The Open Notebook (TON), a leading online source of training and educational materials for journalists who cover science, has opened applications for its 2027 Early-Career Fellowship Program, a paid, part-time fellowship designed for early-career science journalists.
The one-year fellowship provides fellows with the opportunity to work with an experienced science journalist as a mentor to plan, report, and write articles for publication at The Open Notebook and become part of the TON editorial team. This one-year fellowship provides fellows with the opportunity to explore their career interests, develop their passions, and strengthen their skills while working within a talented, supportive, and diverse community of current and former fellows and mentors. The program is supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, which has funded the fellowship since 2013.
The 2027 fellowship will begin on February 9, 2027. It is a remote fellowship and provides a US$6,600 stipend. The deadline for applications is October 31, 2026.
During the fellowship, fellows will pitch, report, and write articles for publication at The Open Notebook, including “story behind the story” interviews and reported features. Fellows will have weekly phone or video meetings with an experienced science journalist who will help them develop story ideas, provide guidance on reporting and writing, edit their drafts and offer advice on journalism skills and career development.
Fellows and mentors will also participate in a Slack discussion group with current and former fellowship participants and The Open Notebook editors; fellows will take part in cohort-based activities through the fellowship’s Slack community, and their membership in the community will continue after the fellowship ends.
The fellowship is open to early-career science journalists and aspiring science journalists from anywhere in the world, including applicants living outside the United States. Applicants must have some training and/or experience writing for a general audience, although extensive experience is not required.
Applications, including writing samples and letters of recommendation, must be submitted in English; materials originally written in another language may be translated into English and submitted.
Applicants should have fewer than three years of regular professional science-writing experience. Internships and student work do not count toward this requirement. Exceptions may be considered for applicants with more than three years of professional science-writing experience if some or all of that experience was gained in a language other than English.
This is a part-time, remote fellowship that requires fellows to report and write four articles of 1,500–2,000 words for The Open Notebook. Fellows will also meet regularly with their assigned mentors, participate in editorial discussions, and take part in cohort activities through Slack.
The fellowship is expected to require approximately 5–7 hours per week on average, although the time commitment may vary depending on the fellow’s experience, working style, and the phase of the reporting, writing, and editing process for any given article. Some weeks may require more time, while others may require less.
Although the fellowship is part-time, applicants are expected to carefully consider whether they can commit sufficient time to meet the program’s requirements and deadlines. Fellows will be expected to participate in phone interviews with sources, usually during U.S. daytime hours; attend weekly meetings with their mentors; complete multiple rounds of editing and revisions; annotate stories for fact-checking; and participate in discussions within the fellowship Slack community.
Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate a strong intention to pursue a career primarily as professional science journalists, rather than in other forms of science communication. Applicants should have some training and/or experience writing about science for a general audience, although extensive experience is not required.
Applicants should also demonstrate an understanding of the science journalism profession, including the challenges commonly faced by science journalists and the areas in which they hope to develop. Familiarity with The Open Notebook and the types of topics it covers will also be considered, as well as the ability to generate strong story ideas suitable for publication.
Applicants are expected to demonstrate a commitment to producing high-quality work, meeting deadlines, and following through on assignments; strong writing ability is also required. Applicants whose first language is not English are not expected to have flawless English, but they should have a sufficiently high level of proficiency to participate successfully in the fellowship.
As part of the application, applicants will be asked to explain why they are interested in the fellowship and what they hope to learn, as well as describe their previous training and/or experience writing about science for a general audience. They will also be asked to outline any particular skills, interests, or perspectives they would bring to the fellowship and describe their plans during the fellowship period, including whether they will be freelancing, completing a dissertation, seeking full-time employment, or pursuing other commitments.
Applicants must submit two short proposals for features or multimedia stories that they believe would be suitable for publication at The Open Notebook. These may include behind-the-story interviews with writers, reported features about aspects of the craft of science writing, roundtable discussions or other creative, feature-length projects focused on science writing; each proposal should be approximately 100 words and should be a brief proposal rather than a full-scale story pitch.
Applicants must also submit a resume or CV and one letter of reference from a professor, editor, mentor, supervisor, or another colleague who can speak to their skills and qualities in relation to science journalism and the fellowship.
Applicants may submit up to two writing or multimedia samples aimed at a general audience rather than scientific or academic audiences. Audio or multimedia work can be submitted by providing the relevant URLs in a PDF. Writing samples must be in English, although materials translated into English from another language are acceptable.
Applicants may also provide additional information about themselves on an optional basis. The Open Notebook encourages writers from diverse backgrounds to apply and invites applicants who are members of groups or communities that have historically been marginalized or underrepresented in U.S. journalism to provide this information. Any information provided in this section will be kept confidential.
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Central Time on October 31, 2026. The deadline for reference letters is November 7, 2026, and applicants are encouraged to notify their referees well in advance so they have sufficient time to prepare their letters.
Questions about the fellowship can be sent to editors@theopennotebook.com.
Click here to read more about the Early-Career Fellowship Program.
