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Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Deadline: October 31, 2025
The Open Notebook (TON) Early-Career Fellowship Program 2026 is a prestigious opportunity designed for early-career science journalists worldwide. With a mission to cultivate the next generation of science storytellers, this fellowship provides hands-on training, mentorship, and financial support to emerging writers passionate about science communication.
Fellows will work under the guidance of seasoned science journalists and editors to produce high-quality stories published by The Open Notebook. The program is an excellent pathway for journalists seeking to strengthen their reporting, writing, and pitching skills while building a professional portfolio.
Benefits
Successful fellows of the TON Early-Career Fellowship 2026 will receive:
- A $4,000 stipend distributed over the fellowship period.
- One-on-one mentorship from experienced science writers and editors.
- The chance to publish feature-length science stories with The Open Notebook.
- Professional development training in pitching, sourcing, interviewing, and editing.
- Long-term exposure and networking opportunities within the global science journalism community.
- A robust platform to enhance their credibility and career prospects.
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Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must:
- Be early-career science journalists (generally with less than two years of professional experience).
- Demonstrate a strong interest in science writing and reporting.
- Possess excellent writing and communication skills.
- Be fluent in English (since stories will be published in English).
- Commit to actively participating in mentorship, workshops, and editorial work during the fellowship period.
Selection Criteria
Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate:
- A strong intention to work primarily as a professional science journalist. (Note: This fellowship is intended for people whose main goal is to do journalism, as opposed to other forms of science communication.)
- Some training and/or experience writing about science for the general public (it does not have to be extensive)
- Some understanding of the science journalism profession, the challenges science journalists commonly face, and the ways in which you would like to grow as a science journalist
- Familiarity with The Open Notebook and the types of topics we tend to cover
- An ability to generate good story ideas suitable for The Open Notebook
- A commitment to delivering your best work and being conscientious about deadlines
- Strong writing ability (If English is not your first language, we do take this into consideration and do not expect flawless writing. However, for a successful experience in this fellowship you must have a fairly high level of proficiency in English.)
Required Application Materials
The application form for this fellowship includes the following:
- Responses to questions about:
- Why you are interested in this fellowship and what you hope to learn
- Your prior training and/or experience in writing stories about science for the general public
- Any particular skills, interests, or perspectives that you would bring to this fellowship
- Your overall plans for during the fellowship period (for example, will you simultaneously be finishing a dissertation? Freelancing? Seeking full-time employment somewhere? Doing something else?)
- Short proposals for two TON features or multimedia stories that you think would be suitable for publication at The Open Notebook. These can take the form of behind-the-story writer interviews; reported features on some element of the craft of science writing; roundtable discussions; or some other creative, feature-length project centered on the craft of science writing. Please familiarize yourself with the types of stories that The Open Notebook publishes. (Note: These are brief, 100-word proposals, not full-scale pitches.)
- A resume or CV
- One letter of reference. This can be from a professor, editor, mentor, supervisor, or other colleague—whoever you think can best speak to your skills and qualities as they relate to science journalism and to this fellowship experience.
- Up to two writing or multimedia samples of work aimed at the general public (not scientific/academic writing). If you are sharing audio or multimedia clips, you can simply put the URLs for the work into a PDF to upload in this section. (Samples must be in English. Translated materials are acceptable.)
- Optional: Additional information about you. We strongly encourage writers from all types of backgrounds to apply. If you are a member of any group or community that has historically been marginalized or underrepresented in U.S. journalism, we invite you to let us know. This is entirely optional, and any information you disclose will be kept confidential
