COP31 Climate Change Media Partnership Reporting Fellowship for Creator Journalists Fellowship NEW

The Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP), led by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, is pleased to announce the COP31 CCMP Reporting Fellowship Program for journalists and creator journalists in low- and middle-income countries interested in covering the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP31). Hosted this year by Türkiye, the conference is scheduled to take place in the city of Antalya from November 9-20, 2026.

Overview

Now in its 19th iteration since its launch in 2007, the CCMP has brought more than 550 journalists from low- and middle-income countries to attend and report on the annual UN climate talks. This has enabled journalists from around the world to cover the climate negotiations for their home audiences, while benefiting from working alongside knowledgeable media trainers and gaining a multifaceted understanding of how nations are responding—or failing to respond—to climate change’s global impact.

This year, for the first time, we’re expanding CCMP Fellowship eligibility to include independent creator journalists who are not affiliated with a professional news outlet but use journalistic practices and content creation techniques to deliver climate-related coverage directly to audiences via social media and other digital platforms.

We are welcoming applications from creator journalists producing original work using core journalistic principles; presenting their audiences with voice-driven, factual information, via one or more digital platforms, such as vertical video platforms, YouTube channels, newsletter or podcast platforms or other social media sites. Eligibility requirements are listed below.

Applications for the COP31 CCMP Reporting Fellowship will be accepted from May 27 to June 17, 2026. Decisions will be communicated in early September.

Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted, so please consider submitting at least one day before the deadline to avoid any issues.

Journalists affiliated with a news outlet (or freelancers who can secure a letter of support from a publication) should apply for the COP31 CCMP Fellowship at this link. 

Fellowship logistics

All CCMP Fellows will travel to Antalya to attend the full two weeks of the UN climate negotiations in November 2026, with specific arrival and departure dates to be determined. Fellowship support includes:

• Operational and logistical support: The CCMP will cover non-refundable economy-class airfare, accommodation, meals, travel medical insurance and ground transportation costs related to Fellowship participation. Organizers will also facilitate the press accreditation process and provide logistical support relating to the trip. Please note that the process of obtaining any necessary visas is the fellow’s individual responsibility, though the CCMP will reimburse visa costs.
• Accommodation: CCMP organizers will arrange accommodation for all Fellows in single occupancy rooms, if possible; however applicants should be comfortable with the possibility of shared housing.
• Financial support: Selected Fellows will be provided a small stipend to offset the cost of meals and other incidental expenses related to the fellowship.
• Reporting resources and other support: CCMP Fellows will be guided by EJN trainers, who are senior climate journalists with experience covering UN climate summits. Prior to the start of COP31, Fellows will receive informational resources and technical support to help prepare for covering the conference, including a pre-COP virtual workshop to meet the trainers, discuss reporting opportunities, and ask any questions. Once in Antalya, Fellows will participate in an in-person orientation session with seasoned climate journalists and experts on the key issues at this COP and attend specially designed activities on the ground, including daily briefings and 1-1 discussions with mentors. They will have access to a CCMP Trello board with information and resources and will be part of a CCMP group chat on a messaging platform to share information, discuss and ask questions
• Opportunities for interviews: Fellowship organizers will arrange group interviews for Fellows with high-level officials and subject matter experts.
• Opportunities for networking: Fellows will be encouraged to attend networking mixers with other journalists and participate in cohort-building activities including group meals and/or local excursions. Selected Fellows may also be invited to participate as speakers or moderators at official and/or unofficial side events taking place during the summit.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the CCMP Fellowship, creator journalist applicants must:

• Be from an eligible country in the list below.*
• Be an independent creator journalist who frequently produces climate-related coverage delivered directly to audiences via one or more digital platforms, such as vertical video platforms, YouTube channels, newsletter or podcast platforms or other social media sites. 
• For this opportunity, we welcome analysis, however we are not accepting applications from creator journalists who produce opinion and advocacy content.
• Must not have attended a UNFCCC climate COP before in person—either self-funded or as part of a fellowship.
• Must be available and willing to travel to Antalya, Türkiye, to attend the full two weeks of COP31 in person.
• Have a good command of the English language.
• Be able to demonstrate that they have an existing audience. Ideal candidates will be creator journalists with 10,000+ followers.
• Commit to participate in all CCMP Fellowship activities.
• Share an up-to-date resume/CV.
• Share a video, no more than 2 minutes in length, explaining what you want to cover  at COP31.
• Provide at least three recent, relevant samples of your coverage on climate change or related topics that were published/shared between May 15, 2025, to June 15, 2026, which can be uploaded as documents or web links. Stories can be in any language as long as they are accompanied by a short English synopsis.

