Current Fellowships and Scholarships

The following is a list of current CAJ partnership with industry organizations offering fellowships and scholarships in journalism.

EU-Canada Young Journalist Fellowship

The EU-Canada Young Journalist Fellowship aims to recognize outstanding journalistic talent among young Canadians. Since 2001, three candidates have been selected every year to participate in a week-long study tour to experience the EU institutions, the Canadian Mission to the EU, and media outlets in Brussels. Winners will also attend the daily European Commission press briefing. All expenses are paid for by the European Union Delegation to Canada. Winners will also benefit from a one-year CAJ membership or one-year CAJ membership renewal.

Prior to the trip, winners will be invited to an awards ceremony co-hosted by the Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons and the CAJ on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

The Eu-Canada Young Journalist Fellowship seeks to foster links between Europeans and Canadians and to raise awareness of the European Union among a new generation of Canadian students and journalists.

Winners are required to submit a sample of their work and to chronicle their study tour experience online or in print during the study tour or upon their return from Europe (i.e. published articles, blogging, social media platforms).

The submission portal is now closed for 2023. The study tour to Brussels will take in October 2023. Please see our news release for the complete list of winners.

Be sure to also view our list of past fellowship winners.

In order to be eligible, participants must be:

  • Actively enrolled in a Canadian university/post-secondary institution or active in the field of journalism
  • Between the ages 18-30
  • Canadian citizen or permanent resident

Applications must include:

  1. Sample of work
    • Applicants are invited to submit a recent sample of their work in any format, in English or French, about the European Union or European Union-Canada relations.
    • Entry requirements:
      • If print: News stories or opinion pieces of maximum 1,000 words, unpublished or unpublished within the previous six months from application date.
      • If audio-visual: News reports of up to 90 seconds duration or mini-documentaries of anywhere between 4 and 5 minutes.
      • The date of the unpublished text or report must be indicated. In case of published text or broadcast report, the date and name of media outlet must be indicated.
    • The jury will pay particular attention to journalistic qualities and talent, rigorous research, factual accuracy and topic relevance to EU and EU-Canada relations.
  2. Letter of motivation
    • Applicants must write a letter of motivation clearly outlining specific topics they plan to write about during/upon return from Europe and where their work will appear (media outlet, social media, blog etc.)
    • Winners will have complete editorial independence and, while the Delegation and the Canadian Association of Journalists will retain the right to publish/reproduce their work to promote the program in future years, applicants will maintain intellectual property rights of their work.
    • The letter should also include the reasons for applying and the anticipated benefits to be derived from participation in the study trip.
  3. Curriculum vitae
  4. Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status

The closing date for applications is May 3 2023.

Please note that incomplete applications, i.e. applications not containing all of the above documents submitted at the same time, will not be considered.

For audio-visual entries, please send online link by e-mail or USB by mail with the application.

Applications are to be sent either by e-mail to DELEGATION-CANADA-POL@eeas.europa.eu or by mail to the following address:

 

Delegation of the European Union to Canada
Ref.: EU-Canada Young Journalist Fellowship
150 Metcalfe Street, Suite 1900
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1P1

Final selection by the Jury:

The Jury, consisting of EU Delegation representatives, professional journalists and academics, will meet in spring 2023 to select the best pieces received by the closing date. The decisions of the Jury will be final. The three winners will be notified directly.

The Study Tour will take place in October 2023

Established in 1976, the European Union Delegation to Canada is a fully-fledged diplomatic mission and, as such, the natural contact point in Canada between the EU and the Canadian authorities. It also has a strong public diplomacy mandate designed to enhance the knowledge and understanding of the European Union as well as EU-Canada relations.

The Canadian Association of Journalists is a professional organization with over 1,300 members across Canada. The CAJ’s primary roles are public-interest advocacy work and professional development for its members.

For further information:

Diodora Bucur, EU Delegation Press Officer
Diodora.Bucur@eeas.europa.eu | 613-563-6354 | Twitter: @EUinCanada | facebook.com/EUinCanada

Monique Durette, Canadian Association of Journalists Operations Manager
monique.durette@caj.ca | Twitter: @caj | facebook.com/CdnAssocJournalists

Investintech-CAJ Data Journalism Scholarship

The Investintech-CAJ Data Journalism Scholarship aims to support and encourage journalism students by helping them with the costs of their education, which can often be a hinderance to their career. It is also the intention of this scholarship to serve as a way to help prepare students for a career path as a journalist by getting them to think about the industry and its ever increasing emphasis on data.

