Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship (2026 English-language cohort)
Historical reference for Mongabay’s closed 2026 English-language Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship. The cohort ran June 1–November 30, 2026; Mongabay says 2027 dates and application details have not yet been announced.
Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship (2026 English-language cohort)
This is an archive of Mongabay’s 2026 English-language Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship call. Applications for that cohort are closed. Mongabay lists the cohort dates as June 1 through November 30, 2026, and asks readers to check back for 2027 dates and application details. The next application window has not been announced on the official program page. The February 14, 2026 deadline below is the extended deadline for the closed call, not an invitation to apply now.
The fellowship is a remote, six-month reporting and editorial mentorship program for aspiring and early-career environmental journalists from eligible tropical countries. The English-language cohort was part of a larger program, which Mongabay says is scheduled to support language-specific groups from 2026 through 2028. This page describes the English call and does not substitute for the separate requirements that may apply to Mongabay’s Spanish, Bahasa Indonesia, Portuguese, or French-language opportunities.
Current status
Mongabay’s program page says the 2026 English-language cohort is closed. It also says to check back for information about 2027 program dates and applications. No future deadline or open form is announced there. Readers should therefore treat this entry as a historical reference and wait for a fresh Mongabay notice before preparing a submission for another cohort.
Mongabay News’ official social post reported that the closing date was extended to February 14, 2026. That post also described 11 English-language fellows for the 2026 group and the June-to-November schedule. The umbrella program page describes sixteen English-language fellows per year over its 2026–2028 program. Since those public descriptions give different counts and use different program scopes, this archive records both as reported and does not infer a final number selected for the completed group.
The old deadline is retained to document the closed application round. It should not be copied into a future calendar or used to judge a new application. Mongabay may change the schedule, cohort size, form, or eligibility details in a later call.
Fellowship at a glance
| Detail | Published information for the 2026 English call |
|---|---|
| Organizer | Mongabay |
| Cohort period | June 1–November 30, 2026 |
| Application status | Closed |
| Archived application deadline | February 14, 2026, the extended deadline announced by Mongabay News |
| Duration | Six months |
| Stipend | $500 USD per month, $3,000 USD total |
| Work arrangement | Remote; Mongabay says it has no office and cannot support work visas |
| Expected time | About 10 hours per week |
| Expected work | Six stories, averaging one story per month, published on Mongabay’s website |
| Required application documents | Resume of up to two pages, cover letter of up to one page, and one journalistic writing sample |
What the fellowship offered
The program is intended to give early-stage reporters practical experience in environmental journalism. The official description says fellows work directly with fellowship editors, collaborate with multiple Mongabay editors, develop their reporting skills, and create a portfolio of original publications. The six-month structure sets an output expectation of six stories, rather than a single project or a general training grant.
The stipend was $500 USD each month, for a total of $3,000 over the six-month cohort. The published material does not promise separate travel, equipment, insurance, or visa funding. Applicants considering a future call should read the new terms carefully and should not treat this archived stipend description as confirmation that all incidental costs are reimbursed.
The fellowship was remote and required an estimated 10 hours of work a week. Mongabay states that it does not have an office and cannot support work visas. Remote participation still requires reliable communication, time for reporting and editing, and the ability to carry a story through revisions. A prospective applicant should consider those practical demands alongside the stipend and any other work or study commitments.
Eligibility for the 2026 English-language cohort
The official requirements named these core criteria:
- Applicants had to be from a low- to upper-middle-income tropical country, using World Bank income classifications. The page specifically excludes high-income tropical countries and gives Singapore and Australia as examples. Mongabay links to a list of eligible countries; eligibility should be checked against the linked list rather than inferred from geography alone.
- Applicants had to be aspiring or early-career environmental journalists.
- Applicants had to be able to work remotely and commit about 10 hours per week.
- Applicants for the English-language program had to submit all materials in English.
- There was no education requirement, and the fellowship was not connected to a university.
- Applicants had to follow the requirements on the program page and the application form. Mongabay warns that applications that do not follow the instructions may be disqualified.
