Walkley Indigenous Scholarship with Junkee Media and 10 News First

Scholarship Overview

This is an exciting opportunity for an aspiring Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander journalist to develop their newsroom experience with two leading news providers. The winner spends 12 weeks in two major Sydney newsrooms – Junkee Media and 10 News First in Sydney.

You’ll develop a robust understanding of newsroom and production processes, and as a member of the team in each newsroom, be encouraged to share your ideas, skills and knowledge. The winner will also receive mentored support and guidance from an experienced journalist during each placement. 

Scholarship Details

Thanks to the generosity of BHP, the 2024 winner will receive:

• 6-week placement with Junkee Media, one of Australia’s fastest-growing and most innovative new media companies. Junkee produces fast-paced digital news for a youth audience with a special focus on politics, social justice and culture. Duties may include:
  • Pitching digital and social story ideas across Junkee’s key Culture, Music and Social Justice verticals
  • Researching and writing original stories, including pieces for Junkee.com and scripts for social videos
  • The opportunity to shadow Junkee journalists during interviews where appropriate
  • The opportunity to write and present original scripts to camera with guidance
• 6-week placement at 10 News First where duties may include:
  • Researching, compiling and shot listing for news stories
  • Shadowing journalists covering stories in the field
  • Developing writing skills with a view to contributing to stories for the 5pm flagship bulletin
  • Help produce on Midday news bulletins
  • Create contacts at a major Australian broadcaster
• A stipend of $10,000 to support living expenses for the duration of the scholarship.
• Additional financial assistance is available to assist with travel to take up the placement, and accommodation costs in Sydney.

Application fee

There is no cost to apply for this program.

What you will need to submit

To complete your application you will need to upload the following:

• A personal goals essay – maximum 300 words – demonstrating your passion for journalism. Please include why you want to be a journalist, your story so far, your aspirations and why a career in the media is important to you. This can be submitted as a PDF or Word document.
• A copy of your current CV in PDF format. 
• Contact information for a professional referee who can talk about your work as a journalist and your passion for journalism. This could be a university lecturer, an editor at a media outlet where you have worked as a freelancer or staff reporter, or an outlet where you have done work experience.
• A letter of support regarding your eligibility for the Scholarship. This could come from a current employer, or a community member or community organisation.
• A 50-word short biography about yourself
• A current headshot photo in JPG or PNG format
• 3 x examples of your best work. You can share URLs to these works as long as they are publicly accessible. If any of your work is behind a paywall or registration site, you will need to upload copies of your work. These can be submitted as PDFs, and your video story can be uploaded as an MP4. 

Selection Criteria and Terms and Conditions

Please review the Selection Criteria and Terms and Conditions before starting your application.

How to apply

Before you apply, please read the full Selection Criteria and Terms & Conditions. 

The form includes questions about why you are applying and how the scholarship will benefit your career. In the application form, you will also be asked questions about why you are applying and what you hope to receive from this opportunity. You will be able to save your progress as you go along.