CALL FOR PITCHES: Young Women in Politics in Nigeria and Kenya

African Women in the Media (AWiM) is a network for African women working in media industries anywhere in the world. We aim to positively impact the way media functions in relation to African women, and our vision is that one day African women will have equal representation in media industries and content. More information can be found here: https://africanwomeninmedia.com/

AWiMNews is our niche news website that produces content focused on women’s rights and media. The focus of AWiMNews on the intersection between women’s rights and the media addresses the glaring issue of inadequate coverage of African women’s rights and issues in media discourse.

Women journalists living in Kenya and Nigeria are invited to submit their pitches for the AWiM/ Luminate Young Women in Politics Programme. The programme, which is underpinned by the need for the visibility of young women in politics, aims to intervene in the current state of reporting on young women in politics and participation in civic life. With Nigeria’s upcoming elections and Kenya’s 2022 elections that saw more women elected into office than ever before, the project will be focused on both countries.

 Story ideas

The story focus will be on underreported issues and underrepresented perspective of women in politics and their participation in civic life.

We want to hear directly from women leading struggles for democracy in these two countries.

The overall goal is not just to report – but to inform, challenge and change the narrative. We want your stories to be widely read for a greater impact.

Pitches with underrepresented perspectives of women in politics and unique angles will receive special attention during the selection process.

Pitches that are investigative and use innovative methods (in information gathering and/or dissemination) will also receive special attention.

We’re partial to stories with a compelling narrative and a strong sense of voice.

Successful pitches will include a sense of any major narrative(s) and characters in the story, why it matters to the audience, who you are, why you’re the right person to write the piece, and how you plan to go about it.

 Benefits

Journalists commissioned to produce the stories will have access to training through AWIMLearning on the following courses and get certificate at the end of each course.
1. Interviewing women in politics

2. Reporting on political and civic participation

Journalists commissioned to produce stories will receive $120 towards the production of their story. The stories can be published by the journalists’ media employer and will be published on AWiMNews and available for co-publishing by AWiM’s affiliated media partners.

Eligibility

Applicants must be women journalists based in Kenya or Nigeria.

For this reporting grant opportunity, we will only be accepting applications in English. Applicants must either have a working understanding of English or be able to translate their work.

Applications are open to women journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio plus multimedia) and other media practitioners with a history of covering gender issues.

Applications from freelance reporters and staff from all types of media organisations – international, national, local and community-based are encouraged.

The story format

We are calling for 100 pitches of which the journalists would be divided in cohorts.

We will commission 10 stories per month between March-December 2023.

We publish original features with compelling narratives ranging between 1400 to 2000 words. For audio and video journalists, the feature should be 20 to 30 minutes. Multimedia story should be accompanied with high quality videos, pictures and audios.

Each story must be accompanied by high-resolution pictures.

You will also be required to republish the story in your affiliated media with your byline but must indicate at the end that it is (This story was supported by African Women in Media, as part of the AWIM/LUMINATE Media and Young Women in Politics’ Project)

All pitches for this grant should be submitted here using this online form

For more information about the project kindly visit this link https://awimnews.com/african-women-in-media-and-luminate-launch-media-and-young-women-in-politics-

Any questions related to this pitching process should be sent to janet@africanwomeninmedia.com