The scholarship will go to one Canadian student who shows an interest and understanding of data journalism tools and techniques before they even enter the newsroom professionally, to get Canadian and journalism student to really think about the data used in stories.

The deadline for the 2022-2023 program is now closed. Please check back at the end of 2023 or early 2024 for information about the next round of the program.

Be sure to also view our list of past scholarship winners.

Privacy, Terms and Conditions

All students retain rights to their submissions. If selected as a winning recipient, your short bio and/or photo along with any details you wish to have used in announcements, marketing material, testimonials, must be provided at the time of submission.

It is our aim that the winning entries be published or linked to on a winners list. However, Investintech.com will not publish any work without the express permission of the winner. For details, read the full terms and conditions on our site.

About Investintech.com

Investintech.com, is the developer of industry leading PDF conversion, creation and editing solutions. We’ve proudly partnered with and sponsored Canadian journalist training programs and educational institutions, such as Humber College, Munk School of Global Affairs, and King’s College University, with licenses of our flagship product, Able2Extract Professional.

The Investintech-CAJ Data Journalism Scholarship is open to all students with proven journalism skills and an interest in data journalism. Eligible students must meet the following requirements:

  • Pursuing a course of studies or program leading to a diploma, undergraduate or graduate degree.
  • Show evidence of their journalism skills and interest, such as having a published news story, or be working for a college publication, etc.
  • Currently accepted to or enrolled in a college or university in Canada.

Submitted work may be a published item, class assignment or even an item on a personal blog.

  • Work must have been produced within one calendar year of the scholarship closing date.
  • A single submission of individual work is preferred. If the submitted item is produced as part of a team of two or more, the applicant must submit a detailed explanation about their contribution and their own proof of work.
  • Previous winners are not eligible to apply.

The submission must include:

  • An example of a work of journalism that shows the application of data skills (e.g. use of spreadsheets, web scraping, use of mapping tool). The submissions must include at least one data visualization (e.g. a map or a chart) produced by the student.
  • An explanation of what you did and how you did it, including the resources you used and how the data was compiled. For submissions that were part of a group project, applicants must explain their role, the skills they used in fulfilling that role, and the specific parts of the story, or stories, that their contribution influenced.

Visit the Investintech Winner’s page to get a look at previous year’s recipient, the winning submission, and the Selection Jury’s feedback.

All entries will be reviewed according to the criteria below:

  • Follow all submission rules and complete full details
  • Submissions must be in English or in French
  • Minimum word count for written parts of the submission: 500
  • Previously published material can be submitted
  • Creativity and style; coherence and readability
  • Effective use of data, visualizations, and/or medium being used
  • Strength of the topic and the applicant’s work

All submissions will be passed by a small committee made up of experienced journalists. Investintech.com will work in collaboration with the CAJ to create a jury that includes judges with extensive experience and multiple credentials at notable and authoritative media outlets. The official selection committee that will determine the winning submission will include one Investintech.com representative and one CAJ member to provide input during the selection process.

Each jury member will be carefully selected, reviewed, and recommended by the CAJ. Journalists will be chosen based on their background, experience, and area of expertise. At least one of these members will be fluent in French to help evaluate submissions that are in French. The jury will review all submissions and narrow down the results to just one winning submission.

The selection jury for the 2022- 2023 academic year:

  • Chad Skelton
  • David McKie
  • Valérie Ouellet

To learn more about the credentials and journalism experience of the selection jury members, please visit the Data Journalist Scholarship Selection Jury page.

Award:

  • $1,000.00 CAD
  • Free one year membership with the CAJ
  • One free registration pass to the King’s College Summer Data School in 2023

Deadline: April 28, 2023
Award date for the 2022 – 2023 scholarship year: May 17, 2023

Submit your entry along with the following details:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Educational Institute (college or university)
  • Program/Degree
  • Your journalism experience: internships, school newspapers, relevant positions, blogs, etc.
  • A short 100 – 200 word bio, profile picture, and 1-2 professional or social links

For any questions on the process please email scholarships@investintech.com.

*NOTE: It is at the sole discretion of the CAJ whether or not to provide or determine a suitable substitution prize if necessary.

Past Fellowships

CAJ/APTN 2020 Fellowship for Indigenous Investigative Journalism

This fellowship provides a 12-week, paid placement with APTN Investigates in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the winter-spring of 2020. During this time, the recipient is expected to produce a full-length piece of original, investigative journalism that will air on APTN Investigates, the first Indigenous investigative news program in Canada.

