Call for
Stories of Hope Media Fellowship
Application Deadline:
18 July 2025
About Organisation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a unique global alliance comprising government bodies and civil society organizations. With a mission rooted in fostering a sustainable future, IUCN works to preserve biodiversity, promote nature-based solutions, and support communities worldwide in aligning development goals with environmental priorities. The organization emphasizes collaborative conservation efforts, providing scientific knowledge, policy advice, and practical tools to drive change. Its work spans over 160 countries, ensuring that nature conservation remains at the heart of sustainable development.
IUCN operates across various ecosystems and thematic areas, including species conservation, ecosystem management, water and marine conservation, climate change mitigation, and gender-inclusive conservation strategies. With an extensive network of experts and partners, IUCN plays a pivotal role in shaping conservation practices, guiding environmental governance, and fostering dialogue between communities, policymakers, and conservationists.
In India, IUCN focuses significantly on the ecologically sensitive Indian Himalayan Region. Through initiatives like Himalaya for Future, the organization supports projects that preserve local biodiversity, promote sustainable livelihoods, and document community-led conservation efforts. By empowering media professionals and storytellers through initiatives like the Stories of Hope Media Fellowship, IUCN helps spotlight local environmental challenges and amplify voices working toward positive ecological transformation.
About the Grant
The Stories of Hope Media Fellowship, launched by IUCN, aims to spotlight impactful stories from the Indian Himalayan Region by empowering young media professionals to become champions of conservation. Through this initiative, fellows will document ground-level realities and innovations in environmental conservation, sharing narratives that inspire action and policy-level change.
Fellows will engage in fieldwork across any of the 13 Himalayan States/UTs to explore ecological challenges and sustainable solutions firsthand. These immersive experiences will involve interaction with communities, conservationists, and scientists actively working to protect the region’s biodiversity and cultural heritage. Selected fellows will also gain access to exclusive resources from the Himalaya for Future programme, including data, reports, and expert inputs.
This fellowship encourages creativity and bold storytelling approaches—be it long-form journalism, photo essays, videos, or multimedia features. Themes include forest and ecosystem conservation, water resources, wildlife protection, clean energy, sustainable waste management, and urban resilience. Cross-cutting areas include gender, climate change, disaster risk reduction, traditional knowledge, and nature-based solutions.
Through this program, IUCN seeks to enhance the quality of conservation journalism in the region and strengthen local media’s ability to tell powerful stories that can drive change and promote sustainable development across the Himalayas.
Who can Apply?
The Stories of Hope Media Fellowship is open to Indian nationals aged 21–32 who are passionate about environmental conservation and have a keen interest in the Himalayan ecosystem. Ideal candidates include students, young journalists, and researchers committed to using media as a tool for awareness, advocacy, and change.
Applicants should possess at least two years of professional experience in environmental or development reporting. A strong portfolio showcasing consistent, high-quality reporting over the past two years is essential. Both full-time and freelance journalists working across various media platforms—print, digital, audio, and video—are encouraged to apply.
The fellowship is particularly suited for Indian media professionals engaged in regional reporting, including staff reporters, radio or podcast journalists, YouTubers, television correspondents, and multimedia storytellers. The program encourages applications from individuals across India’s diverse linguistic and cultural landscapes.
Applicants must demonstrate an understanding of and interest in the fellowship’s key themes, such as forest and ecosystem conservation, wildlife, sustainable livelihoods, water and clean energy, and related cross-cutting areas like climate change, gender, and indigenous knowledge.
The ideal fellow is someone driven to spotlight underreported stories, collaborate with communities, and contribute meaningfully to public discourse on conservation through impactful, research-based, and creative storytelling.
How to Apply?
Interested candidates must submit their application via a designated Google Form by 18 July 2025. The application must include a personal statement, career goals, a relevant writing sample, a 400–500-word pitch on a thematic area, two recommendation letters, and an updated CV. Applicants should clearly articulate their interest in the fellowship and how their work aligns with the conservation goals of the Indian Himalayan Region.
Application Deadline
The deadline to submit all required documents for the Stories of Hope Media Fellowship is 18 July 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered under any circumstance.
Last Date to Apply
All applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM IST on 18 July 2025. Ensure all materials, including references and writing samples, are uploaded before the deadline to be eligible.
Grant Amount
The fellowship offers fully-funded field visits, exclusive access to conservation data, mentorship, and publication support. While no fixed monetary grant is specified, all logistical and production expenses are covered.
Last Date To Apply
For more information, please visit the grant website here.
