Get $3,000 to Report on Nature: Mongabay Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship 2026–2028

If you care about conservation and you write well, this fellowship exists to give you time, mentorship, and a small stipend to sharpen your reporting muscles. Mongabay’s Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship places early-career environmental journalists into language-specific cohorts where they produce a steady drumbeat of journalism — six stories over six months — while working with experienced editors who will push your sourcing, structure, and story choices until they sing.

This is not a salaried job or a research grant that pays for field equipment. It’s a practical newsroom apprenticeship designed to turn talent into published work and to help reporters from tropical countries break into environmental reporting. You’ll get $500 a month for six months (total $3,000), editorial feedback, and bylines on pieces that can build a portfolio. If you’re trying to make serious progress as an environmental storyteller, this is exactly the kind of program that accelerates careers — without demanding academic credentials or years of experience.

The fellowship runs from 2026 through 2028 and will support at least 34 fellows each year across English, Spanish, Bahasa Indonesia, and Portuguese cohorts. That means you’ll enter a small, language-specific group where editors know regional contexts and can connect you with useful sources. The program expects a modest time commitment — about 10 hours per week — and remote work capability, making it realistic for freelancers and reporters based in low- to upper-middle-income tropical countries.

At a Glance

What This Opportunity Offers

This fellowship is a hands-on newsroom apprenticeship, not a classroom lecture series. For six months you’ll work with Mongabay editors who assign and edit your stories, help you tighten reporting plans, and coach you on pitching follow-ups. The immediate, tangible benefit is regular publication: fellows are expected to produce six stories during their term, building a portfolio that editors at other outlets will take seriously.

Beyond bylines, the fellowship provides mentorship and practical training in environmental reporting. Mongabay has a history of supporting early-career journalists; past interns have gone on to staff positions at news outlets, communications roles at NGOs, and even roles at Mongabay itself. The editors will also help you refine techniques such as source-building, data use, ethical reporting on vulnerable communities, and, where relevant, covering biodiversity and ocean issues. If your interests lie in Southeast Asia’s oceans, note that several positions are reserved for that focus within the English cohort.

Financially, the stipend is modest but purposeful: $500 a month helps cover internet, phone calls, small travel expenses, and gives you breathing room while you report. The program’s design emphasizes accessibility — there’s no degree requirement — and it keeps the workload compatible with freelance or part-time commitments.

Who Should Apply

This program is for people who are serious about reporting on environmental issues and who are at the beginning of that career arc. If you’ve done a few published pieces, freelanced for local outlets, volunteered on communications work at an NGO, or produced strong unpublished investigative pieces, you fit the “early-career” mold. You don’t need a journalism degree; what matters is storytelling skill, curiosity about conservation topics, and the discipline to meet deadlines.

Applicants must be based in, and nationals of, tropical countries that fall under the World Bank’s low- to upper-middle-income classifications. High-income tropical countries such as Singapore and Australia are excluded — check the World Bank list early to confirm eligibility. Examples of ideal candidates: a freelance reporter in Ghana writing about marine plastic impacts; a recent graduate in Peru covering smallholder agriculture and biodiversity; a community radio reporter in Indonesia documenting mangrove restoration. If you’ve produced at least one journalistic-style piece (even unpublished), can work remotely, and can commit around 10 hours per week for six months, you should apply.

This fellowship is also a good fit if you need editorial mentorship and published bylines to move from ad-hoc freelancing into sustained environmental reporting. It’s not intended for experienced staff reporters with extensive national/international bylines, nor for applicants who cannot reliably work remotely or meet weekly time commitments.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

1. Pick the right writing sample and polish it ruthlessly. Your single sample should show clarity, structure, and source work. If you have a published environmental piece, use that; if not, a tightly reported unpublished piece is acceptable. Edit for clarity: strong ledes, clear nut graphs, and named sources will impress editors more than flashy prose.

2. Use the cover letter to tell a career story, not your life story. In one page, answer two questions: how environmental journalism fits your goals, and why Mongabay should pick you. Lead with a specific example — a story idea you’re dying to report, or a community you can access — then show how the fellowship helps you get there. Mention concrete skills (interview languages, data skills, local contacts) that make you a reliable choice.

3. Propose a realistic reporting plan. Editors love applicants who can sketch six plausible story ideas or an evolving thread that yields multiple pieces. Instead of six disconnected topics, think of one or two thematic arcs. For example: start with an investigative piece on illegal logging, follow with human impact profiles, then a policy analysis and a solutions-focused story. Show timelines and potential sources.

4. Demonstrate feasibility and safety planning. If your reporting involves remote communities or risky beats, briefly explain how you’ll protect sources, obtain permissions, and handle travel or digital safety. Editors need to see you think through logistics.

5. Show you can meet deadlines. The fellowship requires regular output. If you have a track record of meeting editorial deadlines, outline it. If not, offer references or samples that show you can finish projects.

6. Local knowledge is gold. If you can read local documents, cite local NGOs, or name government contacts you’ve worked with, mention them. That signals you can hit the ground (or phone) running and produce reporting with depth.

7. Keep the application neat and on-spec. Follow the one-page and 1–2 page limits. File names should be clear (e.g., Lastname_Resume.pdf). Make sure your writing sample is in English for the English cohort. Applications that ignore the guidelines are often disqualified before anyone reads the content.

Taken together, these tips mean you’ll submit a tight package that answers the editors’ main question: can this person report useful, timely stories with minimal hand-holding?

