On Nov. 14, the Canadian Association of Journalists and CIDA announced the launch of the eighth annual CAJ-CIDA Fellowship with a closing date of December 8, 2008.

The fellowship, sponsored by the Canadian Association of Journalists and the Canadian International Development Agency, seeks to encourage more in-depth and informed reporting on international development issues. Recipients will be offered a unique “first-person” experience through visits to development projects and interaction with the people of developing countries anywhere in the world. This year the fellowship is not limited exclusively to Africa, so expect the competition to be steeper. Recipients will be chosen by a panel of judges selected by the CAJ. The five journalists will come from each of the following regions: (1) British Columbia and Yukon; (2) Prairies and the North (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut); 3) Ontario; (4) Quebec and the National Capital Region and (5) Atlantic. The period for travel will not exceed 15 days and must be completed by April, 2009. Fellowship winners will have the following costs covered: Airfares, accommodation, meals/incidentals, local transportation, medical and vaccinations, visas and registration, airfare and hotel for the CAJ’s national conference up to a specified budgeted amount. Winning proposals are selected based on the strength of the application, which should include an explanation of the applicant’s interest in the Fellowship and the professional development opportunities they hope to gain. A letter of intent from an employer is required guaranteeing the publication or broadcast of reportages, or a letter of guarantee or intent from a mainstream broadcaster, newspaper, magazine or news agency to broadcast, publish, or syndicate the resulting articles, features or reportage is provided. In addition to a letter of intent, applicants must also submit: – a resume; samples of their recent work (maximum five stories); a proposal that shows evidence of some preliminary research and clearly outlines what stories applicants hope to do during their time on the Fellowship.

Note: Incomplete applications will not be considered.

All fellowship submissions must be received at the CAJ’s national office by December 8, 2008 Tip sheets to assist applicants put together a proposal are also available on the CAJ’s website.

For further information: John Dickins, canadianjour@magma.ca, or (613)