The Open Notebook Early Career Fellowship Program is a paid, part-time, remote fellowship designed for early-career science journalists who want to strengthen their reporting and writing skills while working with experienced science journalists and editors.
Applications for the 2026 fellowship period are closed, and The Open Notebook expects to open applications for the 2027 fellowship by late September 2026.
Fellowship Overview
The program runs for 12 months on a part-time basis and gives fellows the opportunity to work directly with a mentor while producing articles for publication at The Open Notebook. Fellows also become part of the organization’s editorial community.
For the 2026 cycle, the fellowship offered:
- Duration: 12 months
- Format: Part-time
- Location: Remote
- Stipend: $6,600
- Start date: February 23, 2026
The 2026 application deadline was October 31, 2025.
The 2027 stipend, start date, and deadline have not yet been provided on the supplied page, so applicants should wait for the new call rather than assuming that the 2026 terms will remain unchanged.
What Fellows Do
During the fellowship, participants pitch, report, and write articles for The Open Notebook. These include “story behind the story” interviews and reported features focused on science journalism.
Each fellow works with an experienced science journalist who provides guidance on:
- Developing story ideas
- Reporting
- Interviewing
- Writing
- Editing
- Career development
- Strengthening journalism skills
Fellows also participate in editorial discussions and a Slack community involving current and former fellows and The Open Notebook editors.
Who Can Apply?
The fellowship is specifically designed for early-career science journalists.
Applicants:
- Can live outside the United States
- Need some training or experience writing for a general audience
- Must generally have fewer than three years of regular professional science-writing experience
- Do not have internships or student work counted toward the three-year professional experience limit
- May qualify for an exception where more than three years of professional science writing experience was gained partly or entirely in a language other than English
- Must submit application materials in English, although translated materials are accepted
This makes the program particularly interesting for aspiring science journalists internationally.
Time Commitment
Although the fellowship is part-time, applicants should not underestimate the workload.
Fellows are expected to produce four articles of approximately 1,500–2,000 words during the fellowship, meet regularly with their mentors, and participate in editorial and cohort activities.
The organization estimates an average commitment of approximately 5–7 hours per week, although some weeks can require substantially more time.
The work can include interviewing sources during U.S. daytime hours, mentor meetings, editing and revisions, fact-checking, and participation in the Slack community.
Selection Criteria
Priority is given to applicants who demonstrate:
- A strong intention to pursue professional science journalism
- Some experience or training writing about science for the general public
- An understanding of the science journalism profession
- A clear understanding of the areas in which they want to develop
- Familiarity with The Open Notebook
- The ability to generate suitable story ideas
- Strong commitment to deadlines and high-quality work
- Strong writing ability and sufficient English proficiency
An important distinction is that this fellowship is aimed at people whose primary career goal is journalism, rather than science communication generally.
Application Requirements
For the 2026 cycle, applicants were required to provide:
- Responses explaining their interest in the fellowship and what they hope to learn
- Information about their science-writing training or experience
- Skills, interests, or perspectives they would bring
- Their plans during the fellowship period
- Two short proposals for The Open Notebook features or multimedia stories
- A resume or CV
- One reference letter
- Up to two writing or multimedia samples aimed at a general audience
- Optional information about their background
The two proposed stories should be approximately 100 words each, rather than full-scale pitches.
Is It Fully Funded?
No. The program is paid, but the supplied information describes it as a $6,600 stipend, not a fully funded scholarship covering all living and travel expenses.
Its biggest benefits are the combination of financial support, professional mentorship, publication opportunities, editorial experience, and access to an international science-journalism community.
2027 Application Timeline
The most important update for prospective applicants is that the 2026 application cycle has already closed.
According to The Open Notebook, applications for the 2027 fellowship are expected to open by late September 2026.
If you are preparing for the 2027 cycle, this is a good time to start preparing your:
- Science-writing portfolio
- CV
- Writing samples
- Reference contact
- Two potential The Open Notebook story proposals
- Personal statement explaining your science-journalism goals
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