Deadline: January 7, 2026
The UN Foundation Polio Press Fellowship for Individual Reporting 2026 is an important opportunity for journalists committed to covering global health, vaccination, and polio eradication efforts. This fellowship equips selected reporters with funding, training, and access to communities and stakeholders driving the final push to end polio worldwide. The UN Foundation Polio Press Fellowship for Individual Reporting 2026 aims to support impactful storytelling that raises awareness and strengthens public understanding of ongoing eradication work.
About the Fellowship
This fellowship supports individual journalists who wish to pursue in-depth reporting projects focused on polio and its broader public-health implications. Selected fellows will independently travel to polio-affected countries, gather evidence-based stories, and highlight the experiences of survivors, frontline health workers, families, and local authorities working to eliminate the disease.
Fellows will also participate in mandatory virtual training sessions led by global health and journalism experts. These sessions are designed to prepare participants for safe, accurate, and context-sensitive reporting.
Funding and Benefits
- Award Amount: Up to $7,000 USD per fellow.
- Eligible Costs: Travel, accommodation, visas, interpretation, in-country transportation, and other essential reporting expenses.
- Funding Source: Supported by financial contributions from the Gates Foundation.
- Project Requirement: Applicants must propose a clear, well-structured budget outlining how funds will be used.
- Type of Work Eligible: Journalism across written, audio, visual, or multimedia formats.
This fellowship cannot be used for books, fictional works, feature films, or equipment purchases.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must:
- Be practising journalists from any country.
- Demonstrate experience and capacity to produce publishable work.
- Have working proficiency in English for training sessions and interviews.
- Provide a defined reporting proposal linked to polio-affected regions.
- Show proof of intent to publish through national or international media outlets.
Both freelance and staff journalists are encouraged to apply.
Priority Reporting Locations
Applicants proposing to undertake reporting in any of the following countries will receive priority consideration:
- Angola
- Chad
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ethiopia
- Namibia
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
These locations currently represent some of the most affected or at-risk regions for polio circulation and eradication challenges.
Suggested Reporting Themes
Applicants may centre their projects around topics such as:
- Innovations in polio vaccination and disease surveillance
- Challenges in reaching unvaccinated children
- Gender dynamics and women’s leadership in eradication efforts
- How polio programmes strengthen broader health systems
- Impacts of misinformation on vaccination campaigns
- Influence of climate change, conflict, and urbanisation on health delivery
Well-defined angles that highlight overlooked issues or underreported communities are strongly encouraged.
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 7 January 2026
- Selection Notification: Late February 2026
- Mandatory Training: Late March 2026
- Reporting Trips Completed: By mid-September 2026
Why You Should Apply
This fellowship offers journalists a unique opportunity to:
- Report directly from regions where global health challenges are most visible.
- Strengthen professional credibility and international reporting experience.
- Produce powerful, evidence-based journalism with global impact.
- Contribute to media coverage that supports the final push toward a polio-free world.
Apply and Learn More
🔗 Read More About the Programme
Contact us for proposal drafting, refining and review.
