Applications for the class of 2020-21 Knight-Wallace Fellowships for Journalists at the University of Michigan are now open to international applicants.
Applicants applying are advised to review the information for international applicants on available online at http://wallacehouse.umich.edu/knight-wallace/how-to-apply/international-applicants/ and if they still have questions, send an email to apply2KWF@umich.edu.
Interested journalists who are applying should first create a login. They can save their information and return to the application at any time before the final submission. If any applicant is unable to access the online application, he/she should email apply2KWF@umich.edu.
The application process is in two parts but applicants are required to complete only Phase One at this time.
Applicants will be asked to provide their contact information and those of their employer; demographic information and to answer questions about their journalism achievements and disciplinary background. They will also be asked to upload several documents including a resume, personal statement, study plan and work samples.
Applicants do not need to submit letters of reference at first phase but will be asked to enter the name, title and affiliation of each person whom they would ask to write a letter on their behalf. Only applicants who are invited to complete Phase Two of the application process will be prompted to submit reference letters at that time.
Every applicant will receive an email confirmation that his/her application has been submitted and those selected as semi-finalists will be notified and asked to complete Phase Two at which point, letters of recommendation will be required and additional work samples may also be requested of them. Work samples must be accompanied by English translations if the original work was not in English.
Documents that applicants need to upload include projected study plan, personal statement and work samples.
The projected study plan should in no more than 500 words explain what academic areas an applicant proposes to study; how do these relate to his/her career objectives; how he/she plans to carry out this work: courses, tutorials or research. Applicant will need to indicate areas of study, not specific classes; state what benefit this will be to him/her, his/her employer or the field of journalism following the fellowship.
There will also be a field for an applicant to summarize his/her study plan in 15 words or less.
For the personal statement, applicants will be required to upload a personal statement of up to 1,500 words. The statement should examine what inspires the applicant as a journalist including life experiences, professional interests and core ethical values. They should also explain how these factors have influenced their decisions to submit an application for a fellowship at this point in their careers; what their professional aspirations are and how they expect the fellowship to help them attain those goals.
Applicants will be asked to submit two work samples at the initial phase while international applicants invited to complete Phase Two may be asked to send in additional samples at that time. All materials should preferably be from the past two years and submitted following the guidelines below.
Work samples may be uploaded in a variety of formats as indicated in the application and may be sent from more than one medium but labeled accordingly: Print/Digital, Photo, Broadcast, Editor or Graphic/Visualization Sample.
Print/Digital entries must include dates of publication; for photography, photographs should be with captions indicating where they were published; Broadcasts must be with maximum viewing or listening time of a total of 30 minutes and include a brief description, dates aired and a statement describing your involvement in each piece while Graphic/Visualization entries must also include dates of publication.
Editors/Managers applying should upload a statement of no more than 500 words describing their job responsibilities and approach to their work. In addition to the statement, they may also submit stories or projects and include a description of their roles in the pieces.
Fields marked with an * in the application form are required but if the field does not apply to an applicant, he/she is to enter “Not Applicable” or “n/a.”
Deadline for submitting online applications is December 1, 2019 at 11:59 pm, Eastern Standard Time while any supporting materials sent by mail must be postmarked by December 1, 2019.
