COP30 Climate Change Media Partnership Reporting Fellowship
Applications are now open for the COP30 Climate Change Media Partnership Reporting Fellowship, offering professional journalists from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) a fully funded opportunity to report on the 2025 UN climate summit in Belém, Brazil.
The fellowship, a joint initiative of the Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security aims to amplify underrepresented voices and perspectives in global climate reporting.
Selected fellows will receive comprehensive support—ranging from travel and accommodation to editorial mentorship—to cover COP30, which runs from November 10 to 21, 2025, following the World Leaders’ Summit on November 6–7.
A separate track also offers virtual fellowships to journalists in Pacific Island nations or their diaspora in Australia and New Zealand.
The deadline for applications is July 15, 2025, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
Fellowship Focus: Representation and Relevance
The Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP) was launched in 2007 and has since supported over 500 journalists to report on the annual UN climate negotiations.
Its goal remains clear: increase equitable access to climate decision-making spaces and ensure that communities most affected by the climate crisis are covered by those closest to the issues.
For COP30, which will be held in the Amazonian city of Belém, the fellowship targets journalists who have never before attended a COP summit—whether independently or through a program—ensuring new voices are brought into global climate coverage.
Only professional journalists from Low and Middle-Income countries, as categorized by the World Bank, Eligible Countries, for the in-person fellowship.
The virtual track is limited to journalists based in Pacific Island countries such as Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and others, or their diaspora based in Australia or New Zealand, as long as they work for Pacific-focused media outlets.
What the Fellowship Covers
In-Person Fellows selected for COP30 will receive:
- Round-trip economy airfare to Belém, Brazil
- Visa fee reimbursements
- Travel medical insurance
- Ground transportation
- Shared hotel accommodation
- Meals and a modest daily stipend
- Support with COP30 press accreditation
Fellows will also participate in a comprehensive editorial support program, which includes:
- A virtual pre-summit orientation
- Daily briefings and exclusive interviews during COP30
- Access to experts, negotiators, and scientists
- Mentorship from experienced climate editors
- Group meetings, field visits, and reporting opportunities
- Peer learning and network-building with other fellows
For Virtual Fellows in the Pacific, the fellowship includes:
- A communications stipend to ensure internet access
- Participation in pre-COP workshops and briefings
- Access to live and recorded COP30 sessions
- Editorial guidance and story feedback
- Virtual interviews arranged with experts and negotiators
- Secure chat spaces and collaborative support
In both cases, fellows are expected to produce original climate stories during the COP30 period and distribute them via their home media outlets.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify, applicants must:
- Be a professional journalist from an LMIC (in-person track) or from the Pacific Islands region or diaspora (virtual track)
- Have never attended a COP summit in any capacity
- Demonstrate a strong interest and experience in climate reporting
- Submit two climate-related stories published between July 15, 2024, and July 15, 2025 (translations or summaries in English must be provided if written in another language)
- Submit a 2-minute video pitch outlining their intended COP30 reporting focus
- Provide a resume or CV
- Include a signed letter of support from a media editor or newsroom supervisor confirming the outlet will publish their work during COP30
- Submit a detailed reporting plan, including story ideas and the proposed number of outputs
The fellowship is competitive and awarded based on the strength of the applicant’s reporting plan, journalistic experience, and demonstrated commitment to covering climate issues from a locally grounded perspective.
Reporting Themes and Local Angles
With COP30 taking place in the heart of the Amazon—a region symbolic of both climate vulnerability and ecological resilience—fellowship applicants are encouraged to develop story angles that connect local climate impacts to global policy negotiations.
Potential story themes may include:
- Deforestation and Indigenous land rights
- Loss and damage financing
- Climate adaptation and mitigation
- Just energy transitions
- Food systems and climate resilience
- Urban climate planning
- Ocean and biodiversity protection
- Youth and gender in climate action
Applicants are advised to propose specific and locally relevant reporting ideas that resonate with their communities and link directly to COP agenda items.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online via Earth Journalism Network’s website by the July 15, 2025 deadline.
All materials must be in English. Shortlisted candidates will be notified by early September.
Apply here: https://earthjournalism.net/opportunities/cop30-climate-change-media-partnership-reporting-fellowship
Why This Matters
The fellowship offers more than just access—it provides structure, training, and editorial backing to enable journalists to produce impactful coverage.
As past CCMP fellows have shown, the stories told at climate summits don’t just inform—they influence public understanding, hold governments accountable, and spotlight local struggles and solutions on a global stage.
By offering full support to journalists who are often sidelined from major global events, the fellowship creates space for storytelling that is deeply informed by lived experience.
In doing so, it contributes to a more diverse, just, and effective climate conversation.
If you are an eligible journalist with a passion for climate reporting, this is a chance to be part of one of the most significant global conversations of the decade.
Earth Journalism Network (EJN) supports journalists worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries, to improve reporting on climate, environment, and Indigenous issues through training and fellowships.
The Stanley Center for Peace and Security is a nonprofit focused on advancing global peace and security, including tackling climate change risks.
Together, they run the Climate Change Media Partnership, helping journalists from the Global South cover UN climate talks like COP30 with funding, training, and editorial support.
