With the mission of diversifying the broader media landscape by investing in the next generation of necessary voices, BuzzFeed’s Emerging Writers Fellowship is designed to give writers of great promise the support, mentorship, and experience necessary to take a transformative step forward in their careers.
During the four-month program, the writers in this fellowship will benefit from career mentorship and editorial guidance while also receiving financial support. The learning process must be financially viable for emerging writers if it is intended to open the gates to writers traditionally locked out of opportunities in media.
The fellows will focus on personal essay writing, cultural reportage, and criticism. During their time in fellowship, writers will be expected to pitch, report, and write with the added benefit of panel discussions with editors and writers from throughout the industry, and assigned readings. Mentorship within the program will focus on teaching writers how to thrive as freelancers as well as on staff at media organizations; this mentorship will hopefully continue well after the fellowship itself is concluded.
Ideal candidates for the BuzzFeed Emerging Writers Fellowship must have ambitious ideas and a proven desire to publish cultural criticism, personal essays, and reported pieces that create an impact on cultural conversations. The three writers selected for the fellowship will work with BuzzFeed News’ senior editorial staff; this is a full-time position based in BuzzFeed’s New York office. The work produced during the fellowship will be published on BuzzFeed. Fellows will receive a stipend of $14,000. For examples of work from previous fellows, click here.
Application Procedure: Please submit the following materials by December 4th, 2017, using this form. Applications will be considered by a committee of BuzzFeed editors and staff writers. Writers accepted into the fellowship will be notified in late January; the fellowship is four months long and will begin on March 5 and end on June 29. Current and former BuzzFeed employees may not apply. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States and cannot currently be enrolled in school.
Application Materials:
1) Resume or CV.
2) 3-5 articles or essays you feel are representative of your best work; work from unpublished manuscripts is fine, too. You may link to them directly or upload them as attachments.
3) Statement of purpose (3–5 pages in length). Please attach your Statement below where the application asks for “Cover Letter.” Please explain in detail, in separate sections:
If given this opportunity, what are 2–3 story ideas you are passionate about pursuing? The fellowship will focus on personal essays, cultural criticism, and reported essays usually under 4,000 words, and pitches should reflect this mix.
Why should you be the writer to pursue these stories? And what are the stakes of these stories being told, or not?
Give 3–5 examples of cultural reporting, personal essays, features, or books from contemporary writers who have had an impact on your work. What specifically did you learn from each piece?
What support would help you move forward in your career? What aspects of writing and cultural reporting are you eager to learn more about?
What are your long-term career ambitions?
4) Two letters of recommendation: Please include the email addresses of your references in the option provided in the application. While your references needn’t all be from professional or academic contacts, they should attest to your standout potential, work ethic, and ability to pursue ambitious ideas and make an impact on cultural conversations.