Note: You’ll be asked to upload these supporting documents once you start the application process, so please have them ready. 

 *See the full list of eligible countries (updated May 27, 2026). These countries were chosen because they are low- and middle-income countries as defined by the World Bank, because they are in a region neighboring the COP host country, and/or because there is a demonstrated need for increased reporting on climate change. Some countries were excluded due to security concerns. 

For the purposes of this opportunity, we will only be accepting applications in English. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to consider applications in other languages at this time. Applicants must be able to participate fully in an English-language Fellowship.

Judging criteria 

We are looking for applicants who:

• Have demonstrated experience covering climate change, climate policy and other environmental topics and clearly indicate the kinds of news, stories or informational content for digital platforms you might pursue during the conference.
• Have developed a clear, specific and detailed coverage plan for the COP that includes potential story ideas.
• Have an audience that is hungry for information, news and other stories that could surface during a COP.
• Are producing original work, including verified factual information, analysis and/or commentary. In order to create more cohesion across the CCMP cohort, we are not considering creator journalists who produce opinion and advocacy content.

The CCMP also considers the need to assemble a diverse cohort of journalists and creator journalists working in different mediums and from varied geographies.

The application form includes a requirement for applicants to be transparent about any use of generative AI tools in the application process. EJN reserves the right to disqualify applicants from consideration if they are found to have submitted AI-generated or AI-assisted content without disclosure.

Coverage logistics 

CCMP Fellows are expected to produce multiple news pieces, stories or informational content during the course of the fellowship. Fellows may produce coverage as text, audio, video or some combination of formats.

Throughout the program, participating creator journalists are free to create as they see fit; however, we do ask that Fellows adhere to ethical standards (which will be shared at the start of the fellowship) as well as to these guidelines:

Language of publication: Stories produced as a result of this fellowship can be in any language. We ask that Fellows provide high-quality English summaries of the coverage produced in other languages and fully translate at least one of their outputs into English so it can be shared with a wider audience. Fellows may use a tool like DeepL or other automated translation apps for this purpose.

Acknowledgement of support: Coverage produced during the fellowship program must disclose CCMP support. Fellows should use this language for the acknowledgement: “This story was produced as part of the COP31 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.”

Republication rights: Those who are awarded fellowships are free to publish or share coverage produced as a result of the fellowship first on their platforms. Stories from COP31 that are filed by participating creator journalists may be republished on EJN’s website, shared on EJN’s social channels and may be cross-posted on the Stanley Center’s website.

Travel requirements and safety protocols 

Fellows are responsible for ensuring that they meet any requirements for travel to Türkiye. Applicants will be asked to indicate that they understand that participation in the fellowship requires compliance with the Türkiye government and venue requirements.

Internews and the Stanley Center will continuously assess travel and health risks and will communicate these to Fellows ahead of the conference. All travel to participate in this fellowship will be voluntary.

Application process

• Click the ‘Apply now’ button at the top of this page.
• If you have an existing account, you’ll need to log in. If you don’t have an account, you must register by clicking “Log in” on the top right of the page and then the “Sign up” link at the bottom of the page that opens. Click here for detailed instructions on how to create an account, and here for detailed instructions on how to reset your password.
• If you start the application and want to come back and complete it later, you can click ‘Save Draft.’ To return to the draft, you’ll need to go back to the opportunity and click ‘Apply now’ again to finalize the application.

The CCMP reserves the right to disqualify applicants from consideration if they have been found to have engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct, including, but not limited to, plagiarism and submitting AI-generated content as their own.

This year’s CCMP Fellowship is organized and implemented by Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.

Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.  Please consider submitting at least one day in advance of the deadline to avoid any issues.