Applications are now open in the second round of funding of the Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund.
Grants ranging in value from $500 to $5,000 are available to journalists employed at New Zealand media outlets as well as freelance journalists, with preference given to projects that would otherwise be unlikely to attract resourcing in newsrooms. Applications will close on February 9.
Round 2 features new topic themes including:
Agricultural greenhouse gases and options to reduce agricultural emissions – funded by the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre – there is $10,000 available in this theme to fund up to four stories. We particularly encourage applications that include use of innovative media such as video and infographics.
Science On Ice – funded by Antarctica New Zealand. There Is $5,000 available in this theme to fund a story or stories that feature New Zealand research into this area – see more detail on the Science on Ice theme here.
Big Data: Privacy, Bias And Fairness – $5000 funded by Te Pūnaha Matatini. As technology advances, algorithms and machine learning are making ever more important decisions about our lives. We invite projects that explore the wider consequences for society.
Round 1 projects have gone to publication over the last few months with a further piece to air on RNZ on December 30. Topics covered have ranged from the impacts of sea level rise to the development of elder-care robots, synthetic food and election coverage of environmental issues.
“I’ve had fabulous feedback on the fund from readers, journalists and publishers, and I’m delighted that we can offer another round of funding,” says Dr Rebecca Priestley, the Fund’s founder and winner of the 2016 Prime Minister’s Science Communicator’s Prize.
“The stories the fund has supported so far are about important issues, things that we as a society need to talk about, and it’s been great seeing these stories shared on social media and hearing people talking about them.”
You can read more about the round 1 science journalism projects here.
Any organisations wanting to support the fund, please contact Rebecca Priestley at sciencejournalismfund@gmail.com.
News consumers now also have the opportunity to support the Aotearoa-New Zealand Science Journalism Fund through PressPatron, a crowdfunding platform allowing readers to make contributions towards the type of content they love consuming.
About the Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund
The Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund is the first independent journalism fund dedicated to furthering coverage of the science-related issues that impact New Zealanders. The fund was set up by Rebecca Priestley, winner of the 2016 Prime Minister’s Science Communicator’s Prize, in association with the Science Media Centre, to support journalism that highlights the science that underpins, or informs, major issues facing our society.
CONTACT:
Dr Rebecca Priestley
sciencejournalismfund@gmail.com
Visit www.sciencejournalismfund.nz to find out more about the Aotearoa-New Zealand Science Journalism Fund
Visit www.presspatron.com/science-journalism-fund.html to make a contribution to the Fund.