The fellowship recipient will receive a complimentary one-year membership to the CAJ and an invitation to #CAJ20 National Conference taking place May 29-30, 2020 in Montreal. The finished piece will be screened to the conference delegates and followed by a panel discussion.

The selection process is chaired by the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), to ensure the highest journalistic standards are upheld. The fellowship is administered and funded by APTN.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

Journalists of a First Nations, Inuit or Métis background who are eligible to work in Canada and have a minimum of three years’ professional experience working in a media outlet or as a freelancer. The recipient must be willing to relocate to Winnipeg for the period of the fellowship placement.

What should be included in the application?

  • A reporting plan, no more than 750 words and laying out the story pitch – including its topic, potential impact, draft timeline, how the applicant expects to tell the story, and why they are the best person to tell it;
  • A résumé of no more than two pages;
  • Up to three work samples – preferably broadcast clips provided via links or PDFs of print work;
  • Up to three letters of reference.

GUIDELINES

Fellowship recipients will produce a 22-minute original investigative documentary providing information, analysis, and insight on an issue facing First Nation, Inuit or Métis Peoples in Canada.

The fellowship for Indigenous Investigative Journalism will provide a 12-week paid placement with the award-winning APTN Investigates team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the winter-spring of 2020.

Audio-visual support, editing, legal support and mentorship will be provided by APTN. The recipient will work under the guidance of an APTN Investigates producer and the executive producer during the fellowship.

During this time, the recipient is expected to produce a full-length piece of original, investigative journalism that will air on APTN Investigates, the first Indigenous investigative news program in Canada.

APTN Investigates episodes can be found here: 

https://aptnnews.ca/aptn-investigates-full-episodes/season-8/

Proposals must demonstrate an original idea, either a previously unexamined issue or a storyline that shines new light on a topic that involves or impacts First Nation, Inuit or Métis Peoples.

The Fellowship is open to reporters – both freelancers and staff reporters – with at least three years’ experience as a journalist.

Applicants must be Indigenous, permanent residents of Canada, or entitled to work in Canada.

Successful applicants are expected to relocate to Winnipeg, Manitoba, for their 12-week placement to focus exclusively on their fellowship.

The journalist and APTN will retain complete editorial control over the fellowship project.

Published work shall remain the intellectual property of APTN and the fellowship recipients. However, the CAJ will reserve the right to use and share completed projects with attribution to promote the fellowship program.

Fellowship alumni will be engaged to share observations about their experiences with Canadian audiences through activities such as events or seminars – for example, the CAJ’s annual conference.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Eligibility

To become a Fellow for Indigenous Investigative Journalism, applicants must:

  • Be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
  • Have at least three years experience as a freelance, part-time, or full-time journalist
  • Be First Nation, Inuit or Métis, and have a deep knowledge of Indigenous issues.

The deadline for this fellowship is now closed.

Applicants to the fellowship must provide a package, in English, which outlines their proposed reporting project, including:

  1. Reporting plan:
    The reporting plan includes the story pitch and outlines how the research will be conducted. In no more than 750 words, applicants should describe:

    1. The proposed topic and angle;
    2. The potential impact of the story and why it is an important story to share with Canadians;
    3. How the research would be conducted, including a timeline – any travel plans for shooting should not exceed more than five days;
    4. Any innovative digital media techniques, such as an interactive or multimedia component, will be considered an asset; and,
    5. Why the applicant is best-qualified to undertake this project. 
  2. Resume:
    A resume of no more than two pages, which demonstrates the applicant’s suitability for the fellowship.
  3. Work samples:
    Up to three (3) work samples in any medium demonstrating the applicant’s suitability for the Fellowship. Preference will be given to applicants with previous broadcast experience. Applicants can provide web links to any broadcast pieces, and/or provide print work in PDF format.
  4. Letters of reference:
    Up to three (3) reference letters, recommending the applicant for the Fellowship. Letters from individuals who have supervised the applicant in a journalistic capacity are preferred.

Applications are accepted by email only. All materials should be provided in PDF format, in English. Total attachment size should not exceed 10 megabytes per email.

SELECTION PROCESS

An independent jury, chaired by the CAJ, will evaluate the applications. Committee members include individuals such as senior journalists with an extensive background in reporting on Indigenous issues.

Only applicants shortlisted for an interview will be contacted.

Please email your package to awards@caj.ca with “Application: Fellowship for Indigenous Investigative Reporting” as the subject line.