- APPLICANT REGISTRATION
- FIRST SEASON RESULTS
- ABOUT US
- …
- APPLICANT REGISTRATION
- FIRST SEASON RESULTS
- ABOUT US
- APPLICANT REGISTRATION
- FIRST SEASON RESULTS
- ABOUT US
- …
- APPLICANT REGISTRATION
- FIRST SEASON RESULTS
- ABOUT US
Frontline Fellowship
for Chinese Non-Fiction Writing
/
In our time, to write is to partake.
The Frontline Fellowship for Chinese Non-Fiction Writing is designed to benefit non-fiction writers and journalists working in the Chinese language. The fellowship provides up to $7,000 in funding to help them complete a project of their choice. Throughout the fellowship, recipients will also benefit from mentorship, guidance, workshop, and editorial support. Fellows' work is expected to culminate in a notable story to be published on Matters' website and editorial partners' platforms.
The fellowship operates on a rolling calendar, and there is usually one selection cycle every four months. Applicants must be working on a long-form project in order to apply (e.g., an article, or a book), and the project must be wholly nonfiction and rely on in-depth interviews and original research for sourcing.
Fellows are selected for the program based on the quality, relevance, professional experience, and promise of the applicant’s work. We welcome applications from academics and non-professional journalists insofar as the intended audience of the project is the general public. We encourage applicants from minority backgrounds to apply, especially those who are willing to empower readers with a sense of true, contextual understanding of stories shaping their lives.Winner List for the Third Season
"AYi AZhi"
Author: You Fang
Editor: Xu Xiao
"From Natural Disasters to Man-Made Calamities: A Century of Turmoil in Syria and Turkey"
Author: Yu Chin-Mei
Editor: Liu Yi
"The Last Class: Challenge and Survival of Tibetan Language Education in China"
Author: Zhong Xiao-Xi
Editor: Xie Ding
"The 'Spring Revolution of Burma' and the Burmese Exile Community on the Thai-Myanmar Border"
Author: Ban Ge
Editor: Ku Yu-ling
"Exiled Between Two Lands: A Decade of Mainland-Taiwan Female Labor Migration Through Sham Marriages"
Author: Lin Chiu-Ming
Editor:Chuang Jui-Lin
Participants
All applicants who write in Chinese, regardless of nationality, profession, or age, are welcome to apply. Please submit a project proposal and a writing sample.
Grants
First place: $7,000 USD
Second place: $5,000 USD
Third place: $2,000 USD
Mentorship
Fellows will spend 8 to 12 weeks in the fellowship, reporting, writing, attending workshops and working with editors.
Apply for the Fellowship
To apply, please submit a proposal -
Up to 2,500 words outlining the topic you want to cover, and why this topic is important, timely, or relevant;
Detail the topics, issues, themes, challenges, stakes, or questions that your project will cover.
Things to consider also include: Why you are the best person to write about this topic, and how you plan to implement the proposal.
Describe your relevant experience and/or past works, and tell us why this fellowship is right for you;
Include a budget outline for any travel, reporting, and research expenses you may require.
In addition to your proposal, we require an 800 - 1500 word writing sample.
Note*: Grants from other competitions or funding from other organizations must NOT have been received for the proposal. The proposal CANNOT be produced by any full-time employee of a media organization. The fellowship reserves the right to revoke grants and awards in the event of a violation.
To find out about what happens after your submission,
Click on the right
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After Your Submission
Applicants will generally hear back within 4 to 6 weeks of submission. The fellowship first reviews all applications for eligibility and sends them to the selection committee. The committee will then select the strongest proposals – usually 8 to 10 – for an interview.
When interviews are completed, the selection committee reconvenes to select the fellows based on the strength of the project and the available budget. We also provide individual feedback on applications not selected.
To find out more about the prizes,
click on the right
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Grants and Prizes
Each season, five fellows are selected based on their proposals and writing samples. The selection process does not involve a ranking. A grant of $1,000 is provided to each fellow to begin their project.
Upon completion of fellows' projects, the fellowship determines the rankings based on their final pieces, with $7,000, $5,000, and $2,500 USD awarded to the first, second, and third places, respectively. Fellows will receive the remaining amounts of the prizes based on their respective positions.
How do I apply?
1Tell us a little about yourself
1. Your name
2. Your email and other contact information
3. Any nonfiction publication or relevant experience
2Prepare the Proposal
We ask for a proposal of up to 2,500 words, outlining the topic, issue, theme and challenge that your project intends to cover.
3Prepare the Writing Sample
Please prepare a writing sample related to the topic to give the selection committee an idea of your writing ability and style, and to convey your passion for the chosen topic
4Submit
If you have any questions, please send an email to fellowship@matters.news. We will get back to you within two business days.
How are winning entries selected?
Selection Committee
There are 32 members on our selection committee. They are prominent nonfiction writers and journalists in the Chinese-speaking world as well as publishers and media personalities.
Scores and Votes
Each entry will be assessed, discussed and selected based on theme, creativity, feasibility, and the author's past achievements. The committee will select the strongest proposals for an interview.
Interviews
In order to further explore applicants' ideas and motivations, an online interview will be scheduled.
Selection Committee Members
(in alphabetical order by last name/first letter)
AI Xiaoming
Annpo
Breakazine
CHAN Koonchung
CHEN Chun
CHEN Yi-Shan
CHOY Bao Yuk Ling
CHUANG Jui-Lin
FANG Kecheng
FU Yue
GAO Ya-Ning
GU Xiaoqing
GUO Yujie
HO Hsin-Chieh
JIANG Xue
KU Yu-ling
KWAN Chun Hoi
KWAN Tin Lam
LAM Oiwan
LEE Haochung
LEE Koey
LI Daisy Yuet Wah
LI Jingrui
LI Jill
LIANG Yu-Fang
LIU Chih-Hsin
LIU Shao-Hua
LIU Zichao
Lo Han
LO Shuyi
Michael Berry
Mimiyana
NING Hui
QIAN Jianan
QIN Liwen
SO Mei Chi
TAM Vivian W.W.
TOH Jin-Xuan
TONG Christophe Yui
TU Feng-en
WANG Jasmine
WU Qi
XIE Ding
XIE Haitao
XU Xiao
YAN Fei
YEUNG Tin Shui
YANG Xiao
YANG Yin
ZHANG Han
ZHANG Hui-Qin
ZOU Sicong
About the Frontline Fellowship for Chinese Non-Fiction Writing
The Frontline Fellowship for Chinese Non-Fiction Writing is jointly funded by Matters and the Renaissance Foundation (RFHK). In addition to nurturing and supporting nonfiction writing in the Chinese language world, it provides journalism with a way to cover complex crises that is accessible and engaging without compromising their complexity. The fellowship is open to people of all nationalities, geographic locations, and backgrounds.
© 2022MattersFrontline
fellowship@matters.town