The three goals of the fellowship are:

• Increase effective and accurate reporting on mental health experiences
• Equip journalists with the tools and support needed to produce high-quality work that reflects an understanding of mental health challenges
• Help dismantle through storytelling the stigma and discrimination that millions of people face every day.

Applicants must have at least three years of experience as a journalist or working directly in journalism or programme making. Previous international fellows have included audio journalists, documentary journalists, photojournalists, producers, reporters, and related roles. Applications from media professionals from all disciplines and outlets are encouraged. Blogging, academic writing, and public relations do not count toward journalism experience. Experience in mental health is not required.

Applicants must submit a full fellowship application by the closing date of May 21st 2025. Applicants must be available to attend all-day meetings at The Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia, in October at the beginning and end of their fellowship year. Applicants must be citizens or legal residents of the Republic of Ireland and also be eligible to travel to the U.S.

Applicants are encouraged to select topics that are unique and creative. Projects may educate the public, raise awareness, inform policy, explore solutions and challenge stigma. Projects that explore mental health experiences that are typically underrepresented in the media, such as schizophrenia, voice hearing or psychosis, for example, are particularly welcome. Similarly, projects which propose to investigate the mental health experience of particular high-risk social groups or communities in Ireland, such as the Travelling or farming communities, are encouraged. Other topics such as iatrogenic trauma, mental health in leadership positions, recovery-focused projects, mental health beyond services/ in everyday life for example, are also welcome. Please note the preceding examples do not constitute an exhaustive list of appropriate project topics. Instead, their purpose is to provide a broad idea of the types of themes and topics of particular importance to the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism in Ireland (IJFP). Applicants must clearly demonstrate the relevance of their proposed project to the goals and interest of the IJFP. Please also note that projects must centre the voice of lived experience in order to be eligible. Visit the database on the Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowship website for more ideas of successful pitches.

To be eligible for the IJFP, all applications must be accompanied by a letter of commitment to broadcast or publish the proposed project from at least one media outlet that has its primary audience in the Republic of Ireland. This letter indicates that the media organisation for which you work or freelance is committed to affording you the time and editorial support to work on your project and to running your project once complete. It is also a commitment that your fellowship project work will be freely accessible and not behind a paywall. The Letter of Commitment must be completed by the editor/producer of the media outlet, indicating their intention to publish/broadcast the project within the specified timeframe and slot. A commitment letter is required even where the applicant is the producer/editor.

The fellowship programme has compiled a database of projects completed by Rosalynn Carter Fellows during their fellowship year. Click HERE to visit the Rosalynn Carter Fellows’ project database. Or visit the catalogue on this page for previous work by Irish fellows. 

Please create a PDF with links to your video or audio samples and attach the PDF, along with your completed application pack, to your email application. If your video or audio samples are not currently online, please create an account on Vimeo, YouTube, or another platform, upload your files, and create a PDF with the links.

Shine will not be accepting applications from joint or group fellowship projects. Applications should be made by individuals who will assume sole responsibility for their intended project. While the fellow will be responsible for delivering the project, and the management of its budget, we expect there will be editorial input on the contents of the story from their relevant organisations, as well as input from other media professionals as required, e.g. photographer, data visualiser, legal advisor, etc. but this is managed by the fellow.

If you are an editor and wish some of your team to work on the project with you, you may apply as the fellow and commit to sharing all learnings with your colleagues. While other names may be given a byline, only one person will be identified as the fellow. If you are a producer pitching a project where a presenter will be the primary interviewer, the presenter must also commit to the high-standards and trauma-informed approach adopted by all fellows. Please be explicit in your application about your role and anyone else’s role in delivering your project.

If you would like to change your project topic after you’ve been awarded a fellowship, you must contact your advisor and Shine to discuss and receive approval for your new topic. Fellows are selected, in part, based on the strength and timeliness of the topic they proposed when applying for the fellowship.

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Fellows are encouraged to continue to report on mental health beyond the fellowship. However, fellows typically have a year to complete their actual fellowship project. Fellows must present their project at the end of their fellowship year at The Carter Center. Project extensions are considered on a case-by-case basis and must be accompanied by an estimated timeline for completion. Projects are not funded beyond the fellowship year for which they were awarded and the final installment of the stipend may be held back if a fellow has not made significant progress with their project. The Carter Center may also postpone the fellow’s final trip to The Carter Center if the project has not significantly progressed.

Yes, fellows will be required to travel to The Carter Center, in Atlanta, Georgia, twice during the fellowship year. These visits will both occur in October – once at the beginning of the fellowship and once at the end. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered. Any other expenses incurred should come from the fellows’ stipend. Applicants to the fellowship must be eligible to travel to the U.S. To find out more about what’s involved in these trips, please visit:

https://mentalhealthjournalism.org/about/

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Shine’s Media Programme is rooted in representation work. Back when Shine was Schizophrenia Ireland, media representation of mental illnesses like schizophrenia was of a poor standard and often harmed those living with that experience. A massively disproportionate amount of coverage about these topics was given to court or crime reporting which impacted audiences’ perceptions of these experiences. This continues today. Shine’s Media Programme was established to address this and work with Irish media on improving these representations. Our work later evolved to include educating professionals and students on the media reporting guidelines and other areas of mental health media.

The Carter Center’s mental health journalism fellowship programme and its aims, are closely aligned with Shine’s values: Courage, compassion, collaboration, integrity, and innovation. Through its Media Programme, and with the support of the Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowship Programme in the US, we are delighted to bring this opportunity to Irish media and their audiences.

Pieces produced as part of the fellowship are not eligible for submission to the Mental Health Media Awards, but can be entered in other journalism awards. Any mental health reporting that is outside of the scope of your fellowship project can be entered in the Mental Health Media Awards.

Yes, any pieces published or produced as part of your fellowship projectmust be freely accessible to the public and not exist behind a paywall.