One World Media Fellowship 2026: Up to £3,000 Reporting Grant for Mid-Career Global South Journalists and Filmmakers

One World Media Fellowship 2026: Up to £3,000 Reporting Grant for Mid-Career Global South Journalists and Filmmakers

The One World Media Fellowship is One World Media’s flagship programme for journalists and filmmakers telling non-fiction stories from the Global South. This page is now a historical reference for the 2026 cohort. The application window is closed, and One World Media’s official site says that the ten selected journalists and filmmakers began their year-long programme in 2026. There is no announced next application round on the official Fellowship pages checked for this update, so this listing should not be read as an invitation to submit an application today.

The recorded deadline for the intake associated with the 2026 cohort was 20 August 2025. The date is retained in the front matter because it is the real closing date for this archived cycle. The programme itself is not a one-off award: One World Media describes it as an annual, year-long support programme that combines reporting money with editorial guidance, industry access, and a peer network. Future calls may change their dates or requirements, so a new cycle should be verified against the organisation’s official application page before this entry is treated as current again.

Key details

The headline grant is only one part of the offer. The Fellowship also gives each project an executive producer, provides industry workshops and events, and connects Fellows with a network of alumni and other storytellers. The programme is intended for practical projects that can be delivered within the Fellowship year, not for a large production that requires several years or extensive technical training.

What the Fellowship provides

The official Fellowship description lists a reporting grant of up to £3,000. That money is intended to help a journalist or filmmaker report and produce a small-scale media project. The amount should not be interpreted as a general living stipend or a guaranteed personal payment; applicants need to shape a feasible project and budget around the support available in the call.

Each Fellow also receives an executive producer for the project. This role gives the work editorial and practical support as it moves from proposal to reporting and delivery. It can help an applicant test the strength of a story, narrow the scope, think through access and contributors, and keep the final piece realistic for the available time and budget.

One World Media also provides industry workshops and events. These sessions are part of the programme’s professional development offer and sit alongside the project support. Fellows become part of a network of like-minded storytellers and the wider One World Media alumni community. For a reporter working outside the largest media markets, that network can be as useful as the grant: it creates opportunities to meet editors, producers, mentors, and peers who understand international reporting.

The programme is remote and lasts one calendar year from the announcement of the Fellows. One World Media says that workshops take place before reporting begins, followed by a period in which the Fellow completes the proposed media piece. Once reporting is under way, the project has nine months to reach delivery. The exact working schedule can differ by project, especially when a partner outlet or special grant is involved.

Who is eligible

The Fellowship is aimed at mid-career journalists and filmmakers from the Global South who are reporting stories from the Global South. One World Media’s official guidance says it expects applicants to have at least three years of industry experience. This is important: the programme does not provide basic technical training, and applicants are expected to have the ability to deliver the type of media they propose.

The location requirement is about the story as well as the applicant. Projects should focus on topics, issues, or communities in, about, or related to low- and middle-income countries across the Global South. One World Media describes the Global South broadly across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia with stated exclusions, and parts of Oceania. It refers applicants to lists compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Population Review when considering eligible countries. A proposal that uses a Global South setting only as background, without meaningful reporting there, is unlikely to fit the programme’s purpose.

One World Media particularly encourages submissions from underrepresented groups, including people of colour, ethnic groups, women, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities. That encouragement does not replace the core requirements: the applicant still needs relevant experience, a well-researched story, credible access, and a plan that can be delivered within the Fellowship’s resources.

What projects are supported

The Fellowship supports creative and engaging non-fiction across film, print, audio, photojournalism, and multimedia. Fiction, drama, and a finished project waiting only for post-production are not the intended fit. The official eligibility guidance says that projects must be at pre-production or production stage, with the main reporting not yet completed. Applicants should therefore have a strong idea and meaningful preparation, but not present a piece that is already fully reported and made.

Projects should be small enough to finish in a year. One World Media’s format guidance gives the following working limits:

• Documentary films should be under 10 minutes.
• Audio projects can be a single radio documentary under 30 minutes or a pilot episode for a podcast series.
• The overview allows text proposals up to 2,000 words; the detailed FAQ describes print human-interest features of about 1,200 to 1,500 words and says longer reads may be considered with likely outlet interest.
• Multimedia proposals should be under 30 minutes for audiovisual content.

