Fellowships
India Together provides fellowships to journalists and development researchers to write a series of articles on a selected topic over a period of 6-9 months. The fellowships are intended to help writers explore and articulate (and readers understand) the public interest in the topics taken up.
ROLLING AND OPEN PROCESS
Fellowships at India Together are usually announced based on financial support from readers; as and when sufficient funds are available for a new fellowship, a call for interested authors will be published on this site, and made known through other channels. Interested authors may then apply to be considered for the fellowship. In some cases, authors can also propose to write a series of articles on a specific topic, even if funds to support such work through a fellowship are not already available. Such proposals will be reviewed as and when they are submitted, and if selected for future awards, they will be finalised as and when there is sufficient financial support for it.
Currently Open Fellowships
Science Research in India : This fellowship is for coverage of ongoing science research in India. The articles in this series could focus on emerging new science, its potential for applications in different fields, the challenges faced by researchers, the funding support for science research, the attractiveness of science careers, and other related aspects.
Regional and Local Economies : This fellowship is for coverage of trends and developments in regional economies within states. The articles in the series should examine how smaller towns and regions are changing (or not) along with the larger trends sweeping the country, and the implications for their future economic and social vitality.
The Changing State of Education : This fellowship is for coverage of key questions in different states about public-funded education, and to report on events and developments in the governance of education. The articles in the series should also cover the changing nature of certification and learning, and the implications from those.
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ELIGIBILITY
The fellowships are primarily for journalism, to promote a discourse on development issues and challenges. Therefore, preference will be given to those who have previously worked as journalists, either in a media organisation or as freelancers. Applications from those who have focused on development issues in the past will also be considered in preference to those of others.
CONTENT AND REPORTING STYLE
At the beginning of each fellowship, India Together will agree with each selected fellow what the focus of all the articles in a series will be, and thereafter leave it to the author to develop the material. Each article must be original and directly sourced by the author. Articles must be in English, and must be material that is not submitted elsewhere for publication or use in any way, and must be based on the author's first-hand or verified knowledge of the material presented in it. Also, articles must be in reporting format - i.e. based on news and events, research findings, public data, etc, and not in the form of an opinion piece.
Within the chosen topic, the approach to each article may be on one or more of the following - investigation of events and developments of significant public interest; anecdotal evidence of the impacts of events, policies and other developments from the lives of individuals and communities; examination of the implications of events and developments on citizens' constitutional and other rights; and documentation of the trends and dynamics of social change processes. India Together is also open to other approaches that are proposed by fellowship recipients and pre-agreed with the publication at the start of the series.
FUNDING
India Together is primarily a reader-supported publication, and the fellowships too are similarly funded. Each fellowship typically includes a fixed amount of grant funds to support the authors who are selected. India Together strives to ensure that this funding is at market rates for freelance journalism. However, apart from the grant to the authors, there is no additional funding available to cover costs of work.
CERTIFICATION AND RECOGNITION
Upon completion of the fellowship series, India Together will provide documentary certification of the same to the author. IT may also list a selection of fellows, both past and present, on this web site, along with information about the articles published under each fellowship.
APPLICATION
There is no separate process for applying for fellowships. The general guidelines for application which are applicable to all authors interesting in writing for India Together are published at this page. Please look through these as well before you decide to apply - http://indiatogether.org/page/submit-articles.
