Climate Tracker: Climate Story Pitch 2021 for young Journalists (150 EUR per story)

Application Deadline: Ongoing

As climate change worsens and global carbon emissions keep increasing, how is your country reacting to this crisis? How are people in local communities being affected by climate shocks? What role are climate policies playing?

Climate change is a global issue, capable of amplifying existing inequalities. But, as the global temperature rises, not all climate stories are being told with equal representation, particularly in developing countries.

If you’re a young journalist looking to publish one of these climate stories, we want to introduce you to our new pitching guide. We’re looking for stories about climate impacts, solutions, policies and science from all over the world.

Climate Tracker is an international publication with a very wide audience. Because of this, all stories must be filed in English and should aim to use simple language to explain the complexities of the climate crisis.

A good pitch should also aim to be concise and include a provisional title, which helps both the freelancers and editors to grasp the focus of the story. 

You can send your pitch to the email address sebastian@climatetracker.org, and our Editor-in-Chief, Sebastián Rodríguez, will review it and get back to you in the next 1 to 5 days. Read our full pitching guide here for suggestions on topics we might be interested in. Here are some general considerations:

Requirements

• Reporting and writing an original climate change story in English for publication on our website
• Adapting the story for our Climate Weekly newsletter
• Original photos with captions

• Feature story: Yours is a story from the first line of the climate crisis. We want to tell the story of the people impacted and the complex reasons behind those climate impacts. We also want to fiscalize people in power and their climate policy decisions. For these types of stories, you should aim for a feature.
• Explainer: Climate change is a complex issue. We want to take a complex issue, analyze it and explain the different ways in which it impacts people. This might cover a specific climate policy, a controversy within the scientific community or a new law, for example. 
• Profile:Some people make a very big difference in the fight against climate change. We want to hear their story. Think about an environmental defender, a climate policy leader or a scientist working on an important breakthrough. 

pay 150 EUR for each freelance story. This takes into account original photos and adapting the story for our Climate Weekly newsletter.

What information should I include in my pitch?

• Name, age and country
• Working title: Send us a preliminary title for your story. This will help you and us to picture what it will be about. 
• Story summary: 200 words max!
• Sources and interviews: Let us know if you have any interviews already confirmed, or if you think you have a good chance at securing one for your story.
• Story type and length: Please tell us what kind of story type you have in mind. We also recommend limiting the story between 800 – 1200 words depending on the type of story.
• (Bonus) Previous publications: If you have published stories before, send us a link to them. This is not a requisite to publish your story.

Where can I send my pitch?

You can send your pitches to our Editor-in-Chief, Sebastián Rodríguez, at the email: sebastian@climatetracker.org. We will review your pitch and get back to you!

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Climate Tracker: Climate Story Pitch Contest 2021