The William Buckland Foundation Fellowship with The Age

2023 applications closed

Journalists from regional Victoria are invited to apply for the William Buckland Foundation Fellowship with The Age. 

Thanks to funding from the William Buckland Foundation the recipient will receive a $20,000 stipend for the 12-week duration of the placement with The Age.

The Fellowship experience

This is a unique experience for a high-calibre reporter working in the regions to gain hands-on experience in a major metropolitan newsroom in a 12-week placement, which will involve: 

• Special project: Over the three months, you will work on a dedicated project for online and print. You will be supported by senior Age journalists. Please refer to the ‘What you will need to submit’ section below for more information.
• Breaking news/ digital production: You will be assisting with monitoring, researching, reporting and writing breaking news. You will receive some training in digital production.
• General news: You will work alongside the state political team, education and city reporters.

Thanks to funding from the William Buckland Foundation the recipient will receive a $20,000 stipend to contribute towards their travel to Melbourne, living costs and accommodation, paid fortnightly during their placement. 

Placement dates will be agreed in consultation with the winner and are expected to commence in early 2024. 

Who is eligible to apply

• Applicants must be: Australian citizens, permanent residents of Australia or able to work in Australia on an appropriate work visa.
• Applicants must be freelance or part-time journalists based in regional, remote or community Victoria. Note: this opportunity is not open to journalists living in metropolitan Melbourne.
• Applicants who have recently left a journalism role (within the past six months) are also eligible to apply.
• Applicants who are in a full-time journalist position but are able to take an approved secondment will also be considered.

• You will need to have a demonstrated passion and commitment to journalism as a career and be working to a high standard in your existing role. Refer to the Selection Criteria and Terms and Conditions for more information.
• Applicants must be available to undertake the 12-week placement in early 2024. 

What you will need to submit

• A 400-word Personal Goals Statement explaining your commitment to regional journalism, how a stint in a major metropolitan newsroom would benefit your newsroom or news community on completion of the Fellowship, and a description of the journalistic skills and experience you would be able to offer The Age. 
• A video pitch of no more than one minute outlining why being a journalist and supporting regional journalism is important to you.
• A maximum 300-word pitch about a special editorial project you would like to work on that targets The Age audience. The story idea should be about a topic of regional interest that will also interest a metropolitan readership. Your pitch should explain the story, the angle you plan to take, why it is important, who you might interview, and include ideas for multimedia (e.g. photos, video) that could be included in the final product. Your idea is for the judges’ use in selecting a winner, and will be kept confidential. You can refer to two examples of work by a previous winner, Jackson Graham, which were published in both the Warrnambool Standard and The Age:
  • Gridlock on the electricity grid_ the bottleneck stalling the transition to renewables in Victoria (PDF)
  • Power, passion and the winds of change [PDF}
• Three examples of your best journalistic work. Your examples can be submitted as PDFs, audio and video files, or as live online links. 
  • NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure that any live links are publicly accessible. Otherwise you must include a log-in and password in your Personal Goals Statement for the judges to access online content. 
• A current CV (maximum two pages).
• A letter from a referee who can act as a verifier, to describe your experience in journalism, and explain how the Fellowship will benefit your newsroom or news community on completion of the Fellowship. If you are currently employed, a letter from your employer confirming that you would be allowed a leave of absence for 12 weeks if you become the recipient.

Apply by 15 November 2023.

To enter, visit our online application website by clicking here. The application form will ask you questions about why you are applying and how you and your newsroom or news community will benefit if you win the Fellowship. You will be able to save your progress as you go along.

Please read the Selection Criteria and Terms and Conditions carefully before you begin your application.

Entries close at 11:59pm AEDT on 15 November 2023

Selection Criteria and Terms and conditions

Please review the Selection Criteria and Terms and Conditions for the Fellowship before starting your application. This will be used by the judges to assess and score your application. You can review them here.

Have questions?

Get in touch at walkleys@walkleys.com.