Journalism That Goes Deep: Applications Open for Ocean Reporting Fellowships

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Applications are now open to join the third cohort of the Ocean Reporting Network (ORN), a fellowship program that gives professional journalists the opportunity to spend up to a year working on an in-depth or investigative ocean story.

"After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea."

These are the words of natural-history broadcaster Sir David Attenborough in the opening sequence of the movie Ocean, released in June. The powerful feature-length film draws on Sir David’s lifetime of experiences to show us the wonders that provide our planet's support system, but also the unprecedented challenges that threaten its health—and ultimately ours.

In 2023 the Pulitzer Center launched a unique program of ocean grants and fellowships. Based on the successful model of its pioneering Rainforest Investigations Network, the program aims to expand and diversify the global community of reporters, editors, and outlets conducting investigations and publishing deeply reported ocean stories, within a network that is continually learning and growing.

Our ocean reporting has covered many of the issues raised in the film: overfishing and illegal fishing; marine protected areas; the rising temperature of the ocean and what it means for marine biodiversity and local communities that depend on it; and efforts to restore and protect ecosystems like coral reefs and kelp forests.

These have been published all over the world, reaching audiences in different languages and mediums, in international and hyper-local publications. Like the film, we try to strike a balance between warning of the threats and offering hope by examining potential solutions. And we have paired this journalism with engagement activities that have connected our ocean stories to different audiences through discussions, screenings, events, and teaching materials.

You can find out more about the previous cohorts and their projects here.

In-depth reporting on the ocean has never been more important, and our flagship Ocean Reporting Network program offers the best opportunity for journalists to spend a year on a deeply reported or investigative project.

Each year, the Fellowship gives up to 10 journalists financial support, the opportunity to join a community of peers, mentorship, and training opportunities. Fellows receive training and support from dedicated editors from the Pulitzer Center’s Environmental Investigations Unit as well as further support from our Engagement team to help amplify their stories, engage with their audience, and measure impact.

We’re looking for compelling, impactful, innovative, and well-developed story ideas or cross-border collaborations from experienced environmental journalists who can count on the close involvement of a newsroom over the course of a year. For more on what a Fellowship means for newsrooms, read our FAQs.

We also strongly encourage proposals on underreported topics that also deserve attention, such as deep-sea mining; marine energy generation; blue finance and carbon crediting; marine genetic resources and benefit-sharing; shipping; marine carbon dioxide removal and ocean geoengineering; aquaculture; marine protected areas (creation, implementation, and management); polar issues; fishmeal production; and more. Data projects that use marine, scientific, and satellite data and science-based projects that look at ocean systems are also a priority for us.

We also have spaces reserved for Fellowships dedicated to investigations focused on transparency and governance. This includes uncovering the financial structures that enable environmental damage and unsustainable supply chains. Relevant ocean topics could be flags and ports of convenience; government subsidies; monitoring; control and surveillance; fishing access agreements; tax loopholes; beneficial ownership; seafood supply chains; illegal wildlife trade; and more.

We particularly welcome applications from the Global South, and we seek more reporting in particular from Asia-Pacific, east Africa, and Latin America.

Applicants can be staff or freelancers, and up to nine Fellowships are available this year. The full-time Fellowships will provide a reporter’s salary and additional reporting expenses.

Applications for the third cohort of Ocean Reporting Fellowships are now open.

The deadline is Friday, September 12, 2025, at 11:59pm EDT. 

Find more information here. Apply here.

Short-listed candidates can expect to be interviewed in October 2025, and the selected Fellows are expected to start the 12-month Fellowship in early January 2026.

We will also be holding an Ask Me Anything webinar at 2:00pm BST on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, where Pulitzer Center Ocean Editor Jessica Aldred will be joined by former ORN Fellow Jenn Thornhill Verma to discuss the Fellowship experience.

We might not have Sir David’s 99 years of experience behind us yet, but we can shape the ocean stories of the next 99 years to come.