How to apply

The programme is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18-25, and to graduates who completed their degree course after 1 July 2019. It is not essential for you to be studying journalism, but you should be fully committed to a career in media.

Those who applied for the 2020 conference should have received a message to their registered email address they used when applying last year. You should not have particpated in the in-person conference in Edinburgh or London before.

You must be available to attend a conference session on either 14 (afternoon, GMT) or 15 July (morning, GMT) 2021.

Applicants can come from any region of the world and must speak a very good level of English - the equivelent of IELTS 6.5 or above.

The Competition is open to individuals of any nationality who meet all the criteria in the Terms and Conditions set out here: 

Applications for Future News Worldwide 2021 opened on 4 May and close at noon GMT 8 June 2021.

Applicants must complete an online application designed to test their passion, enthusiasm and journalistic skills. The process has been designed to allow everyone to respond in their preferred media format: written, video, audio or still image.

Applications will be assessed by an independent adjudicator and then by a panel of judges appointed by the British Council, who will select winning participants based on the quality of responses. Applicants will be notified within 30 days following the closing date.

To enter, you must access the application link at https://jobs.guidantglobal.com/british-council-future-news-worldwide and then follow these steps:

• Follow the chatbot questions at the bottom of the page, answering contact and eligibility questions which include equality, diversity and inclusion monitoring.
• Read and accept the Competition Rules by ticking the “I have read and understood the Competition Rules and agree to the Terms and Conditions” box.
• If you meet all the eligibility criteria, you will be sent a link via email to the next stage of the application, where you will be asked to submit answers to two questions that cover your journalism experience and motivation for applying to Future News Worldwide 2021. See details of each question in the next two sections.

You are responsible for ensuring the form is completed fully and correctly. Once the form is submitted there is no possibility to amend your application.

To note: If you secure a place at the conference you will be asked to provide evidence of eligibility by submitting Supporting Documents (identity, age, student or graduate status and English language ability) and a reference letter.

We recognise that quality journalism comes in many forms, and we encourage you to use multimedia in your responses to the questions in the online form.

If you wish to give your answer as a written article we recommend working offline and pasting your answers into the online form - as the form cannot be saved once started.

If you wish to respond in  a multimedia format (such as a gallery of images, video or podcast) please upload the file to a hosting site (e.g Youtube, Vimeo, Soundcloud), set a password and paste both the link and password in the space marked "Q1. Answer" or "Q2. Answer".

You may also provide a link to an online portfolio of work.

All answers will be judged equally regardless of format.

All answers must be in English.

You will be prompted to provide a personal statement telling us about your journalism experience and your motivation for applying to Future News Worldwide 2021.

You should refer to the following in your answer:

•       The type of journalism you do, and why you are passionate about it.

•       Any experience you have which was not done as part of a university course.

•       Projects you are currently working on.

•       What you think you need to do or learn to improve your journalism.

Limit: 300 words, or 2 minutes (video/audio).

You will be prompted to provide a reportage on a subject of your choice about your home country or country of residence.

A reportage is a factual, journalistic article. It should be clear that the topic you are discussing is well-researched, based on verifiable facts, and understandable to the reader even if they have no background knowledge of the subject. It can reflect a point of view but should not be an opinion piece. 

You may use a reportage which has been published previously as long as it is all your own work (i.e. not a group project) and meets the competition terms and conditions.

The topic may be:

• Political
• Environmental
• Technological
• Social

Please specify in your response which of these topics you are addressing.

Limit: 500 words, or 3 minutes video/audio.

The conference will take place online and will be repeated on 14 July (afternoon, GMT) and 15 July (morning, GMT) to accommodate different time zones.  

The programme includes a mixture of speaker presentations, group activities workshops and panel discussions.  'First Draft' will deliver a 2 hour crisis simulation that will place you at the heart of a high-intensity and high-impact breaking health story, and challenge you to make real-time reporting decisions to slow the spread of false rumours and misleading information. 

See the partner organisations supporting the programme.