TRAVEL GRANTS

Travel Grants Springer Nature

We are thrilled to announce the awardees for the Springer Nature travel grants this week. They are from the Philippines, Chile, Guatemala and South Africa. Each has a proven track record of producing high-quality, accurate, and engaging science journalism and we look forward to welcoming them to Medellín at the end of the month. The grantees are…

Paula Diaz Levi, a science and environmental journalist based in Santiago, Chile, with experience in the media, conservation organisations, research centres and projects focused mostly on biodiversity and climate change. She currently works as editor and mentor in Climate Tracker for Latin America and the Caribbean, and also collaborates in Chilean and foreign media.

Paula has worked as a science journalist at the international marine conservation organisation Oceana, and also at the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), a research centre focused on biodiversity sciences.

Purple Romero, who has reported about climate change, health and the environment for over 10 years, with her reports published on Climate Home, Reuters Alertnet, SciDev.Net, Mongabay and Science for the People. She has also fact-checked misinformation about climate change for AFP Philippines and COVID-19 vaccines now at Annie Lab, a verified signatory of the International Fact-checking Network.

Jorge Rodriguez, a journalist based in Guatemala. After a run in traditional media, he decided to try his luck in other types of journalism, mainly focused on sustainable development, the environment, and indigenous peoples. Since 2018 Jorge has been a regular collaborator of international outlets such as National Geographic, Mongabay, and CGTN, among others. Since 2020, he's also focused on science topics, especially those related to conservation and biodiversity. Since 2015 he has directed Viatori, a digital outlet he founded, focusing on climate change, science, sustainability, and indigenous peoples from Guatemala and the rest of the Central American region.

Engela Duvenage, a freelance science writer from South Africa. Her children's story book on more than 100 scientists, engineers and inventors with South African links, Inventors, Bright Minds and Other Science Heroes of South Africa (Penguin) was published in 2021. It was first published in 2020 in Afrikaans as Uitvinders, Planmakers en ander Slimkoppe van Suid-Afrika (LAPA). She works in both Afrikaans and English, and specialises in "translating" South African research findings into popular articles, press releases and people-driven profile articles for newspapers, magazines, websites and institutional publications. On the international front she has recently published articles on the new Nature Africa website, and in the Down to Earth magazine from India. Locally she writes an environmental column and a book column for the family magazine Lig, and compiles a weekly agrisciences column for a South African agricultural magazine, Landbouweekblad. Engela holds an MPhil degree in Journalism from Stellenbosch University in South Africa. She has been commended for her work in the agricultural sector by among others the South African deciduous fruit industry and Agricultural Writers SA.

We are pleased to announce that four mid-career science journalists could win a grant to attend the WCSJ2023 World Conference of Science Journalists in Medellin, Colombia. The grants are sponsored by Springer Nature.

The conference is a unique opportunity for journalists to connect with their peers, learn from experts in the field, and stay up-to-date on the latest developments in science journalism.

Applications are invited from journalists who have a proven track record of producing high-quality, accurate, and engaging science journalism. To apply, please send us your CV and three representative samples of your work. Please mention your country of residence in your application.

The grantees will be selected based on their qualifications and the quality of their work. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to apply.
 
Please send a brief message with your expression of interest to office@wfsj.org along with a short CV and link to relevant articles. All information required MUST be contained in a single email for your application to be considered. The subject of your email should contain the following information WCSJ2023 - Nature Travel Grant - Country. Please indicate your country of residence.
 
Before applying, you must ensure that you will be available for the dates from March 27 to March 31, 2023, that you have all the travel documents required by public health authorities and if you need a visa to enter Colombia please indicate in your application letter. 
 
The deadline for applications is February 12, 2023 at 11:59 pm EDT.
WFSJ jury panel will review all entries and the successful applicant will be announced by February 19, 2023.
 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. We look forward to receiving your application!

2023 travel grants

The ABSW in the UK is offering five grants for travel, accommodation and subsistence whilst travelling, of up to £1000 each to members who would like to attend and benefit from attending the WCSJ 2023 in Medellín. For conditions and more information check the ABSW website. Entries should be submitted before 31 December.

2019 Travel Grants Winners

WCSJ2019 held a Media Competition in 2019 with the intent to honour articles or media contributions inspired by the Lausanne event and offer a travel grant thanks to the Bertarelli Foundation. The competition was open to all attendees of WCSJ 2019 Lausanne.
Initially announced for the five best entries, additional funds were provided because of the successful financial outcome of the Lausanne conference, so in addition to the number of Bertarelli Foundation Media Grants, WCSJ 2019 increased the total grants.

Congratulations to our fellows, and see you at WCSJ 2023! Here are the names of the winners of the WCSJ 2019 Media Competition Grant, organized and supported by the Alpine Consortium (formed of the Swiss Association of Science Journalism, the Association des journalistes français de la presse d'information, and Science Writers), which organized the WCSJ 2019 in Lausanne, Switzerland:

  • DE VRIEZE Jop, Reflections of a science journalist: is an overview study just an opinion?
  • IRWIN Aisling, The Everything Mapper
  • LACHOWSKI Caroline, Comment développer le journalisme scientifique en Afrique?
  • PALMER Jane, The chemists policing Earth’s atmosphere for rogue pollution
  • PONCHNER Debbie,Trans Ovaries and the Privilege of Growing Old
  • POWELL Kendall, What electronic games can teach us
  • POZNIAK Helena, Refugees and technology: on a journey of self-discovery
  • ROMAN Valeria, Transgender in Latin America: Unfolded from Otherness
  • SHETTY Disha, 65% Indians Exposed To Heatwaves
  • SIMON Laurent, On a passé la semaine dans un endroit formidable
  • BALAO Kossi Elom, Miser sur la science, c'est miser sur le futur, c'est miser sur l'avenir d'une société
  • FRAMMERY Catherine, La science n’est pas un discours équilibré!
  • HOUNGNIGBE Isaac, Magazine Radio Foire WCSJ2019
  • VERNET Agnès, J’ai trié des terrains de baseball… et compris pourquoi l'IA ne remplacera pas les journalistes