Deadline: February 1, 2026
Applications are open for the Mongabay Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship 2026-2028. The Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship Program builds on Mongabay’s long-running internship program, which has helped bolster the capacity of environmental journalists in a field where such experience can be hard to acquire.
Since 2008, the program has provided training and first-hand reporting experience for dozens of budding journalists in more than a dozen countries. Mongabay interns have gone on to establish careers as professional journalists, communications professionals at scientific institutions and conservation NGOs, and at Mongabay itself.
From 2026-2028, the Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship Program will support at least 34 fellows per year in several language-specific cohorts:
- Sixteen English-language fellows in the Global Bureau, including five focusing on oceans in Southeast Asia;
- Six fellows in the Spanish-language bureau, Mongabay Latam;
- Six Bahasa Indonesia-language fellows at Mongabay Indonesia;
- Six Portuguese-language fellows in our Global Bureau
Benefits
- Each fellow will receive $500 USD per month for the duration of the six-month fellowship, or $3,000 USD in total.
- During that time, fellows will work directly with the fellowship editors to produce six stories. Fellows will have opportunities to collaborate with multiple Mongabay editors, including those who specialize in different areas.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be from a low- to upper-middle-income tropical country, as classified by the World Bank. “High-income” tropical countries, such as Singapore and Australia, are excluded from the fellowship.
- Applicants must be aspiring, early-career environmental journalists.
- Applicants must be able to work remotely and commit to 10 hours per week.
- There is no education requirement to apply for the program. The fellowship is not linked to any university.
- All application materials for the English-language program must be submitted in English.
- All materials must adhere to the guidelines and on the application form; applications that do not follow the guidelines will be disqualified.
Judging Criteria
- Basic understanding of and interest in reporting and writing news stories;
- Demonstrated interest in conservation issues;
- Demonstrated interest in environmental journalism as a career;
- Proven communication skills;
- Capacity to fulfill all of the fellowship requirements and reporting plans.
Application
On the application form, you will be asked to fill out basic contact information, answer a few questions about your interest, and upload the following documents:
- Resume (1-2 pages maximum)
- Cover letter (1 page maximum) introducing yourself and answering:
- How does environmental journalism fit into your career goals?
- Why should Mongabay select you for this fellowship?
- One writing sample in a journalistic style (published or unpublished) that reflects your best work and skills (preferably a piece related to conservation or the environment).
For more information, visit Mongabay Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship.
