Nina Grunenberg Fellowship: The Fellows 2025 Are Set
The Nina Grunenberg Fellowship enters its third round! Our independent jury has selected ten journalists, editors, and media professionals to participate in this training programme, offering them insight into the German educational system.
The Fellows 2025
What awaits the them?
In two 14-day blocks, the program provides networking and research opportunities, as well as insights into the German educational system, state and federal politics, administration, and educational sciences. It also facilitates exchange with schools, editorial teams, educational institutions, and political organizations.
Who are the Fellows 2025?
The ten fellows are freelance and full-time journalists with a strong interest in education and school-related topics. The programme will help them to deepen their expertise in educational journalism.
- Elena Tara Bavandpoori, freelance music planner and author for Deutschlandfunk Kultur; previously with WDR, rbb, Karakaya Talks
- Zeynep Dişbudak, freelance journalist, Deutsche Welle
- Katharina Elsner, freelance journalist, among others for DLF, NDR, SPIEGEL, Taz, Science Notes
- Alessandra Fahl, trainee, Generalanzeiger Bonn
- Greta Hey, full-time editor at WDR 3 Tonart
- Simone Kamhuber, freelance journalist, among others for ZEIT Online, Süddeutsche Zeitung, fluter
- Nicole Opitz, full-time editor for Social Media and Community, taz
- Friederike Pick, freelance contributor, MDR Klassik & Leipziger Volkszeitung
- Lea Schönborn, full-time editor, Krautreporter
- Sophie Tiedemann, freelance journalist, among others for ZEIT ONLINE, SPIEGEL Geschichte; Social Media for HateAid, dekoder, MSF
Additionally, Publix is now awarding research grants to graduates of the program. The grantees of 2025 are:
- Michael Lünstroth, Fellow in the first cohort, Co-Editorial Leader and Co-Founder of karla magazin konstanz; founder and project leader of the newsletter familie mit k; research project: "The Startchancen Program in Reality Check"
- Marcel Roth, Fellow in the second cohort, freelance radio author for MDR, research project: "IT-Sovereign Schools, Empowered Citizens, and Competent Companies"
Both grantees will also receive individual mentoring through our partner organization Netzwerk Recherche.
The Jury
The selection of the fellows was made by an independent jury:
- Annette Kuhn, Editor for Political Communication at Kindernothilfe; former editorial director of Bildung.Table
- Bent Freiwald, Education Reporter at Krautreporter
- Lina Ellsiepen, German and Music teacher at Albrecht Dürer Gymnasium in Berlin Neukölln; regularly teaches "Enrichment" courses in media
- Prof. Dr. Karim Fereidooni, Professor of Didactics of Social Science Education at Ruhr University Bochum
The Nina Grunenberg Fellowship is executed by Publix. It is funded by the Schöpflin Stiftung, Wübben Stiftung Bildung, and ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS.
Photos:
Top row, from left to right: Elena Tara Bavandpoori, Greta Hey (© Lauree Thomas), Alessandra Fahl, Zeynep Dişbudak
Bottom row, from left to right: Sophie Tiedemann, Katharina Elsner (© Stefanie Auer), Nicole Opitz (© Yero Adugna Eticha), Lea Schönborn, Friederike Pick
