Magmatic School of Environmental Journalism

Applications are now open for the second edition of the Magma Environmental Reporting Fellowship, taking place online from Oct. 2025 to Apr. 2026. The deadline to apply is Aug. 31.

Nine early-career journalists based in southern Europe will be selected to participate in this hands-on six-month program. The program aims to enhance their skills in environmental reporting and narrative writing while expanding their portfolios (Check out our alumni).

Requirements:

• Previous experience in journalism.

• Based in one of the following countries: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Cyprus and Türkiye.

• Interest in environmental topics, particularly climate change.

• Commitment to leveling up writing skills.

• Good level of spoken and written English.

Apply Now

Deadline: August 31, 2025

Click here

Participants in the program will have the opportunity to:

Receive mentoring and feedback from experienced independent journalists and support in seeking partnerships with other media.
Obtain a small travel grant for their reporting.
Be published in Magma Magazine.
Expand their network and deepen their understanding of freelance journalism.
Become part of a growing professional network.

Journalists will be introduced to the fundamentals of environmental and narrative journalism, including science journalism, turning sources into compelling characters, international reporting, collaborative journalism and freelancing basics. They will also gain insights into the major challenges the Mediterranean is facing due to climate change and learn about Magma's journalistic approach.

Participants will be divided into three small groups based on their interests, with each group assigned to a mentor. The groups will receive mentoring and editorial guidance while covering pressing environmental issues and solutions in the Mediterranean region, with a particular focus on climate change. By the end of the program, each team will have contributed to a digital issue of Magma Magazine. Their work will be published on Magma's website, with strong encouragement for co-publications in other media (See previous edition).

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to info@magma-mag.net.

Preliminary Timeline

Host Editors and Mentors

Marta Vidal

Marta Vidal is an independent journalist focusing on social and environmental justice across the Mediterranean. Her work has been published in The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Washington Post, the BBC, Foreign Policy, Mongabay, among other publications. In 2023, she won the Gazeta Prize — the most prestigious journalism award in Portugal — and the UNESCO Journalism Award for Human Rights for her work on Palestinian birders. In 2024, her reporting on lithium mining in Portugal was shortlisted for the Fetisov Award for Excellence in Environmental Journalism.

Portfolio

Jonathan Moens

Jonathan Moens is an independent journalist based in Rome. He reports on science, global health, climate change, amongst other topics. His work has been published in National Geographic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Undark and more. In 2022, he won the American Society of Journalists and Authors Awards in the science category, and in 2023, he contributed to a series that won the National Association of Black Journalists award.

Portfolio
Linkedin
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Ottavia Spaggiari

Ottavia Spaggiari is an award-winning investigative journalist, long-form writer and editor. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, The New Yorker, Al Jazeera, The Nation and others. Her long-form piece on human traffickers' impunity in Italy was shortlisted for the 2021 European Press Prize in the "distinguished reporting" category. She currently teaches journalism at the City University of New York.