Deadline: 10 July 2025
The BIRN’s Reporting Democracy Travel & Reporting Programme invites journalists from the Visegrad region to apply for a grant that covers professional fees and field reporting expenses.
This programme offers a unique chance to embark on a reporting assignment, backed by financial support, editorial guidance, and on-the-ground assistance in countries where BIRN has established offices: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro.
They encourage journalists with a strong interest in the Balkans to apply and produce impactful stories for audiences in their home countries. Selected stories may also be featured on BIRN’s Reporting Democracy platform and in leading media outlets across the region.
They welcome pitches for a variety of journalistic formats, including analysis, investigative pieces, feature stories and interviews. Cross-border reporting, serialised stories and multimedia outputs such as video, photography, radio or podcast content are also strongly encouraged.
Funding Information
- Each successful applicant will receive 2,500 euros to support the production of high-quality, original journalism.
Eligible Costs
- Professional fees
- Travel and transport expenses
- Accommodation
- Daily allowances during fieldwork
- Production costs (e.g., fixers, translation, photo/video services, etc.)
Eligibility Criteria
- They invite applications from journalists based in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
- Applications are welcome from:
- Individual journalists, whether affiliated with a newsroom or working as freelancers.
- Teams that may include reporters, editors, producers, videographers or photographers.
- Media outlets with an interest in cross-border or international reporting.
- A maximum of ten (10) grants will be awarded during this call.
Evaluation Criteria
- Step 1: Technical Review
- Step 2: Editorial Evaluation
- Step 3: Notification of Results
Application Requirements
- To be considered, your application should include the following:
- Topic Overview: A clear description of your proposed story idea and why it is relevant.
- Balkan Fieldwork Plan: An outline of your planned reporting trip(s) to one or more Balkan countries, including a rough timeline.
- Publishing Strategy: A distribution plan explaining where and how you intend to publish or broadcast your story.
For more information, visit BIRN.
