Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), the leading network of over 313 feminist organisations and individual activists from 31 countries and territories in Asia and Pacific, launched a new cycle of media fellowship with a focus on digitalisation and feminist digital rights and justice for women journalists, media professionals and visual and data storytellers in the region.
Since its inception in 2018, the APWLD Media Fellowship has spotlighted grassroots women’s voices and issues, which has resulted in stories that analyse structural inequalities and promote feminist collective action. With over 74 multimedia reports produced by 30 fellows, this program continues to empower journalists to lead conversations on women’s human rights and Development Justice.
“Feminist storytelling shapes and shifts narratives, challenges power structures and spur collective action,” APWLD regional coordinator Misun Woo explains. “Through this fellowship, we aim to equip women journalists with the tools to tell critical but empowering stories that expose the structural barriers women face in the digital age.”
The 2025 fellowship, now in its sixth year, focuses on digitalisation’s influential yet unequal impact on women and their communities and tackles issues that include digital rights and justice, surveillance, platform economies and online gender-based violence. It aims to build feminist narratives that challenge the structural injustices exacerbated by digitalisation, such as its environmental, economic and social costs.
“As digital technologies expand, so do inequalities and systemic injustices. In this way, journalists have a unique role in ensuring that women’s voices are central in public discourses on digitalisation,” Misun adds.
What the Fellowship Offers
- Funding Support: Individual fellows will receive a stipend of USD 3,000, while team fellows will receive USD 5,000 to cover research and story production
- Story Development: Fellows will produce investigative and in-depth stories in diverse formats such as written pieces, video documentaries, photo essays, or audio content with the guidance of APWLD
- Capacity Building: Fellows will attend an in-person Media Fellowship Training in May 2025 to learn about feminist analysis and strengthen reporting skills.
- Advocacy Opportunities: Fellows may engage in online or in-person civil society and UN advocacy events during the fellowship period.
Key Themes
Fellows will explore a wide range of feminist digital rights and justice issues, including but not limited to:
- Digitalisation and its impact on women’s work and livelihoods
- Data privacy, digital surveillance and militarism/wars
- Misinformation and disinformation
- Rise of digital authoritarianism
- Autonomy and bodily integrity
- Environment, Agriculture and Economy
Eligibility and Application Details
This fellowship is open to women media professionals from Asia and the Pacific with at least three years of experience. Applicants should demonstrate a strong commitment to feminist movement-building and have experience covering women’s human rights and development issues.
Application Deadline: 31 January 2025, 11:59 pm Bangkok time.
To apply, candidates must submit a completed application form, CV, two work samples, a proposed work plan and budget (using APWLD template), and a letter of endorsement. Additional details, including templates and submission guidelines, are available on the APWLD Media Fellowship website and on this concept note.
Timeline
Application Period : 30 November 2024 – 31 January 2025
Selection Process : February 2025
Fellowship Announcement: March 2025
Training: May 2025
Reflection Meeting: May 2026
For more information or to submit your application, email:
Subject: Application: APWLD Media Fellowship
Edz dela Cruz: edz@apwld.org
CC: Liani MK (liani@apwld.org) and Gerimara Manuel (gerimara@apwld.org)
