Deadline extended: viral fact-checking contest seeks submissions [Worldwide]

Journalists and others are invited to submit creative solutions that turn fact-checking into engaging, visual and interactive stories.

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), with the support of the Craig Newmark Foundation, organizes the TruthBuzz: The Viral Fact-Checking Contest, a challenge that aims to invent new ways to help verified facts reach the widest possible audience.

The contest is accepting entries in any digital format and in all languages. Ideas can take the form of a digital-media creation such as a video, cartoon, graphic, animated GIF, photo, quiz, audio file, game and more.

The top three winners will receive cash prizes of US$10,000, US$5,000 and US$2,500, respectively.

The deadline has been extended to July 9.

For more information, click here.

Fellowships available for religion reporting [Worldwide]

Professional journalists interested in religion reporting can apply for a fellowship.

The International Reporting Project (IRP) is accepting proposals to report on global religion issues.

Possible topics include conflict and peace; environment and sustainability; political economy and development; health and education; gender, race and sexuality; law and human rights; social movements; migration; and humanitarianism.

Candidates must submit a detailed budget and an essay about the story they want to pursue. The proposed budget will help determine the amount of the stipend. 

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. 

For more information, click here.

Residencies, grants for local news and information innovation available [US]

Journalism entrepreneurs can apply for funding.

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism will provide up to US$1 million in grants to fund innovation in local news and information products, along with an entrepreneur in residence program for individuals.

The funding will support new products to engage and inform the public in regional news markets across the United States. There are two types of grants: “experimentation” grants to seed new projects, for up to US$35,000, and “amplification” grants to help existing projects expand, for up to US$100,000.

Projects should focus on news and information products; reaching underserved communities; new revenue sources; community engagement; or local news ecosystem collaboration.

Entrepreneurs in residence must be experts in user-centered design, news technology, data science, marketing and business development or other fields. Residencies will last three to six months and include up to a US$10,000 monthly stipend for work in Philadelphia or remotely.

The deadline to apply is June 30.

For more information, click here.

Journalism program accepting candidates [Brazil]

Portuguese-speaking graduates can apply for a hands-on journalism program to take place in São Paulo from Sept. 11 to Dec. 8.

The training program is offered by the Grupo Estado, which publishes several newspapers including O Estado de S. Paulo.

For three months, students will take classes in the morning and spend the rest of the day in various areas of the journalism business. Experienced professionals from Brazil and abroad will teach news reporting, including all stages of news production.

The first phase of the selection process is conducted online at the moment of registration. Up to 90 applicants will be called for the second phase at the Grupo Estado headquarters in São Paulo. The class with the 30 selected participants will be announced Aug. 27.

The registration deadline is July 31.

For more information (in Portuguese), click here.

StoryLab Academy offers training, mentorship [Africa]

Newsrooms in 12 hub cities across Africa can apply for this program.

Code for Africa (CfA), Google News Lab and the World Bank’s Global Media Development Program are launching an intensive digital skills program. 

The StoryLab Academy will use a combination of online webinars and face-to-face learning to help newsrooms adopt new digital ways to find and tell the news.

In addition to newsroom partnerships, opportunities will include Mass Open Online Courses (MOOCs), public workshops and university partnerships.

The cities in the launch phase are: Abuja, Nigeria; Cape Town, South Africa; Casablanca, Morocco; Dakar, Senegal; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Durban, South Africa; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Johannesburg, South Africa; Kampala; Uganda; Lagos, Nigeria; Nairobi, Kenya; and Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Apply now.

For more information, click here.

UN video competition highlights fight against climate change [Worldwide]

Anyone ages 18 to 30 can submit a video on an inspiring climate change action to this competition.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the UNDP/GEF Small Grant Program and tve are organizing the 2017 Global Youth Video Competition on Climate Change.

Young people are invited to make a 3-minute video about an action to combat climate change. The categories are climate friendly and resilient cities, and oceans and climate change.

Videos may be recorded in any language, but English subtitles must be provided.

Two winners will receive a trip to the 23rd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP23) Nov. 6 to 17 in Bonn, Germany. During the event, they will work as youth reporters, responsible for assisting the UN Climate Change Newsroom team with videos, articles and social media posts.

The deadline is Aug. 18.

For more information, click here.