Wallace House Center for Journalists at the University of Michigan in the United States of America has opened applications for the 2027–2028 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellowship, offering experienced journalists an opportunity to spend an academic year in Ann Arbor, pursuing an immersive study project and engaging with other journalists from around the world.
The fellowship is open to journalists with at least five years of professional experience who are currently working for a news organisation or as independent journalists. Applicants may come from a wide range of journalism fields, including reporting, editing, data journalism, visual journalism, audio production, audience engagement, design, development, entrepreneurship, and newsroom innovation.
Applicants who are not working as full-time journalists may also apply, provided that most of their professional work is in journalism. The programme does not accept applications from public relations writers, internal trade writers, lobbyists, public advocates, or individuals seeking a degree.
Applicants must select the correct application form based on their citizenship. U.S. citizens must apply through the U.S. application portal, even if they work outside the United States or for a non-U.S. journalism organisation. Meanwhile, non-U.S. citizens must apply as international applicants, even if they work in the United States or for an American journalism organisation. A Green Card does not qualify as U.S. citizenship. International applicants who submit their applications through the U.S. portal will not be considered.
International applications are due by December 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET, while applications from U.S. citizens, including those for the Great Lakes Local News Fellowship, must be submitted by February 1, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
The fellowship requires participants to live in Ann Arbor throughout the programme, attend seminars and events, and make the fellowship their primary professional focus. Journalists working in newsrooms are encouraged to arrange a leave of absence from their employers before beginning the fellowship.
The 2027–2028 academic year will begin in late August 2027, with Fellows expected to arrive in Ann Arbor by mid-August. Offers will be made to international Fellows by mid-February 2027 and to U.S. Fellows by early May 2027.
The Knight-Wallace Fellowship seeks to bring together journalists with diverse professional experiences, areas of expertise, geographic backgrounds, and newsroom environments. Typically, up to six international journalists join 10 to 12 U.S. journalists each year.
U.S. journalists can pursue study projects covering areas such as education, public policy, sports, health and medicine, technology and news innovation, transportation and the environment, as well as international reporting. The programme also offers the Great Lakes Local News Fellowship for U.S. journalists interested in the specialised local news programme.
Applicants are required to write their submissions without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence, including applicants for whom English is a second language.
To begin a new application or continue an existing one, applicants can access the application form at https://knightwallacefellowshipapplications.secure-platform.com/site.
For more information about the application process, eligibility requirements, and the fellowship, applicants can find it on the Wallace House website at https://wallacehouse.umich.edu/knight-wallace/how-to-apply/.
