The Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism
- Applicants must certify that their application is their original work and that they have adhered to the MEAA Code of Ethics in the work preparation, undertake to continue to abide by the Code of Ethics and to comply with all copyright requirements.
- Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents. They do not need to be based in Australia. Work needs to be accessible to an Australian audience.
- For the purposes of this grant, the Pacific islands region comprises all states and territories that would ordinarily be considered to be in Melanesia, Micronesia or Polynesia. A project which focuses solely on New Zealand will not qualify; however a project which focuses on New Zealand in addition to somewhere else in the region will be considered.
- Applicants must have an agreement to publish/broadcast from their media organisation, or in the case of a freelancer, a commitment from a publisher/broadcaster. Applicants will need to supply contact details for their publisher as part of the application, and publishers will be contacted to verify the application.
- Applicants may be working journalists either on a freelance, full-time or part-time basis.
- In the case of a journalist working for a media organisation, the grant is to go towards supporting an individual journalist to complete a project. It is to be applied to items such as travel, accommodation, or research. The grant cannot be paid to an employer to subsidise an employee’s salary or use of the organisation’s facilities. Applicants must provide contact details for their editor, who will be contacted as part of the verification process to consent to the terms and conditions.
- Each applicant is responsible for their own insurances; editors will also be asked to verify that insurance is in place.
- The Walkley Foundation is not liable for any legal issues which result from the project or story.
- All applicants must declare any legal complaints, defamation actions, contempt of court actions, suppression orders, challenges to the accuracy, corrections or claims of plagiarism they are subject to at the time of application.
- Applicants must declare any other financial support committed for the project.
- Each applicant may apply only once per year.
- Group applications may include up to three names, with one person nominated as the primary contact.
- The applicant acknowledges that the Walkley Foundation may reproduce, broadcast and communicate materials submitted for the purpose of promoting the Grant, conducting the presentation ceremony and making the published stories available to the public, and agrees and warrants that the Foundation may use the material for these purposes. The applicant also agrees that if they are successful in winning a grant, their work may be published under a dedicated Walkley banner on external platforms.
- Judges have the right to reject an application which in their opinion does not comply with the requirements of the competition. The judges’ decision will be final. The Walkley Board reserves the right to withdraw a grant if it later finds the entrant did not comply with the conditions and criteria.
- Grant recipients and publishers are responsible for the editing process, legal and fact checks.
- The Walkley Foundation is under no obligation to publish.
- The author (or their employer in the case of journalists applying as staff of a media organisation) retains the copyright for the piece.
- Funded projects may be entered in the Walkley Awards, provided they meet all eligibility requirements of the Awards.
If you’re selected:
- Agree to an MOU including dates, deliverables and payment instalments.
- Provide a more detailed pitch including budget breakdown and any requests for early payment.
- Shortlisted applicants must be available to be interviewed via video call by the judging panel in May 2023.
- Must deliver drafts and final story on agreed deadline.
- Must promote the published story to their networks and on their social channels.
- Must be available for Walkley events & publicity as required.
- Agrees to support activities and events undertaken by lead donors to the Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism, to the extent that they are able to do so and subject to other commitments and any relevant contractual and/or employment terms.
- The $10,000 grant will be paid in two installments: the first one month in on receipt of detailed pitch/budget, and the balance after completion/publication of the story.
- There is no obligation to publish for the Walkley Foundation or other publishers.
Have questions? Please contact: Corinne Podger, corinne.podger@walkleys.com.