation costs and daily-expense assistance, not as a cash award with a published headline value.

The fellowship also included reporting preparation. Before the conference, fellows were to receive informational resources and technical support, then participate in a virtual pre-conference workshop with their cohort and EJN media trainers. That workshop was intended for discussing reporting opportunities, asking practical questions, and developing pre-reporting and preparation work before travel.

While in Mombasa, fellows were to take part in an orientation with ocean experts, guest speakers, and a field trip. The programme also included daily briefings led by EJN media trainers, interviews with high-level officials, contact with other fellows, and editorial feedback on stories. These activities were part of the fellowship’s value: the selected journalists were not simply given a conference pass and left to find their own way through a complicated policy event.

Who was eligible

The 2026 call was aimed at professional journalists working in any medium, including online, print, television, and radio. Applicants had to be from or represent an established media house and report from a coastal country. The call welcomed staff journalists and freelancers, as well as applicants from international, national, local, and community media organisations.

Applicants were expected to show previous experience reporting on ocean issues. The official examples included IUU fishing, marine protected areas, the blue economy, and sustainable fisheries. A journalist did not need to have covered every one of those subjects, but the application needed to establish a credible connection to ocean or environmental reporting. A general interest in attending an international conference was not enough.

The applicant also had to explain the kinds of stories they would pursue while covering the conference. This was a central distinction between a reporting fellowship and a travel award. A useful proposal would identify specific questions, likely sources, affected communities, and the intended audience. It could include several related angles, but it needed to show that the journalist had a workable plan and understood how conference decisions connect to real places and people.

Full availability was required. Fellows were expected to arrive in Mombasa on June 14, 2026, attend the EJN orientation on June 15, cover the conference from June 16 through June 18, and depart on June 19. The call also required a good command of English and the ability to participate fully in an English-language fellowship.

Every applicant had to provide an up-to-date resume or CV, a letter of support from an editor, producer, or supervisor, and recent, relevant journalistic work samples focused on ocean issues. The support letter had to confirm that the applicant’s reporting would be published or broadcast by an established media outlet. Freelancers were welcome, but their outlet letter needed to come from the media organisation for which they intended to report.

The work samples could be uploaded as documents or supplied as web links. The official call required clear bylines and said the stories should have been published within the last 12 months of the application. Samples could be in any language if accompanied by a short English synopsis. That synopsis needed to make the story and the applicant’s role understandable to reviewers; it was not a substitute for a clear byline or for relevant reporting experience.

How the closed application worked

Applications were submitted through the EJN opportunity page and its online application system. In the normal EJN process, an applicant needed an EJN account, or had to create one through the site’s sign-up route, then return to the opportunity page and select Apply now. The completed application needed the requested narrative responses and supporting material, including the CV, outlet support letter, and ocean-focused clips. The exact 2026 application form is no longer an open submission route, so a future applicant should not assume its fields or instructions will be unchanged.

The application itself needed to make a coherent case. First, it should establish the applicant’s reporting background and connection to ocean issues. Second, it should set out the stories the journalist hoped to pursue in Mombasa. Third, it should show that an established outlet was prepared to publish or broadcast the work. Finally, it should demonstrate that the applicant could attend the entire travel window and work effectively in English.

The call stated that applications would be accepted until early April and that decisions would be communicated in late April. The specific closing date was April 7, 2026. Since the deadline has passed, EJN’s current instructions should be treated as the authority for any later fellowship rather than attempting to submit through an archived page or asking for an exception after the window.

What reviewers were looking for

The official judging criteria emphasised demonstrated experience covering ocean and other environmental topics, a long-term commitment to journalism and continued reporting on those topics, and a relationship with an established media house supported by a signed editor, producer, or supervisor letter. Those criteria point toward applicants with a real reporting practice, not only an academic or advocacy interest in marine issues.

A strong application would have made the story plan concrete. “I want to cover ocean sustainability” is a theme, not a reporting plan. A better proposal would explain which policy commitment, fishing practice, coastal livelihood, financing decision, or conservation measure the journalist intended to investigate, which people could speak to it, and how the resulting story would serve readers, listeners, or viewers at home.

The outlet relationship also mattered because EJN wanted the fellowship to lead to journalism that reached the public. A support letter should have done more than confirm employment. It needed to show that an editor or supervisor knew about the application and was prepared to publish or broadcast the resulting work. For a freelancer, that letter supplied the evidence that the reporting had a credible publication home.

Recent clips were important for the same reason. They demonstrated current reporting ability, subject familiarity, and the applicant’s own role in producing published work. Clear bylines helped reviewers verify that role. A short English synopsis made non-English work accessible to the panel without changing the language or intended audience of the original story.

What to do now

There is no open application to complete for this 2026 cycle. Do not use April 7, 2026 as a future deadline, and do not treat the Mombasa travel dates as a current invitation. The official EJN material reviewed does not announce a next round. The appropriate next step is to monitor the current EJN opportunities page for a new ocean fellowship or another journalism call with its own eligibility rules and deadline.

If EJN announces another Our Ocean Conference fellowship, verify the new call directly before relying on the 2026 details. A later cycle could change the host city, conference dates, eligible countries, supported costs, required clips, application form, language requirements, or editorial deliverables. The 2026 archive can help a journalist prepare a CV, recent clips, an outlet letter, and a focused reporting idea, but it cannot establish that a future cycle is open.

The official programme page for the completed call remains the best reference for the archived announcement:

Earth Journalism Network: EJN Our Ocean Conference 2026 Fellowships

Frequently asked questions

Can I still apply?

No. The application deadline was April 7, 2026, and the 2026 fellowship and conference dates have passed.

Was there a cash award?

The official call did not state a fixed cash award. It described covered economy airfare, accommodation, meals, travel medical insurance, related ground transport, visa-cost reimbursement, logistical support, and a per diem.

Could freelancers apply?

Yes, provided they supplied a letter of support from a media outlet confirming that the outlet intended to publish or broadcast their reporting.

Did applicants have to work in a particular medium?

No. The call accepted professional journalists working in online, print, television, or radio media.

Did applicants have to be based in Africa?

The stated geographic requirement was that applicants report from a coastal country. The conference was held in Kenya and was the first Our Ocean Conference in Africa, but the eligibility language did not limit applicants to African countries.

What samples were required?

Applicants needed recent, relevant journalistic work samples focused on ocean issues, with clear bylines. Samples in another language were allowed when accompanied by a short English synopsis.