Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellowship

About the Fellowship

Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellows pursue independent journalism projects that cover a wide range of issues in countries around the world and in the United States, including climate and the environment, peace and conflict, migration and refugees, global health, race and identity, and human rights. Reporting Fellows benefit from Pulitzer Center mentorship, networking opportunities, and journalism resources. Most importantly, they become part of a vibrant community. Articles, photo essays, video, audio, and interactives produced by Reporting Fellows are featured on the Pulitzer Center website and in multiple news outlets, such as The New York Times, Miami Herald, Politico, NPR, The Guardian, Civil Beat, Grist, The Intercept, and Yes!

Self-Nomination

Potential Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellows at WashU must submit summer research project proposals to the Summer Undergraduate Research Guided Experience (SURGE) program (due March 1, 2025), then complete a supplemental application by 11:59 PM on March 15, 2025 to self-nominate for the Pulitzer Fellowship. One student is selected per year by the Fellowship's partners: the OUR, the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy and the Pulitzer Center. Once selected, WashU Pulitzer Fellows carry out their faculty-mentored, SURGE-supported research project, with the additional opportunity to work with Pulitzer Center staff in Washington D.C. to further refine their projects and develop them for publication on the Pulitzer Center website and potentially other journalistic outlets.

Learn More

Stay tuned for details of an upcoming Spring 2025 Pulitzer Information Session, featuring staff from the Pulitzer Center in Washington, D.C. Check out this recording from a past Pulitzer Information Session for more information. 

Learn More about the Fellowship

For more details about the Pulitzer Center Fellowship, visit the Center's website.

Learn More

Self-Nomination Components

The self-nomination process for the Pulitzer Reporting Fellowship is embedded within the SURGE nomination processes. SURGE nominations are due on March 1, and additional materials for the Pulitzer self-nomination are due March 15. 

Required Materials

  1. Responses to the following prompts:
    • Provide a short description of your proposed project (250 words or less). Tell us why this story matters. 
    • Provide a summary of any existing reporting on your topic.
    • Why are you well-suited to pursue this reporting project?
    • List courses you have taken or are taking that are relevant to your proposed reporting topic.
    • If you are considering other distribution avenues (media outlets) apart from the Pulitzer Center, please list them here.
  2. Resume/CV
  3. Upload or provide links to 2-3 recent samples of your work. The Pulitzer Center welcomes written and/or multimedia examples.
  4. Tentative travel itinerary and budget, if not already provided through the SURGE nomination.
  5. List 3 references, including at least one faculty member. The others can be academic or professional.
  6. Additional contact information

Meet Past WashU Fellows

  • 2024 Reporting Fellow: Randi Hendricks, Generational Persistence: The Resilience of Palestinian Identity in Jordan
  • 2023 Reporting Fellow: Lauren Harpold, Take Up Space: Gentrification in Amsterdam and St. Louis
  • 2022 Reporting Fellow: Serena Wu
  • 2021 Reporting Fellows: Holly Lam and Uma Paithankar, The Struggle Against Parasitic Worm Infections in Uganda
  • 2020 Reporting Fellow: Kunsang Choden, Himalayan Communities Respond to the Threat of COVID-19
  • 2019 Reporting Fellow: Keishi Foecke, #MeToo: The Fight Against the 'Open Secret' of Sexual Violence in Uganda
  • 2018 Reporting Fellow: Ani Gururaj, The Resettlement of Bhutanese Refugees in Central Massachusetts
  • 2017 Reporting Fellow: Tomasz Cebrat, Israelis Writing Their History: Memories of Poland
  • 2016 Reporting Fellow: Isabel Izek, Mexico City: Disparities in Health Care
  • 2015 Reporting Fellow: Jae Lee, Uganda: Looking at an Under-Resourced Healthcare System
  • 2014 Reporting Fellow: Janice Cantieri, Losing Paradise: The Faces of Climate Change in Kiribati

Fellowship Application Opens December 15, 2024

Apply