The Ocean Leaders Fellowship is a young programme with an ambitious goal: giving early-career ocean and climate leaders from the world’s highest-risk marine ecoregions genuine access to the policy rooms and international platforms where decisions about ocean protection actually get made.
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Now in its second year, the fellowship was built by Sustainable Ocean Alliance in partnership with Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy specifically to address a gap its founders identified clearly: young people doing real, grounded conservation and advocacy work in their own communities are routinely shut out of the global policy conversations that affect that same work, simply because they lack the networks, funding, or platform to get in the room.
If you’re checking this now, the 2026 cohort has already been selected — 40 fellows drawn from 41 countries, spanning every high-risk marine ecoregion globally — and the fellowship is currently running, having begun 26 March 2026 and continuing through 5 December 2026. This post explains exactly how the fellowship works and what to prepare for the next cohort, expected to open around January 2027.
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About the Ocean Leaders Fellowship
Following a successful inaugural 2025 cohort — which sent 40 fellows to the Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit in Busan, South Korea, and the UN Ocean Conference in France — SOA and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy scaled the programme into its second year with a sharper thematic focus: advancing the global 30×30 roadmap, the international commitment to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
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What distinguishes this fellowship from a typical leadership programme is its explicit targeting of fellows who are already doing the work — SOA describes eligible candidates as young leaders “already organizing, leading teams, and influencing systems,” not aspiring leaders looking for their first taste of the field. Over roughly nine months, fellows engage in weekly virtual programming — skill-building workshops, mentorship, and structured peer collaboration pods — building toward an immersive, in-person leadership institute and participation in major international ocean and climate summits.
The programme deliberately balances geographic and professional diversity across its cohort, bringing together community-led conservationists, institutional leaders, and policy specialists side by side, on the reasoning that ocean protection strategies need voices working at every level of that system, not concentrated in any single type of role.
Ocean Leaders Fellowship Summary
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | Ocean Leaders Fellowship |
| Host Country ⇒ | Kenya |
| Study Level ⇒ | Fellowships |
| Benefits ⇒ | Fully funded international travel, accommodation, visa, and meals for required in-person sessions |
| Funded by ⇒ | Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), in partnership with Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | All countries |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | 2026 cycle closed 15 February 2026; the 40-fellow cohort has been selected, and the fellowship is currently underway. Watch for the 2027 cycle, expected to open around January 2027. |
What Fellows Actually Receive
- Fully covered international travel, including visa costs and airfare, for the fellowship’s required in-person sessions — worth noting SOA’s own guidance that if a fellow misses a booked flight, the fellowship does not cover rebooking or repurchasing that ticket, so travel logistics need to be managed carefully on the fellow’s end
- Accommodation and meals, covered during the in-person portion of the programme, which for the 2026 cohort ran 9-19 June 2026
- Structured skill development workshops, covering leadership, collaboration, campaign design, policy influence, and coalition building — genuinely applied, tactical training rather than general leadership theory
- Personalised mentorship, pairing each fellow with an experienced ocean or climate leader for guidance throughout the programme
- Direct participation in major international summits, including events like the Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit and related UN-affiliated ocean conferences, giving fellows real access to policy conversations most early-career professionals in this field can’t otherwise reach
- A Career Action Plan, developed by the end of the fellowship, giving fellows a concrete roadmap for their next steps in ocean and climate leadership
- Support for connectivity barriers, including potential financial assistance for internet or data access, since the fellowship requires reliable internet and a suitable device for weekly virtual sessions — SOA states explicitly it’s committed to ensuring all fellows can fully participate regardless of this kind of resource gap
Eligibility Requirements
- You must be between 18 and 35 years old as of a specific reference date each cycle (20 June 2026 for this year’s cohort)
- You must demonstrate genuine leadership, or strong evident potential for it, in ocean conservation, climate action, or a closely related field
- Your work must align with one of SOA’s five Ocean Impact Areas — pollution reduction, greenhouse gas reduction, ecosystem preservation, blue foods, or ocean data and research
- You must hold C1-level (Advanced) English proficiency, since the programme runs entirely in English across its virtual and in-person components
- You must be genuinely available for international travel during the fellowship’s required in-person dates — this isn’t a flexible or optional component
- You must not have previously attended an Our Ocean Conference (OOC) or UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) Youth Forum, since the fellowship is specifically designed to open these doors for leaders who haven’t yet had that access
- You must be able to commit approximately five hours per week to the programme, including live sessions, assignments, and asynchronous engagement where needed
Worth knowing directly from SOA’s own FAQ: occasional scheduling conflicts with live sessions won’t automatically disqualify a fellow, since all sessions are recorded and asynchronous engagement is genuinely accommodated — but the expectation is a consistent, good-faith effort to attend live wherever possible, since much of the programme’s real value comes from real-time peer discussion, not passive content consumption.