Application Timeline (Work Backwards from Feb 1, 2026)

Start six weeks before the deadline if possible. Week 6: Confirm eligibility by checking the World Bank country list and decide which language cohort fits you. Week 5: Select and finalize your writing sample; get at least two trusted readers to review. Week 4: Draft your cover letter and sketch six story ideas or a multi-story arc; reach out to potential references or sources to confirm they’ll help if you win. Week 3: Finalize resume, format files, and ensure sample meets the style expected by Mongabay (journalistic, sourced). Week 2: Perform final edits, check file sizes and uploads, and have a colleague do a final pass for clarity and grammar. Submit at least 48 hours early to avoid last-minute tech problems.

If you have more time, use it to produce a stronger writing sample or to publish a short piece that demonstrates recent reporting chops. A fresh byline can tilt a close decision in your favor.

Required Materials and How to Prepare Them

You’ll upload three items: a resume, a one-page cover letter, and a writing sample. Keep formatting simple — PDF is safest. Your resume should be one to two pages and focus on relevant experience: reporting, internships, multimedia skills, languages, and local contacts. Don’t include long personal bios or irrelevant job history unless it shows transferable skills (e.g., data entry, community outreach).

The cover letter must be a maximum of one page. Start with a sharp opening sentence that defines your interest and capability. Briefly describe a specific reporting plan (one to three paragraph sketch), explain why this fellowship matters for your career, and close with a short statement on your availability (10 hours/week, remote). Avoid generic phrases; give names and details where possible.

The writing sample should be in a journalistic style and reflect your best reporting. If it’s unpublished, format it like a published piece with a headline, lede, and proper sourcing. If using published work, include a link and a PDF if the outlet allows. Make sure the sample showcases reporting depth rather than just opinion.

All English-cohort materials must be in English. Follow file naming rules and the application form instructions exactly; applications that don’t comply risk disqualification.

What Makes an Application Stand Out

Exceptional applications do three things well: demonstrate craft, show local access, and propose feasible story production. Craft is shown by crisp writing, a clear narrative arc, and named sources in your sample. Local access means you can actually reach people who will speak on the record and provide documents or data; name those contacts or describe how you’ll reach them. Feasibility shows you can complete six stories in six months without burning out — present a weekly plan or a three-phase schedule.

Editors also look for curiosity and persistence. A candidate who shows long-term commitment to environmental reporting — through past projects, training, or community work — gets priority over someone treating this as a one-off stipend. Finally, applicants who propose stories that fill a clear gap in Mongabay’s coverage (for instance, a regional ecosystem or an underreported socio-environmental issue) will grab attention. Think depth over breadth: a tight theme you can stretch into multiple strong pieces beats six shallow ideas.

Common Mistakes to Avoid (and How to Fix Them)

1. Ignoring eligibility. Double-check your country’s World Bank classification. If your country is excluded, don’t waste time applying. If you’re unsure, save a screenshot of the World Bank page and include it in your prep notes.

2. Submitting a weak or irrelevant writing sample. Fix it by choosing one piece that best shows your reporting ability. If necessary, write a short, well-documented feature specifically for this application.

3. Vague cover letters. Editors want specifics. Replace vague ambitions with a brief plan and named sources or communities.

4. Overpromising. Don’t commit to six investigative projects that require long FOIA waits. Offer a mix of feature, enterprise, and quicker reporting pieces.

5. File and format errors. PDFs with odd fonts, wrong file names, or exceeding page limits are common rejections. Export to PDF, check the file on another device, and keep names clear.

6. Last-minute submissions. Applications uploaded under pressure often have broken links or missing pages. Submit at least 48 hours early.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can students apply? A: Yes. There’s no academic requirement. If you’re a student, make sure your schedule allows the 10 hours/week commitment and frame your cover letter around how the fellowship advances your reporting practice.

Q: Do I need to be published? A: No, but you must provide a journalistic-style writing sample. An unpublished, well-reported piece is acceptable if it shows reporting skill, structure, and sources.

Q: Are applicants from high-income tropical countries eligible? A: No. High-income tropical countries like Singapore and Australia are excluded. Check the World Bank classification early.

Q: Will the fellowship pay for travel or equipment? A: The stipend is modest and intended to help cover reporting-related costs, but it won’t fund major travel or expensive equipment. Plan stories that are feasible with limited funds or that rely on remote reporting and local contacts.

Q: Will fellows get bylines and external credit? A: Yes. Fellows publish stories with Mongabay and gain bylines and editorial mentorship.

Q: Are there follow-on opportunities after the fellowship? A: Many past interns have moved into paid positions at outlets and NGOs. Use your fellowship to build relationships and a portfolio you can show future employers or funders.

Q: Is the stipend taxable? A: Tax rules vary by country. If you win, check local tax obligations with an accountant or your institution.

Next Steps — How to Apply

Ready to apply? Prepare your resume, one-page cover letter, and writing sample well ahead of the February 1, 2026 deadline. Double-check that you meet the country eligibility requirement on the World Bank site, and ensure all English-cohort materials are in clear, edited English.

When your materials are ready, visit the application form here: https://form.jotform.com/242843950588368

Checklist before submit:

• Confirm your country is eligible (World Bank classification).
• Finalize writing sample and proofread it aloud.
• Tighten cover letter to one page with concrete story ideas.
• Save files as PDFs and use clear filenames (Lastname_DocType.pdf).
• Upload at least 48 hours before the deadline.

If you get in, expect editorial feedback, deadlines, and an opportunity to produce six meaningful pieces while being paid a small stipend. It’s a practical, career-forward apprenticeship that rewards curiosity, good reporting instincts, and the discipline to turn research into readable stories. If you’re serious about environmental journalism and you meet the eligibility, don’t let the modest stipend fool you — this fellowship can be a powerful stepping stone.

Apply Now

Ready to apply? Visit the official application form: https://form.jotform.com/242843950588368

For full program details and any updates, check Mongabay’s fellowship page and the application link above. Good luck — and write like the creatures and communities you cover depend on it (because they do).