Announcing the Umoya Fellowship – Supporting Blackskyers at ATmosphere Conference 2026
Published on January 8, 2026 by Dr. KaLyn Coghill
Dear Blacksky Community,
We are excited to share an incredible opportunity made possible by Linda Maepa (Gogo Pebetse): the Umoya Fellowship, an initiative to support Blackskyers, created in 2025, in attending the ATmosphere Conference. This year's conference will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from March 26th to 29th!
This fellowship, funded with private funds and the continued support of Blacksky Algorithms, will award (3) Blackskyers to attend the ATmosphere Conference.
Application Deadline: January 11, 2026, at 11:59 pm PST
Application Deadline: January 11, 2026, at 11:59 pm PST
Fellowship Selection & Offer: January 21, 2026
🇨🇦 You will need a passport to enter Canada 🇨🇦
Fellowship Details:
Fellowship Details:
— The fellowship grants $500 each to three (3) Blackskyers to attend the ATmosphere Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in March 2026 🙏🏾📿✨️
— You may apply regardless of whether you have a ticket; a free ticket code is awarded to each Fellow
— Fellowship funds may be used for anything before or during the conference that makes it possible for you to attend: air or rail travel, gas money, hotel, car rental, a duffle bag, food, etc.
— This year, we will also accept nominations, and you can nominate up to three (3) candidates
— You can submit your own nomination AND nominate others
— Fellows are expected to attend at least the 2 main days of the March 26-29 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada conference in person
— After the conference, the Fellows are expected to write a blog post or Blacksky thread summarizing their experience and sharing at least one takeaway that we all need to know (example posts from our inaugural fellows, here and here)
— Eligible candidates include: any Blacksky community member. Seeking diverse life experiences in applicants. Any means any interested Blacksky community member. You are valuable as you are.
Apply Now:
The Umoya Fellowship is rooted in community support and shared growth. “Umoya” is a word found across several southern African languages, meaning air, breath, spirit, and soul.
We are incredibly grateful to Linda Maepa for leading this effort.
Thank you for being part of Blacksky and for making initiatives like this possible.