Mongabay also listed desired experience and judging criteria: a basic understanding of reporting and news writing, an interest in conservation, an interest in environmental journalism as a career, communication skills, and the capacity to fulfill the fellowship requirements and reporting plans. These are the published 2026 criteria. A future applicant should use the future call as the authority if the country list, language rules, or experience expectations change.
Application materials and former process
The closed application form requested basic contact information and answers to questions about the applicant’s interest. It also requested three documents:
- Resume: no more than two pages.
- Cover letter: no more than one page, introducing the applicant and answering two questions: how environmental journalism fits their career goals, and why Mongabay should select them.
- Writing sample: one piece in a journalistic style that reflected the applicant’s best work and skills. It could be published or unpublished; a conservation- or environment-related piece was preferred.
Mongabay said selections would be made by an internal team and that applicants would receive a status notification at least three weeks before the cohort began. It also said applications would be reviewed as they came in and encouraged early submission during the application period. That process description belongs to the closed call. The form is not currently a submission route, and a future form may ask different questions or materials.
For anyone preparing for a possible future opening, the most useful approach is to keep a concise resume current, retain one strong reported writing sample, and draft a cover letter that answers the published prompts with concrete evidence. A sample should show reporting and sourcing, not only interest in environmental issues. It can be useful to note the piece’s publication status and provide a stable link when available. These are preparation suggestions, not extra Mongabay requirements.
Assessing fit before a future application
The published workload and eligibility criteria give prospective applicants a grounded way to assess fit. First confirm that your country appears on Mongabay’s eligible-country list for the program. Do not assume that every tropical country qualifies: the income category is part of the rule. Next, confirm that you are applying to the English-language cohort and can submit materials in English. Other Mongabay language programs have their own pages, timelines, and conditions.
Then consider whether the remote schedule is workable. Ten hours each week across six months is a continuing commitment. Reporting includes finding and contacting sources, gathering background, drafting, responding to editorial feedback, and revising. Six stories means maintaining that process throughout the cohort. Applicants should plan around the actual work they can sustain, rather than promise an output pace that their schedule cannot support.
Finally, consider whether the fellowship’s offer matches your needs. The stipend is fixed at the published amount for the 2026 cohort and the work is remote. This was not described as a full-time salary, visa sponsorship, or a travel grant. The program’s central benefits were editorial collaboration, reporting practice, and publication. A candidate primarily seeking relocation support or a full salary would need to find a different opportunity.
Preparing while the call is closed
No 2027 deadline is available on the program page, so preparation should stay flexible. A prospective applicant can maintain a short record of reporting projects, publication links, language skills, and relevant local knowledge. Keep a writing sample that demonstrates careful sourcing and clear explanation. If a future form asks for a reporting plan, ideas can be developed from issues and communities the applicant can access responsibly, while leaving enough time for source-checking and revisions.
It is also sensible to check the Mongabay page itself before acting. Watch for a new cohort-specific application window, then read the current form from beginning to end. Confirm the eligible-country list, language, dates, workload, stipend, file limits, prompts, and upload requirements as they appear in that new call. The fact that the broader fellowship program is planned for 2026–2028 does not itself mean that an application window is open for every year or every language.
Applicants with questions about the archived English-language call can use the contact listed on Mongabay’s page, but a message should not be treated as an application or as confirmation of a future opening. Mongabay’s page also points readers to its opportunities newsletter. The official program page is the most useful place to monitor for updated English-language details, while the bureau-specific page should be checked for a different language track.
Official sources
- Mongabay Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship program page — cohort schedule and closed status, program structure, stipend, eligibility, application requirements, and selection process.
- Mongabay News announcement of the February 14, 2026 extension — extension date and the 2026 English-language cohort count and schedule.
The official program page names Karen Coates as a contact for English-language fellowship inquiries and Dora Montero for the Spanish-language fellowship. Contact details and program guidance can change, so consult the linked page for the current information. The archived deadline in this entry records the date for the completed English-language application window; the page should remain a historical reference until Mongabay publishes a new application call.