Details of OPCC Reporter Fellowship
Phnom Penh, Oct. 20, 2025
Purpose of the fellowship:
With support of international partners, the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia has set up a fellowship that aims to support Cambodian reporters in producing original, in-depth, impactful journalism through mentorship, training, and publication opportunities at the regional and/or international level.
The program will foster collaboration between Khmer-language and English-language media and encourage experimentation with multimedia formats. The fellowship is only open to members of the OPCC.
Structure
Duration: 5 months
Fellows: 3 Cambodian journalists
• Two open fellowships for written or mixed-media projects.
• One multimedia fellowship dedicated to video, audio, or visual storytelling.
• Fellows will receive editorial mentoring once a month from an experienced mentor.
Stipend for Fellows: USD 500 per month each
Mentor: 1 Foreign mentor with experience working with regional and/or international media outlets.
Stipend for Mentor:
USD 400 per month, with a potential extra USD 100 to be confirmed as soon as possible. Once the OPCC secures extra funding, the mentor’s stipend will increase to USD 500 per month.
Application Requirements for Fellows
Applicants must propose a central theme for their project, which could be as diverse as: environment, labor issues, urban and rural developments, social issues, women’s rights, culture and arts, business and big money, tourism, and so on. Projects may also interject multiple areas – be creative and ambitious!
The application should outline:
• A description of the novel or underreported aspects of the proposed topic.
• Reporting and verification methodology (e.g. sources, data collection, and fact-checking.
approach)
• Cost breakdown (travel, translation, production)
• Distribution and publication plans.
• Preferred language (Khmer/English) and multimedia aspects
• Potential collaborators.
• Two or three previous work samples and a short personal statement explaining motivation and expected impact.
All applications must be sent to the OPCC email address: opcccambodia@gmail.com
Application Requirements for the Mentor
Applicants must propose a plan on how to coach and strategise with the three fellows to develop and pitch their stories to regional and international media outlets. They should provide:
• A CV
• Link to three stories published at the regional and/or international level
• A short personal statement explaining motivation to be a key member of the fellowship
All applications must be sent to the OPCC email address: opcccambodia@gmail.com
Selection Priorities
Fellows will be chosen based on originality, feasibility, public interest and impact potential. Preference will be given to strong story access, creative approaches, and diversity of medium or perspective. One slot will be reserved for a multimedia-focused journalist.
The mentor will be chosen based on past reporting and editing experience, and their understanding of Cambodia’s political, social, economical and environmental landscape. Preference will be given to reporters/editors with extensive experience working with international media.
Deliverables, Travel Expenses and Commissioned Stories
Each fellow is expected to produce five written or multimedia pieces and participate in monthly editorial meetings. The fellowship will conclude with a closing event, where fellows will have the opportunity to showcase their work during an OPCC gathering.
Please note that the USD 500 monthly stipend is intended to support fellows financially as they pursue in-depth, ambitious, underreported, long-form, or investigative stories. The OPCC will fully or partially cover travel expenses based on a pre-approved budget.
F
ellows are welcome and even encouraged to seek writing fees for their commissioned stories instead of relying solely on the fellowship stipend to sustain their work.
Mentorship and Oversight
The mentor will provide ongoing feedback to the fellows, coordinate with OPCC board members, and ensure the overall quality of story pitches. The OPCC board will oversee logistics, payments, and outreach. A midterm review in month three and a final review in month five will evaluate each
fellow’s progress and the impact of their work.
Deadlines and Timeframe
Applications are due by midnight on Sunday, November 2.
Submissions will be reviewed from November 3 to 16, and the fellowship will begin by November 17. The five-month fellowship will conclude on April 17, 2025.
Contacts
All applications must be sent to the OPCC email address: opcccambodia@gmail.com
Materials may be included directly in the email body or shared as an open-access document attachment.
*Shortlisted candidates may be contacted by the board for an interview.
For any inquiry, please feel free to reach out to any OPCC board members:
• Nathan Paul Southern, President:+44.7825.706.628 (Signal/Telegram)
• Coby Hobbs, Vice President: +1 678.276.5900 (Signal/Telegram)
• François Camps, Treasurer: +33.6.13.50.22.00 (Signal / Telegram)
• Vutha Srey, Secretary: +855.12.943.262 (Signal/Telegram)
• Leila Goldstein, Board Member: +855.96.417.8238 (Signal/Telegram)
