MJ Bear, a pioneer in digital journalism, wanted to ensure that rising, young journalists were both mentored – and heard. We are proud to carry on her legacy and honor the people who are our industry’s future.
The MJ Bear Fellowship honors young journalists who are creative and ambitious thinkers. Applications are welcome from journalists under the age of 30 from anywhere in the world.
About the Fellowship
The fellowship includes professional mentoring and skills development, as well as a scholarship to attend the Online News Association annual conference, this year in New Orleans, Sept. 10-13. Each of the 2025 fellows will work on a project related to digital journalism over the course of their fellowship. The programmatic focus areas for ONA25 are AI, climate, and resilience. We welcome projects on any topic, but if you are working on these areas, this might be a particularly good year for you to apply. Themes for projects may include audience and social engagement, product development and digital or business strategy.
- Registration to ONA’s annual conference. Fellows get free registration to digital journalism’s largest event and opportunities to network and share their work. The scholarship covers round-trip travel to ONA25, lodging at the Hyatt New Orleans for up to five nights, and a meal stipend during your travel.
- Three tailored coaching sessions. Based on the projects that fellows are working on and the skills they are looking to build, ONA works with industry leaders to design custom coaching sessions for the group. Past sessions have covered topics such as pitching projects, career advancement in a changing world, audience engagement, marketing and entrepreneurship.
- ONA membership, with three years’ dues paid in full.
Timeline
- May 22, 2025: Applications open
- June 26, 2025: Applications close 11:59 p.m. ET
- July 2025: 2025 fellows announced
- Sept. 10-13, 2025: ONA Conference
- August–December 2025: Coaching sessions
Eligibility
The fellowship is open to working journalists under 30 who are leading a digital journalism project. Applicants in 2025 must be born between June 30, 1995, and June 30, 2002. Applicants can be working either for a company or organization or be self-employed. ONA encourages freelancers and journalists from diverse backgrounds to apply. Full-time students are not eligible for this fellowship.
For more details about the program and application, review the Program FAQ. If you have additional questions, email mjbearfellowship@journalists.org.
Key Supporters
The MJ Bear Fellowship is made possible through generous contributions by the MJ Bear Estate, friends of MJ Bear and ONA, MSN International and Microsoft.
Founding ONA board member Mary Jane “MJ” Bear played key roles in ONA’s history, helping to incorporate the organization and serving on the Education, Fundraising, Conference and Legal Affairs Committees until 2003. She laid the groundwork for the creation of a fund to spotlight talented early-career journalists. Since 2011, the fellowship has identified and supported more than 40 MJ Bear Fellows who are producing cutting-edge work in digital media. Learn more about MJ Bear.