Applications Open for $5000 Tyee Reporting Fellowships

The Tyee is again accepting applications for its reader-funded Fellowships in Investigative or Solutions Reporting. Five Tyee Fellowships worth $5,000 each will be awarded to independent journalists wishing to pursue in-depth reporting on a topic that educates and engages citizens on an issue important to British Columbians.

The entry deadline is Nov. 15, 2012. Applications will be judged by an independent advisory board who will share only the winning entries with Tyee editors. Winners will be announced in Jan. 2013. The resulting series -- each consisting of three or more articles of at least 1,000 words each -- will be published on The Tyee, and made available to other publications pending approval by the authors.

Do you have what it takes?

You don't have to be a trained or practicing journalist to receive a Tyee Fellowship, but you do need to demonstrate you can do rigorous, in-depth journalism. Solid writing and reporting skills are a must. Multimedia elements including video, audio or photographs are encouraged but not required.

While the reporting must relate directly to B.C., there are no restrictions on subject matter, which may include education, the environment, human rights, economics, worker safety, health, addiction, gender and sexuality, poverty, government, consumer ethics, etc.

For more information about eligibility including how to apply, click here.

Reader-funded journalism

The Tyee Fellowships for Investigative and Solutions Reporting are funded largely by Tyee readers. Since the program launched in 2006, Tyee readers have given tens of thousands of dollars. Your commitment and generosity has empowered the most capable journalists to investigate important stories that may have otherwise not been published. So thank you for your generous support!

While we're not soliciting further donations to the Tyee Fellowships at this time, readers wishing to support The Tyee’s general reporting capacity can become Tyee Builders here.

Tyee fellowship legacy

This year's winners will join the ranks a talented cast of past fellowship recipients. Some of Canada's most experienced journalists have received Tyee Fellowships before. So have ambitious young people just starting out. Previous Tyee Fellowship winners have broken important stories, sparked critical public debate, and won major awards. Here's a recap of our 2010 winners:

Justin Langille, to probe "What Migrant Farm Workers Want from their Toil in B.C. Fields." Read "Invisible in the Fields" here.

Gabriela Perdomo, to look into "What British Columbians Can Do to Affect Fair Trade in Fresh Flowers." Read "How Fair are your Flowers?" here.

Richard Warnica, to trace the inner workings, and potential failings of B.C.'s remand system. Read "Death in Remand" here.

Jackie Wong, to uncover the realities of where protection begins and ends for renters in Vancouver. Read "Renovictions and the Quest for Affordable Rentals in Vancouver" here.

Do you know an important topic worthy of in-depth investigation or solutions-focused reporting? Do you have what it takes? Click here for more on eligibility and how to apply.