2024 Call for Applications

The 2024 program will take place in Vienna, Austria from June 2 - 13, 2024

What is the Austrian-American Media Fellowship Program (AAMFP)?

The Austrian-American Media Fellowship Program (AAMFP) provides young U.S. journalists the opportunity to travel to Austria in order to conduct research in one of Europe’s centers for international diplomacy, business, science, and culture. Participants will have exclusive access to decision-makers from politics and business and will be able to take a look behind the scenes of some of the important international organizations based in Vienna, including the United Nations.

The AAMFP is administered by the Vienna School of International Studies in partnership with the Austrian Foreign Ministry.

What will participants see and do in Austria?

AAMFP fellows gain exclusive access to senior officials at the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will have to the opportunity to discuss Austrian foreign policy priorities and ask questions about current issues, such as Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict, non-proliferation, and the Western Balkans. Fellows will also be able to meet with high-level officials from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and visit the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna.

Furthermore, fellows have the opportunity to get to know Austria as a business and research hub through meetings with business leaders from Austrian “hidden champion” firms and a visit to the state-of-the-art technology center Ars Electronica in Linz, for example. Fellows will learn about renewables in Austria and discover some of the ways the City of Vienna has been a pioneer in the green energy sector.

Finally, fellows will get the chance to discover Austria’s rich cultural heritage, but also to remember and reflect upon its past with a visit to the Mauthausen Holocaust Memorial. Given Vienna’s central and well-connected location in Europe, the weekend during the two-week fellowship can be used to travel to cities close to Vienna, such as Budapest or Salzburg.

What does the Fellowship cover?

The AAMFP covers all travel and lodging costs.

Are there any requirements associated with the fellowship?

There are absolutely no writing or other requirements. Fellows are free to write whatever and however much (or little) they choose. Fellows do not receive any monetary compensation - just paid travel and exclusive access to high-ranking officials.

Application

Who is eligible?

U.S. journalists and U.S. media professionals with proven journalism experience in either print, online, TV, or radio are eligible and encouraged to apply. The age limit for applicants is 45 years. The focus of the work should be in one of the following areas: foreign policy, economic and scientific policy, or cultural policy.

How to apply:

Applicants may submit a current CV or resume, a letter of interest, and recent samples of work (links are acceptable) in either Microsoft Word .docx format or as .pdf by sending it to the Austrian Embassy in Washington, DC at washington-id@bmeia.gv.at with the subject line Fellowship Application.

Deadline: March 23, 2024

View the 2023 Program

The 2023 program can be viewed here (.pdf)