Ocean Reporting Network (ORN) Fellowship — Fourth Cohort

• Eligibility: Ocean journalists
• Target Region: Global; applications particularly welcomed from Asia-Pacific and East Africa
• Application Language: English (other languages accepted)

The Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network (ORN) is a fellowship programme that gives professional journalists the opportunity to spend up to a year working on an in-depth or investigative ocean story as part of a global collaborative network. The programme aims to expand and diversify the global community of reporters, editors, and outlets conducting investigations and publishing deeply reported ocean stories. Up to eight Fellowships are available in the fourth cohort; fellows will work remotely. The programme particularly welcomes cross-border collaborative investigations, proposals in transparency and governance related to ocean issues, and applications from the Global South. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in October 2026, with the 12-month Fellowship beginning in January 2027.

Eligibility

• Experienced journalists with a proven track record of investigative or in-depth ocean or environmental reporting.
• Journalists with a solid understanding of ocean issues and the scientific, environmental, social, legal, political, and commercial forces at play — and why these issues matter to global well-being.
• Staff or freelance journalists working on various platforms, including print, radio, video, and multimedia; freelance reporters must have the support of a local or international newsroom that agrees to host them, support their project, and publish the work they produce during the
• Fellowship.
• Journalists with the experience and ability to work collaboratively across newsrooms and borders, and the willingness to learn new skills.
• Reporters who are motivated to participate in outreach activities related to their investigations, such as meetings in communities and visits to schools and universities.
• Applicants must have a valid passport with more than six months remaining until expiry.

Requirements

• A copy of résumé or curriculum vitae.
• A description of the investigative or in-depth reporting project to be pursued during the Fellowship — not general themes but concrete stories aimed at uncovering patterns of systemic wrongdoing or abuse (800 words). Pre-reporting to determine scope, feasibility, and novelty is expected before applying.
• A plan for publication, distribution, and audience engagement (500 words).
  A statement of purpose explaining how the Fellowship fits the applicant’s career path (500 words).
• A letter of support from the applicant’s media employer or a newsroom that has agreed to host, support, and publish their work throughout the Fellowship.
• Three examples of the applicant’s most impactful investigations published in the past five years.
• Three professional references or letters of recommendation.

How to Apply

Submit all application materials via the Pulitzer Center’s Submittable portal before 13 September 2026 at 11:59 pm EDT. Applications opened on 24 August 2026. Questions may be directed to Jessica Aldred, Ocean Editor, at the Pulitzer Center. Apply here.

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