Mental health journalism fellowships in the UAE

Non-residential programme is run by the Carter Centre in the US and administered by The National in Abu Dhabi

Saeed Saeed was awarded a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism for 2024-2025

If you are a reporter, editor or content producer in the UAE, you can now apply for a 2025-2026 Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism. The programme provides a grant, training and mentorship for 12 months.

Please note: the application window is closed for the 25-26 recruitment cycle.

The non-residential fellowship programme, which is run by the Carter Centre in the US and administered in the UAE by The National, seeks to develop a cohort of journalists who can improve the quality of mental health reporting.

The programme is named after the late Rosalynn Carter, co-founder of the Carter Centre, who was an influential voice in the field of mental health for decades.

The Carter Centre has awarded Rosalynn Carter fellowships to more than 280 journalists around the world since 1996. Up to two fellowships will be awarded in the UAE in the 2025-2026 recruitment cycle.

The successful candidates will follow Saeed Saeed, who is the 10th journalist to be connected to the programme since The National began overseeing the award of UAE fellowships in 2018. His reporting project this year has focused on attitudes towards mental health in the Arabic music scene.

Previous fellows have reported on a diverse range of topics, including the experiences of communities living with the threat of conflict and climate change, solutions-based pieces on ways to help build more resilient societies, insightful reporting on the experiences of expatriate workers living apart from their natural support networks, stories that have documented the societal pressures experienced by young people, how schools tackled the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for better support for people living with disabilities and for the forcibly displaced.

Fatima Al Mahmoud and Jenna Kleinwort. Photo: Victor Besa / The National

The fellowship year, which runs from the start of September for 12 months, is bookended by annual meetings at the Carter Centre in the US city of Atlanta, where incoming fellows will discuss their intended reporting work with a global network of journalists and experts. Fellows will return to the same forum in September 2026. They will be supported by experts in the US and local advisers in the UAE throughout their time with the programme.

Nick Webster, left, former Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism, discusses his reporting work at a previous annual meeting in Atlanta. Photo: Carter Centre

Am I eligible for a UAE fellowship?

Applicants for the 2025-2026 recruitment cycle must be a citizen or resident of the UAE, or demonstrate a strong connection to the country by freelance work. You should have experience as a reporter, editor or content producer.

How can I apply for a 2025-2026 fellowship?

Applicants should submit a copy of their CV, together with a cover letter of no more than 500 words that provides an outline of the mental health reporting work the candidate would seek to do if awarded a Rosalynn Carter fellowship.

The project proposal could be for a single reported piece, a podcast series, a collection of features, videos or any other form of publishable content.

The applicant should outline where they hope to publish their work and in what format (ie, digital, print, broadcast, multimedia or social media). It is not a requirement of the scheme that the reporting project is published in or by The National.

Any application should be supported by links to two samples of previously published work.

In addition, the applicant should supply contact details for a suitable referee. That person is in all likelihood a senior editor, newsroom leader or publisher, and should be able to comment on the applicant's ability and potential as a journalist and, ideally, have a strong interest in publishing and supporting the applicant's fellowship proposal. Referees will only be contacted if a candidate is called for interview.

Where should I apply for a fellowship?

Applicants should submit their CV, cover letter of 500 words or less, links to two samples of their work and contact details for their referee to:

Nick March, Assistant Editor-in-Chief at The National and UAE Programme Administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism.

Send your documents to [e-mail]

Please mark the subject line of your email as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application 2025-26)".

The closing date for applications has passed. We are no longer accepting applications for the 25-26 cycle.

What happens after I apply?

All applications will be reviewed by a panel of editors at The National and the local advisory board for the fellowship in the UAE.

Shortlisted candidates will then be interviewed by the local advisory board and programme administrator.

It is intended that interviews will be conducted in June 2025, either in-person in Abu Dhabi or via Zoom.