Application Deadline: October 21, 2020
National Geographic is calling for proposals for Stories of Tropical Rainforests. National Geographic is interested in supporting storytelling projects that highlight ecosystem-scale stories and solutions-oriented attempts to mitigate or reverse human impacts.
Tropical rainforests cover about two percent of Earth’s total surface area, but they provide habitat for half of terrestrial plants and animals on earth. Millions of indigenous peoples who call these rainforests home — as they have for millennia — have proven to be the best guardians of these forests, but other human influences have never been a more imminent threat. Today is a time of great challenge and great opportunity in the rainforests of the Amazon River basin, the Congo River basin, and the Indonesian and Malaysian archipelagos.
They need journalists, photographers, filmmakers, cartographers, data visualizers, and socially-connected storytellers who can show us what we might lose if these biomes are not protected and highlight potential solutions that have the power to create real, sustainable improvements.
Funding
- Proposals will be funded from the local equivalent of $5,000 to $70,000 USD with clear justification necessary for budget requests.
Eligibility
- Journalists and storytellers (photo, film, text, maps, data visualization) are allowed to apply, as are social media influencers and content creators looking to highlight traditional and indigenous knowledge on their channels and indigenous youth aiming to expand their storytelling on YouTube and Instagram.
- Priority for this RFP will be given to projects led by journalists and storytellers from countries within the relevant regions (Amazon River basin, Congo River basin, and rainforests in southeast Asia).
- Projects that benefit local communities or incorporate local voices are also strongly encouraged, as are local-language outputs.
Application
If you are applying as a vlogger, please submit a short video (two minutes or less) of yourself describing the following:
- A brief description of your project
- Why you’re excited about this project
- What you hope to accomplish with this project
You can use your laptop or cell phone camera to film yourself in front of a plain (not distracting) background in a quiet location. You may submit a video in a non-English language. However, if you choose to do so, you must either subtitle in English or submit a transcript of your video in English.
For more information, visit National Geographic.
