Opportunity Title: Melvin M.S. Goo Writing Fellowship 2025 | up to $10,000

Applications for the Melvin M.S. Goo Writing Fellowship 2025 are now open.

The Melvin M.S. Goo Writing Fellowship will provide up to three grants to individual journalists, authors, or writers from the United States or China to carry out projects that promote understanding between the two countries.

Melvin M.S. Goo was a veteran journalist who spent 34 years working in the United States and Asia before passing away in 2016.

Mr. Goo was born in Macau and graduated from high school in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. He spent 18 years as a reporter, editor, and editorial writer at The Honolulu Advertiser. In 1977, he received the prestigious Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University.

Mr. Goo continued his career in Asia, rising to Chief News Editor at The Nikkei Weekly and later Editor-in-Chief at Taiwan News.

Benefits

• Selected fellows will receive $10,000 to complete projects that will foster understanding between the U.S. and China.

Eligibility

• Open to journalists, authors, or writers.
• Applicants must be nationals or permanent residents of either the United States or the People’s Republic of China (including the Hong Kong and Macao SARs).
• The projects:
  • May be produced in either (or both) English or a Chinese language variety (applications must be submitted in English).
  • Must be published or otherwise made publicly accessible in the United States and/or China; potential mediums include publication in print, print or online periodicals, etc.
  • Must be original works; completed or published projects will not be considered.
  • Must be completed and delivered (i.e. published or distributed) by December of 2025.

Selection Criteria

Proposed projects will be evaluated by a Selection Committee organized by the East-West Center based on several criteria, including:

• How the proposed project will promote better understanding between the people of the United States and China.
• A principal focus on underreported feature topics (such as cultural issues, lifestyles, education, youth, the arts, etc.).
• Any presence of elements in conflict with the Fellowship’s mission, including divisive or inflammatory rhetoric.
• Whether the project’s intended audience is sufficiently broad and/or influential to contribute to the Fellowship’s mission.
• Confidence that the project’s sources are sufficiently diverse, reliable, and well-informed.
• Creativity and impact.

Application

Applicants must submit each of the following documents to be considered:

• The online Goo Fellowship application form.
• Project Proposal (maximum 6 pages).
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae.
• At least three (3) representative examples of prior work (e.g. writing samples, digital portfolio, etc.).
• Two (2) professional references with letters of recommendation.

Recommended addenda:

• Statement of Commitment from the project’s intended publisher or distributor. Though not formally required, proposals that include completed publisher commitments will be given more weight when considered by the selection committee.

For more information, visit Melvin M.S. Goo Writing Fellowship.