The Stringer Foundation (TSF), a U.S.-based nonprofit organisation focused on supporting independent and courageous journalists, particularly reporters working on difficult or dangerous stories and those facing threats or inadequate institutional support, has opened applications for its 2027 Stringer Awards, offering multi-year, unrestricted cash grants to journalists and creative practitioners whose work exposes abuses of power, challenges injustice, and serves the public interest.
According to the application announcement, the Foundation plans to make its inaugural multi-year awards in the autumn of 2026, with grants expected to range from US$9,000 to US$100,000, depending on the funds raised. The application deadline is December 31, 2026.
The Foundation said it will distribute as much funding as it raises, while a donor has covered its operating costs, allowing funds raised outside its endowment to go directly to journalists.
The awards are open to journalists and creative practitioners working across a broad range of public-media formats, including writing, photography, film, public poetry, video, visual art, music, social media, and theatre.
The Foundation said it is particularly interested in supporting people who use public media to expose abuses of power and injustices that harm the public while upholding the truth.
Applicants are required to provide information about their professional background, including their country, years of journalistic experience, a description of their work, and examples of media outlets, platforms, or websites where their work has appeared.
The application categorises professional experience into four groups, namely less than three years, four to seven years, seven to 15 years, and more than 15 years. Applicants are also asked to describe the national, regional, or global relevance of their work.
The application places considerable emphasis on the impact and public-interest value of journalism, asking applicants to explain the subjects they cover and their societal impact.
Applicants are also asked to demonstrate the extent to which their reporting amplifies the voices of silenced, threatened, or underrepresented communities, including communities facing repression, harassment, or serious physical threats.
The Foundation is seeking examples of work that have challenged powerful actors or institutions, ranging from reporting on misconduct by influential organisations to in-depth investigations that have generated public debate or contributed to tangible consequences such as legal action or policy reform.
The application also focuses on the risks confronting journalists and other public-media practitioners.
Applicants are asked to identify up to five major types of threats or risks they have experienced, including possible imprisonment, death threats, surveillance, torture, and attacks on family members.
They must also explain how they have continued their work despite harassment, threats, censorship, or displacement, including whether they have used safety measures or alternative platforms to maintain their reporting.
The Foundation further asks applicants to explain how they gather and verify information, with options ranging from online and open-source research to direct, on-site collection of testimonies and evidence.
Beyond financial assistance, vetted applicants will have access to a range of support services designed to help journalists manage professional and personal risks.
These include a physical-safety application for sending encrypted alerts to trusted contacts, digital-security support for scanning phones for spyware and malware, mental-health advice and support, legal assistance, and VPN access.
The Foundation said applicants’ information will be handled confidentially and will not be shared without their permission. But applicants must provide consent for the Stringer Foundation to collect, store, and use their information for the project and to contact them about opportunities and resources for journalists.
Applications for the Stringer Awards 2027 must be submitted by December 31, 2026.
The Foundation estimates that completing the application will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes and says applicants may respond in their own language if necessary, using Google Translate to understand the questions.
The application form is available at https://bit.ly/4hpstMj.
