Journalist Fellowship Programme

The HIVR4P Journalist Fellowship Programme is designed to build the capacity of journalists to report on biomedical HIV prevention and to generate high-profile media coverage of advances and challenges in prevention research, especially in communities that are heavily impacted by the epidemic.

The IAS Journalist Fellowship Programme is open to journalists who will be at least 18 years old at the time of the conference and are either employees of or on assignment for a recognized print, radio, broadcast or online consumer, medical, community-based or HIV service organizationsponsored media outlet.

Please note that the number of journalist fellowships available is limited. 

All eligible candidates must complete and submit an online journalist fellowship application form on their HIVR4P 2024 profile. This form will ask applicants to provide information about their background, experience, motivation for attending the conference and potential benefits for their communities.

Candidates must include:

1. A letter of recommendation from one of your referees who can attest to your work ethic, approach and areas of focus and can vouch for your application and your ability to fully participate in this fellowship programme. The letter must be dated within two months of your application submission date and signed (original or digital signature) by the referee. Translations must be provided for letters that are not in English.
2. A copy of your current press badge/media accreditation or two recent articles with your byline (URLs or scanned copies of print pieces are accepted). Note: If original articles are not in English, please provide an English translation for review. Your byline must be clearly visible for our review. 

Yes, as outlined in the previous section. 

No. If you receive a journalist fellowship, you will be automatically registered to attend the conference. If you submitted an application and were not awarded a full journalist fellowship, your application will be reviewed to see if you are eligible to be offered free HIVR4P 2024 media registration to facilitate your attendance and coverage of the conference.

If you completed an application, were not granted a fellowship, and do not meet the requirements for media registration, you will have the opportunity to register for the conference as a regular delegate at the early registration fee for two weeks after the results are announced. 

Recipients of the journalist fellowship will receive (based on needs requested in the application):

• Registration for in-person plus virtual attendance (access to all sessions at the conference venue, as well as access to the virtual platform)
• Travel support (pre-paid economy class return ticket from the nearest international airport in your country of residence) for the dates of the conference and the media training
• Accommodation (single room in a budget hotel) for the duration of the conference and the media training

The HIVR4P 2024 Journalist Fellowship Programme will not reimburse any costs you have incurred before receiving a fellowship. Therefore, please do not pre-book accommodation and flights or register for the conference if you have requested this type of financial support in your application. If you are selected for the fellowship and the full financial support you requested is granted, we will not be able to reimburse you for these costs.

Participation in the IAS Journalist Fellowship Programme includes attending the media training on the first two days of the conference (6 and 7 October) and attending conference sessions during the main days of the conference programme (8-10 October). 

Journalist fellows must agree to be in Lima and attend the full duration of HIVR4P 2024 (6-10 October) and participate in all Journalist Fellowship Programme activities.

Journalist fellows are responsible for obtaining a visa to enter Peru, as well as any additional travel visas, if needed. If the applicant is denied a travel visa, the journalist fellowship will be switched to virtual attendance.   

Applications are welcome from journalists reporting on HIV in any country. Priority will be given to journalists who:

• Work for national or international top-tier media outlets with a wide regional, national or international reach, regardless of the medium
• Have the support of their media outlet to attend and report on the conference
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to reporting on HIV and/or infectious diseases Preference will be given to individuals representing outlets that have a proven background in reporting on global health topics, infectious diseases and, more specifically, HIV
• Are based in resource-limited settings or represent countries/regions of interest, including: South and Southeast Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; the Middle East and North Africa; central, eastern, southern and western Africa; and eastern Europe and central Asia
• Are part of key populations or living with HIV
• Have strong English language skills 

Yes. Applications are accepted from print, broadcast (radio or TV) and online journalists. Please note that the media organization publishing the clips should have a clear, professional editorial structure. In general, individually published materials, such as blog posts or videos posted by an individual, will not be considered. In general, unpublished works will not be considered. 

No. There is no charge to apply for a journalist fellowship. If you encounter any websites, videos or other instances where the scholarship is listed or promoted at cost, please notify us at scholarships@hivr4p.org. 

No. Any journalist fellowship candidates who are not selected for the programme will be evaluated to see if they are eligible for media registration for the conference and, if so, will be notified accordingly. 

Yes. You can save a draft of your application form to complete any time before 10 April, 23:59 CEST. 

Applications must be completed and submitted by 10 April, 23:59 CEST. No applications will be accepted after this deadline. Notifications will be emailed to applicants in mid-June.

For logistical or other inquiries about the fellowship programme, please refer to the general scholarship FAQs. If you have further questions, please reach out to the Scholarship team at scholarships@hivr4p.org. Due to the high volume of requests, we can guarantee responses only to questions that have not been addressed on the IAS website.