Institutes + Workshops

Field-based, immersion-style programming is the bedrock on which IJNR was founded; we think it’s imperative for journalists to get out onto the landscape and hear first hand from key players.

All of our institutes and workshops are competitive fellowships. (Read more about how to apply. Not sure if you should? Read more about who our programs are designed for!)

IJNR awards fellowships to working reporters, photojournalists, writers, editors and producers, including independent and freelance journalists. Fellowships are very occasionally awarded to students enrolled in graduate-level journalism programs.

Preference is given to journalists employed by news organizations, or freelancers who contribute regularly to one or more outlets. Contributors to newsletters, magazines and other media controlled by industry, government or advocacy groups are rarely selected. Public-relations practitioners are not eligible.

IJNR arranges and covers the cost of meals, lodging, local transportation and excursions during workshops and institutes. Employers of journalists selected as fellows are expected to provide full salary during the duration of the program. Journalists - or their employers - cover their costs of getting to and from the Institute. On occasion, stipends are available to help individuals defray travel costs to and from the institute as well, although IJNR cannot pay for overseas plane tickets.

Institutes

Institutes are week-long, expenses-paid, immersive field trips to locations throughout North America. Participation in an Institute is by competitively selected fellowship (read more about how to apply), and the cohort for each Institute generally numbers around 15-18 Fellows. 

We believe that the free exchange of ideas, even inconvenient and dissenting ideas, is critical to telling a story truthfully — and that there’s no better way to hear and understand these ideas than by meeting with key stakeholders on their home turf. Journalists meet with between 50 and 100 expert speakers on any given Institute — including scientists, regulators, farmers, tribal representatives, industry employees, fishermen, concerned citizens, resource managers, politicians, and many, many more.

Workshops

Workshops are two- to three-day programs focused more narrowly on a subject or region (see examples), that allow journalists to hear from 10-20 expert speakers, and engage in Q+A and discussion. Participation in workshops is also by competitive application process.

During the COVID pandemic, we offered only virtual workshops - you can find recordings of all of them here. Now that we’re venturing back out into the field, workshops will mostly be in-person, but we will continue to offer some virtual trainings.

In-person programming will follow all necessary COVID-19 protocols, and the health and safety of our participants and speakers will always be our highest priority.