Eligibility
Our Press Fellowship programme is open to mid-career journalists, from any medium and from any country.
Additionally, each year we award one Derek Ingram Press Fellowship, which is a fully-funded place on the Press Fellowship programme and is open only to applicants from Commonwealth countries.
In order to gain the full benefit from the Press Fellowship programme, it is essential that applicants have a good command of English.
Making an application
Please complete the application form (linked at the bottom of this webpage) and return it to us by email at press-fellowship@wolfson.cam.ac.uk. The application form includes a research proposal and two named references, who should have a good knowledge of your work. There is no application deadline for the Press Fellowship; applications are considered throughout the year.
The Derek Ingram Press Fellowship 2025 is now open to applicants. To apply for a Derek Ingram Press Fellowship, complete the application form and include three examples of your published work, either linked in the form or separately by email.
Designing a project proposal
In drawing up a proposal, we ask you to consider the following four questions:
- What exactly do you propose to investigate?
- Why is this worth doing?
- How exactly do you propose to go about your investigation?
- How will you know when you have a) finished, and b) succeeded?
The process of answering these questions can be useful in focussing a proposal. It's also important that the proposed project should be on a topic that can usefully be investigated in Cambridge and/or the UK.
Our core themes
Although we are always open to original ideas for Press Fellowship projects, we tend to focus on a number of broad themes. These are:
- The changing role of media in a networked world
- Improving the reporting of business, the environment, sustainable development, medicine, bio-science and technology
- The role of free media in democratic governance
- The implications of AI for Journalism
As far as the third theme is concerned, we are keen that the Programme should contribute to 'capacity building' in countries that are emerging from authoritarian regimes and moving (at varying speeds) towards liberal democracy. Journalistic cultures that were shaped under authoritarian conditions do not necessarily adapt well to more open conditions. Yet functioning democracies need free and vibrant media – staffed by journalists who understand their responsibilities and roles under these new conditions.
Selection criteria
In selecting Press Fellows, we apply two main criteria:
- The intellectual and personal qualities of the candidate, including his or her potential for leadership in the profession of journalism; and
- The project proposal.
Each application is reviewed by a selection panel comprised of programme staff, representatives of the College, and external advisers. If the application is approved, then the candidate is offered a place on the Press Fellowship Programme, subject to the necessary sponsorship being found to support the Fellowship.
Fees and costs
The Press Fellowship programme is self-financed and funding should be in place before starting. Please email press-fellowship@wolfson.cam.ac.uk for a breakdown of costs.
The Derek Ingram Press Fellowship covers all fees, living, travel, a small per diem, and project-related expenses of the Fellow from arrival until departure. Travel to, from, and within the UK, along with any visa application costs, will also be covered. The Fellow is provided with a room in College, as well as full dining rights. Please note that the Fellowship does not cover any costs associated for a spouse, partner and/or family if they accompany the Fellow to Cambridge.
Please download the further particulars (below) for full details of the competiton.