The Open Notebook Early-Career Fellowship 2026 ($6,600 Stipend) Deadline: 31 October, 2025
The Open Notebook’s Early-Career Fellowship is a golden opportunity. This one-year, remote, part-time fellowship provides structured training, mentorship, and a living stipend — all while helping fellows build a portfolio of published work.
What Is the Fellowship?
The Open Notebook (TON) offers this program to early-career science writers. Over the course of 12 months, fellows collaborate with mentors to pitch, research, write, and publish articles for TON. These feature pieces often take the form of “story behind the story” interviews or reported features on the craft of science writing.
Though remote and part-time, the fellowship makes meaningful demands: fellows typically spend 5 to 7 hours per week on fellowship duties. That work includes interviewing sources, mentoring meetings, revising drafts, and participating in editorial conversations and community Slack discussions.
TON estimates this time commitment may fluctuate: some weeks will require more effort than others as stories evolve across phases such as research, drafting, editing, and fact-checking.
Who Can Apply?
The program is open to early-career science journalists everywhere — not only in the U.S. But it does have specific eligibility criteria:
- Applicants must have fewer than three years of professional science writing experience (student work or internships don’t count toward that total).
- You should have some prior experience writing about science for a general audience, though not necessarily extensive.
- The applicant should show understanding of the challenges in science journalism, have story-pitching skills, and commit to meeting deadlines.
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- If English isn’t your first language, that’s okay; translated work is accepted and the program is mindful of varying language skills.
Applicants must submit writing samples, short story proposals, a CV or resume, and one letter of recommendation.
What Fellows Get
- Stipend: Fellows receive US $6,600 over the year.
- Mentorship: Fellows meet weekly with experienced science journalism mentors who help shape ideas, review drafts, and offer career guidance.
- Community: Fellows and mentors interact through a Slack group with current and past participants and TON editors.
- Published Work: Fellows write approximately four pieces of 1,500–2,000 words during the year.
Why It Matters
Former fellows consistently credit the program with transformative impact on their careers. For example, one fellow highlighted how the program gave them confidence in a country with limited science journalism infrastructure. Another praised it as one of the few global opportunities available to young science journalists, while others valued the rigorous editorial feedback and supportive community.
These testimonials show how the fellowship offers more than just a stipend: it provides mentorship, access, and confidence.
Apply Now
- The fellowship begins February 23, 2026 and runs for 12 months.
- Applications must be submitted by October 31, 2025 (11:59 p.m. U.S. Central Time).
- Reference letters are due by November 7, 2025.
If you’re passionate about science writing, this fellowship offers structure, support, exposure, and the chance to grow alongside an international cohort. For many, it becomes a launchpad into meaningful careers in science journalism.