The organisation can consider a longer print piece where there is clear interest from, or an established relationship with, a likely outlet. That is an exception to discuss and justify, not permission to submit an unbounded project. All proposals must be realistically deliverable within the programme timeline and budget. One World Media is looking for stories that highlight people whose voices are not often heard, are original rather than generic, and are told in an engaging and responsible way. Solutions-focused and empowering approaches are encouraged, with local people treated as partners in the reporting rather than as scenery for an outsider’s narrative.

How the application worked

The application process is online and free. One World Media’s official how-to-apply page gives these core steps:

1. Register for an account on the One World Media submission portal. Applicants who have used the portal before can sign in with their existing details or reset their password.
2. Complete the online form with information about the applicant, their experience, and the proposed project.
3. Upload the required documents and supporting material requested in the submission information.
4. Provide a reference letter and submit the completed form.

Applicants may submit more than one proposal, but each proposal requires a separate online application. The official Fellowship guidance adds useful detail about what makes an application credible. The story should be researched and verified before submission, and the applicant should have contacts and contributors on the ground who have agreed to take part. A trailer or existing footage can help a film application, although One World Media says it is not a prerequisite.

A future call may change the documents or questions, so applicants should use the live submission information rather than copying a previous form. For the archived cycle, the strongest preparation would have been a focused proposal, a relevant CV or biography, work samples that demonstrate the applicant’s ability to deliver the format, a realistic budget and access plan, and a reference from someone familiar with the applicant’s work. A reference may come from a tutor or lecturer, commissioner, employer, or established practitioner in the applicant’s medium, provided it explains how the referee knows the applicant and comments on their ability to deliver the proposed piece.

Selection and delivery

One World Media says the Fellowship call opens once a year, with applications shortlisted in-house before a jury of industry professionals selects the Fellows. The new Fellows are announced in June under the programme’s normal schedule, although the archived 2026 intake used the 2025 application call recorded above. The decision considers the proposed project together with the applicant’s profile, experience, and career ambitions.

Selectors look for a story with a clear reason to exist, original access or perspective, and a realistic route to completion. Common weaknesses identified by One World Media include access that has not been secured, a budget that does not match the work, a project that is too large, insufficient research, and an applicant who is either too early or too advanced for the programme. A topical issue is not enough on its own. The proposal needs people, access, a reporting question, and a form that suits the story.

The Fellowship year starts with workshops before reporting commences. Each project follows its own delivery plan, but the official guidance says that the Fellow has nine months after reporting begins to complete the proposed media piece. The final work may be a short film, print article, audio piece, or multimedia project. Fellows are expected to deliver within the agreed scope even if they later secure additional outside funding or a larger commission.

What to do when the next call opens

Because this entry is historical, the immediate action is to monitor One World Media rather than submit through the old cycle. When a new call is announced, first confirm the deadline, the grant amount, and whether the programme has changed its cohort structure. Then check that the proposed country and subject fit the Global South definition used by One World Media, and that the project is still at the right stage.

Prepare evidence of access before writing the final pitch. Identify the contributors, explain why they have agreed to participate, and show how the reporting will be conducted responsibly. Keep the finished piece small enough to complete within the available time. A precise story with a credible reporting plan is more useful than a sweeping proposal that cannot be completed.

Finally, use the official submission portal and current instructions. The application is free, but the work required to prepare a serious proposal is substantial. Ask for the reference early, choose work samples that match the proposed medium, and make the budget show exactly how the reporting grant would help the story reach completion.

Official links

The official application instructions are at oneworldmedia.org.uk/fellowship/apply/. One World Media’s Fellowship page describes the programme, eligibility, supported formats, delivery expectations, and selection process. Its How to Apply page explains the submission portal, required online form, supporting documents, reference letter, and free application process.

This listing preserves the 2026 opportunity for reference because the cohort has already been selected and the application cycle is closed. Do not rely on the archived deadline or assume that the next call will use the same date. Check One World Media’s official pages for a newly announced round before applying.