Pitches / proposals wanted (COVID-19, stories of resilience, best practices) (worldwide) | $1,000-$8,000

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC  

Please note: This call for proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications may be submitted until further notice. 

In  the most difficult of times, journalism can play several roles in  supporting communities around the globe. It can disseminate critical  information to keep people safe and informed, it can illuminate stories  that bring us hope and remind us of our shared human experience, and it  can help us find and share solutions to wicked problems. 

As  COVID-19 continues to evolve and impact communities around the globe,  the National Geographic Society is launching an emergency fund for  journalists all over the world who wish to cover COVID-19 within their  own communities. This fund will place particular emphasis on delivering  news to underserved populations, particularly where there is a dearth of  evidence-based information getting to those who need it. We are  interested in local and even hyper-local distribution models. This fund  is designed to quickly deliver support so that both individual stories  and longer series of content may be created. 

The fund  will distribute support ranging from $1,000–8,000 USD for local coverage  of the preparation, response, and impact of this global pandemic as  seen through evidence-based reporting. Beyond reporting on medical and  physical health related to COVID-19, we especially encourage reporting  that covers social, emotional, economic, and equity issues. Narratives  around the Pandemic necessarily include facts and numbers, but  ultimately, must also go deeper—telling the stories of inequities that  COVID-19 has brought to light.

We seek writers,  photographers, videographers, audio journalists, cartographers,  filmmakers, and data visualization experts to apply for this funding.  Journalists should seek placement of this work within their local media  ecosystems and must attribute their support to the National Geographic  Society’s Emergency Fund for Journalists. National Geographic Society or  National Geographic Partners may also choose to publish some of this  work as part of its global coverage. 

Reporting may cover any aspect of the virus and its fallout, including but not limited to:

• Social consequences of COVID-19 and measures to contain it,  particularly related to equity—such as its impact on immigrant  communities, domestic violence, and early childhood education. 
• Stories of resilience and solutions that could be applied on a regional or global scale.
• Novel forms of data visualization or science communication to help communities better understand how to protect themselves.
• Lessons learned from local response(s) to COVID-19 that could be  applied to other large-scale challenges, such as climate change or the  refugee crisis. 
• Best practices of how educators, students, and schools are reacting  to this crisis, particularly as they illuminate under-resourced schools.

Priority communities include: Those at high risk or hit  especially hard by the virus, indigenous communities, immigrant or  refugee communities, underserved, urban, rural, elderly populations, and  children. 

Applicants may use up to 100 percent of  their budget as personal reimbursement for their reporting time. We ask  that applicants estimate their standard fee for reporting on or creating  such content.

We also ask that recipients of this  funding prioritize the health of yourselves and the communities in which  you work. Many journalists are accustomed to putting themselves in  harm’s way in pursuit of a story. We ask that you not only consider all  precautions to protect yourself, but that of the people you are covering  as well. Please follow local, regional, and national guidelines in  terms of access for accredited journalists in your region. This guide  provides advice for visual and other journalists. 

Finally, all reporting must be fact-based and accurate. For the best and most up to date COVID-19 resources, see below:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• World Health Organization
• Johns Hopkins Map of COVID-19 Cases
• The COVID-19 AP Style Guide

All application materials must be in English, and applicants  must be at least 18 years old at the time they submit an application.

More details here. 

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Applications: Via the webform

Website: https://www.nationalgeographic.org