Bill Lane Center to begin accepting applications for 2026/2027 Western Media Fellowship

Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center for the American West has supported journalism about the West and its environment for more than a decade. The Center is soliciting a new round of applications for its Western Media Fellowship, offering an $8,500 stipend for three to six months’ work. The stipend underwrites a journalist illuminating crucial issues about the region.

As of September 8, 2026, applicants may submit proposals for an award to be made in November. The deadline for applications is October 5, 2026, and submissions must include a description of the proposed project. Applicants should also provide a brief resume and demonstrate ties to a news organization or other outlet through which the work would be distributed. Incorporating a plan to work with Stanford-based experts is not a requirement but will ensure an application gets extra attention. Ideally, publication of the funded projects would happen in April of 2027, but no later than August of 2027.

Criteria: 

• The work should examine a crucial aspect of the West, its land, its people, its history, and the impact of the forces that power its economies.
• The applicant should have ties to a news organization which will guarantee serious consideration of publishing the work; the Bill Lane Center is not responsible for securing publication.
• Publication should happen within six to nine months of the award, or by August 9, 2027.
• The work itself could be one or could be any combination of the following: print or online articles, photography or photo essays, informational graphics, podcasts, video journalism, documentary films, fact-based graphic novels or graphic documentaries.

Publications by past fellows have focused on a wide range of subjects, from Lynda Mapes' 2025 exploration of the history and possible futures of the Columbia River to Brandon Kapelow's 2024 piece on high rates of suicide in rural Alaska. In 2023, Janet Wilson investigated the 20 California farming families who use more Colorado River water than some states. And Julia Simon examined mining ventures across the West in the context of climate change. Awardees have produced radio stories on NPR's Morning Edition, articles in the New York Times, reporting for Arctic Today, special issues of literary magazines, and investigations in other national and western publications.

To be considered for the fellowship, applicants should send a description of their proposed project and the other materials listed above to Felicity Barringer, writer in residence at the Bill Lane Center for the American West: febarr [at] stanford.edu (subject: Web%20inquiry%20about%20BLC%20Media%20Fellowships) (febarr[at]stanford[dot]edu).