The Midwest News Fellowship is designed for leaders of journalism ventures and projects focused on local and regional news in the Midwest. 

Due to ongoing public health guidelines, we are unable to proceed with our original structure for this on-campus program for the 2021-22 academic year. We hope to see Midwest-focused reporting projects submitted to our adapted Reporting Fellowship.

What to Prepare

Please read this page carefully as it contains instructions on submitting the required documents, work samples and reference letters to successfully submit your application.

• To apply, you will create a login. You can save your information and return to the application at any time before your final submission.

General Information

You will be asked to provide contact and demographic information as well as answer questions about your journalism background. Space will be provided for you to elaborate on the niche you are filling with your journalism project/venture and the overall vision for your company. You will also be asked to upload several documents including a professional profile, a personal statement and a journalism project profile. Work samples will also be required.

Document Uploads

In this section, you will be required to upload three documents. The content and format are described below:

1.    Professional Profile – work history/education/awards

• You will be required to upload a document to include all relevant positions held since completing formal education, education background and professional accomplishments received following the format indicated in the application.

2.   Journalism Project Profile

• You will be asked to submit a profile of your journalism project/venture of up to 1500 words addressing what you find to be the biggest challenges your business is currently facing. What audience and community need are you meeting and what void are you filling in your state, community or region? You will be asked to identify what disciplines you would like to study and how you envision managing the balance between work responsibilities and engaging fully in the fellowship.
• There will also be a field for you to summarize your venture or project in 50 words or less.

3.   Personal Statement

• You will be required to upload a personal statement of up to 500 words examining what inspires you as a journalist including your life experiences, professional interests and core ethical values. How have these factors influenced your decision to apply for a fellowship at this point in your career?

Work Samples

Work samples will be required and you may submit them from more than one medium in the accepted formats as indicated in the application. In addition, you will have the opportunity to elaborate on your approach to work if you choose.

• Print/Digital: Up to five samples including dates of publication.
• Photography: Up to ten photographs with captions indicating when and where photographs were published. At least six of these photographs should be from the past two years.
•  Video and Audio: Maximum viewing or listening time should be a total of 30 minutes highlighting work from the past two years. Include a brief description indicating dates aired and a statement describing your involvement in each piece.
• Editors and Managers: Upload a statement of no more than 500 words describing your job responsibilities and approach to your work.
• Graphic and Visualization: Up to five samples including dates of publication.

Letters of Reference

You are required to submit three reference letters, at least two should be professional. If participating in the Midwest News Fellowship requires the approval of a business partner or employer, please include that person as one of your references.

You will be asked to enter the name, affiliation, title and email address for each person you will ask to submit a letter on your behalf. Upon submission of your application, a link and instructions on how to upload the letters will be sent to the email addresses you provided. 

The three required letters are: 

• Two professional letters from past or present professional partners, supervisors or colleagues.
• One personal letter from a friend who may also be familiar with your professional background and work.

Please note: Your references will not receive the link and instructions for uploading letters until your application has been completed and submitted. If your references have not received the email request within 24 hours of you submitting your application, please ask them to check their SPAM box before contacting us.