Required Documents
While SOA’s official materials focus primarily on eligibility and programme structure rather than an exhaustive document checklist, applications have generally required:
- A completed online application form, submitted through SOA’s official application portal
- A short motivational video, approximately two minutes, giving the selection committee a genuine sense of your leadership presence and communication ability, not just written self-description
- A high-resolution professional headshot photo
- Contact information for two references, who may be contacted directly as part of the review process
How to Apply
- Visit the official Ocean Leaders Fellowship page on SOA’s website once the next cycle’s applications open.
- Review all eligibility criteria carefully, particularly the age cutoff, English proficiency requirement, and the prior-conference-attendance exclusion.
- Complete the online application form with accurate personal and professional information.
- Prepare and upload your motivational video, headshot, and reference contact details as guided by the application platform.
- Submit your complete application before the stated deadline — SOA has encouraged eligible candidates to apply early rather than waiting until close to the cutoff.
- Consider nominating another young ocean leader whose work aligns with the fellowship’s mission, if the nomination option is available for that cycle, since SOA has explicitly welcomed this alongside direct applications.
How to Prepare for the Next Cohort
With the 2026 cohort already selected and underway, the coming months are for building toward the 2027 cycle, expected to open around January 2027 based on this year’s timing:
- Get clear on which of SOA’s five Ocean Impact Areas your work genuinely aligns with, and be ready to articulate that connection specifically rather than broadly — pollution reduction, greenhouse gas reduction, ecosystem preservation, blue foods, and ocean data and research each represent distinct focus areas worth speaking to precisely.
- Confirm your prior conference attendance status now. If you’ve previously attended an OOC or UNOC Youth Forum, this specific fellowship isn’t available to you regardless of how strong your other qualifications are — worth knowing before you invest preparation time.
- Practice and refine your on-camera communication, given the required motivational video component — a genuine, specific, well-prepared two minutes is likely to stand out more than a polished but generic statement.
- Line up your two references early, briefing them on the fellowship’s focus so they can speak specifically to your leadership and impact in ocean or climate work if contacted.
- Confirm your realistic capacity for international travel and a roughly five-hour weekly commitment over a nine-month period before applying, since both are firm, non-negotiable components of participation, not flexible expectations.
- Watch SOA’s official Ocean Leaders Fellowship page directly, since past cycles have opened applications in January with a mid-February deadline.
Deadline
The 2026 application window closed 15 February 2026, 11:59 PM PST, and the selected 40-fellow cohort’s programme is currently running through 5 December 2026. Based on this cycle’s timing and the fellowship’s status as an annual programme now in its second year, expect the 2027 cycle to open around January 2027 with a similar mid-February deadline, though SOA does not guarantee identical dates every year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Ocean Leaders Fellowship based in Kenya?
Not specifically. It’s a global, hybrid programme combining virtual sessions with in-person components tied to rotating international conference locations — past cohorts have travelled to South Korea and France, for example — rather than being fixed to a single host country.
Can I still apply for the 2026 cohort?
No. The 2026 cohort of 40 fellows has already been selected, and the programme is currently underway. Watch for the 2027 cycle to open around January 2027.
Do I need prior experience attending international conferences to apply?
No — in fact, the opposite. The fellowship specifically excludes applicants who’ve previously attended an Our Ocean Conference or UN Ocean Conference Youth Forum, since it’s designed to open that specific kind of access for leaders who haven’t yet had it.
Is the fellowship genuinely fully funded?
Yes, for the required international portions specifically — travel, visa costs, accommodation, and meals are covered. Note that missed flights aren’t covered for rebooking, so travel logistics need careful personal management.
What happens if I have limited internet access or an unsuitable device?
SOA states it’s committed to ensuring all fellows can fully participate, and applicants can request financial support for internet or data access directly through the application form if this is a genuine barrier.
Disclaimer: All fellowship details, deadlines, and cohort figures in this post were verified from official and reported sources as of July 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official Sustainable Ocean Alliance Ocean Leaders Fellowship page before applying. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with the Sustainable Ocean Alliance or Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy.
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