The submission process for the Resilience Residency is now closed. We will announce the 2021 residents in June.
Between a pandemic, climate change, and advances in technology that continue to reshape almost every way of life, the past year has been a bellwether for work in the US. At WIRED, we believe some of the people best situated to cover this rapid evolution—from growing pains to genius pivots and everything in between—are the people who know those industries from the inside. That’s why we’re launching a new program called the WIRED Resilience Residency. Geared toward professionals whose own careers have been upended by these forces, the Resilience Residency offers a unique opportunity for non-journalists to report powerful stories from their changing fields and start new conversations about the future.
Over six months, beginning in June, residents will collaborate with WIRED’s award-winning editorial team on ambitious storytelling projects about their industries. An artist could report on how performers are reinventing theater, dance, and live music. An urban planner could explore how cities are actually changing as a result of the pandemic. These projects can take many forms, including written features, photo essays, data visualizations, podcasts, videos, social media experiments, and beyond. WIRED will publish residents’ work on its channels throughout the course of the program. In the process, residents will become well versed in WIRED’s reporting and editorial standards, receive feedback on their work, and work with experienced members of our staff.
Our aim is for everyone—residents, WIRED employees, and our audience—to benefit from the exchange of expertise, perspectives, and experiences. To that end, we invite and encourage candidates from underrepresented communities, as well as from industries that don’t regularly appear in our pages. WIRED is a publication about change, and we want our coverage to reflect the full diversity of transformation that is happening across the country.
Call for Submissions
The deadline to submit materials for the WIRED Resilience Residency has passed. Materials submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Interested candidates will need to provide:
- A cover letter of up to 500 words introducing yourself and explaining your interest in WIRED and the residency program
- A résumé or CV
- Contact information for at least two professional references, including their name, affiliation, and email
- A project proposal of up to 800 words describing how you plan to cover your industry over the six-month residency at WIRED. The proposal does not need to pitch specific stories in detail, but it should give us a good sense of the issues you want to focus on within your field and how you would execute your storytelling. Some questions to guide you: How is technology or the pandemic reshaping your industry, and how does that impact people? What changes are you most excited about? What changes most worry you? Whose stories or perspectives about these issues do you not see in the media right now, and how would you incorporate them into your work? How can WIRED’s resources support this?
Candidates also have the option to include work samples, via links or PDFs, that demonstrate skills or experiences relevant to the proposal. This could include examples of published writing or research, portfolios of creative work, service projects in your community, public speaking engagements, and so on. Such samples are not required in your submission materials, but to the extent that they help us evaluate your ability to successfully complete the proposed project, they are recommended.
Submissions will be reviewed by a team of WIRED editors. Candidates whose proposals are selected will receive notice by the week of June 5. We expect to have a total of three to five residents for 2021.
The Residency
The Wired Resilience Residency will begin on Monday, June 28, 2021, and end six months later, on Friday, December 17. Residents will be required to regularly submit their work for publication on WIRED channels throughout the six-month period of the residency. The number and timing of those features will be approved by WIRED editors together with the resident upon their acceptance into the program, using the resident’s project proposal as a guide. While output and deadlines will vary according to project, six written stories over the six-month period is a good baseline. Each resident will be able to attend events (remotely) during the workday, including editorial meetings, skill-share programs, and regular check-ins with their WIRED editor.
To support this work, WIRED will pay each resident a set project fee of $24,000 over this period. Residents are freelance contributors and will not be eligible for benefits through Condé Nast.
Who Should Submit Materials?
WIRED is looking for candidates who have experienced first hand how technology and science are changing their industries, and who have something to say about it. You should have strong communication skills, a solid work ethic, and be able to work independently and on deadline. We always seek out voices that challenge and amaze us, so creative thinkers who aren’t afraid to try something new are encouraged to submit a proposal!
Since we want candidates to have worked in their chosen fields for at least a few years, this program is not aimed at very recent graduates. A college degree, however, is not required. Candidates must be eligible to work in the US, and since WIRED is geared toward an English-speaking audience, candidates should be proficient in that language. The residency is a remote opportunity: WIRED’s US offices are based in New York and San Francisco, but residents will not be expected to relocate for the program.
About WIRED
WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our lives—from culture to business, science to design. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. WIRED reaches more than 30 million people each month through WIRED.com, our digital edition, the magazine, social media, and live events.
The WIRED Resilience Residency is made possible by Microsoft. WIRED content is editorially independent and produced by our journalists.
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