EJN Mediterranean Media Initiative Oceanic Crime & Ecoviolence Investigation Partnership Call 2023 (up to €4,000)

The Mediterranean Media Initiative Oceanic Crime & Ecoviolence Investigation Partnership Call 2023 for the Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is currently open. Crimes may easily go unreported in the remoteness of the deep blue sea, where overfishing, forced labor, and the discarding of dead animals from protected species are all common. Trawlers frequently enter protected areas while engaged in illegal fishing, which is a renowned type of transnational violence. These vessels take advantage of legal gaps to escape detection.

The Mediterranean Media Initiative of the EJN seeks to assist inquiries, particularly transboundary ones, that aim to reveal illegal fishing by industrial or semi-industrial boats as well as other damaging environmental activities that have an influence on the maritime ecosystem. These challenges would be examined in the context of broader anthropogenic stresses including biodiversity loss, climate change, and rising pollution, as well as their effects on human security and environmental justice.

Grant:

They expect to award 5 grants with a budget of up to 4,000 Euros each.

Eligibility:

• Applicants may come from any country bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
• Groups of journalists are eligible; however, the application must be made in the name of
  one lead applicant. Lead applicants are responsible for communicating with EJN and
  receiving funds on the group’s behalf, if awarded.
• For the purposes of this grant opportunity, they will only be accepting written applications in
  English or French. Unfortunately, they do not have the capacity to consider applications in
  other languages at this time. Applicants must have a working understanding of English and
  French. The story can be published in the local language.
• Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio)
  and other expert media practitioners with professional reporting experience. They welcome
  applications from early-career journalists and experienced reporters with a track record of
  environmental issues. They encourage applications from freelance reporters and staff from
  all types of media organizations – international, national, local and community-based.
• EJN reserves the right to disqualify applicants from consideration if they have been found to
  have engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct.

Judging Criteria:

Applicants should consider the following points when devising their story proposals.

• Relevance: Does the proposal meet the criteria and objectives of the call? Why does this
  story matter and to whom? Is the main idea, context and overall value to the target audience
  clearly defined?
• Angle: If the story has been covered, does your proposal bring new insights to the topic or
  offer a fresh angle?
• Impact: Does the proposal have a compelling narrative or investigative element that will
  inform and engage, draw attention, trigger debate and spur action?
• Innovative storytelling: The use of creative approaches, multimedia and data visualization
  will be considered a plus.
• Plan for timely publication: Reporters, whether freelance or employed at a media outlet,
  will need to include a letter of support from an editor in their application, committing to
  publish the stories by September 30, 2023.

Application:

Application deadline is March 31, 2023. They plan to issue grants in April 2023 with the expectation that
all stories will be published by September 30, 2023 at the latest. Applicants should consider this timeline
when drafting their workplan and each grant has a maximum 6 month-timeline.

Click here to apply