The Institute is a cooperative program between the New York Times Company and various organizations for the benefit of their student members. Candidates must be student members of either the National Association of Hispanic Journalists or the National Association of Black Journalists or may be enrolled at a historically black college or university.

The next Institute will be held Jan. 2 through 12, 2010, for student members of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The January Institute alternates between Miami and Tucson and the 2010 Institute will take place at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The postmark deadline to apply is Oct. 24, 2009, and students will be notified whether they have been accepted no later than Nov. 21, 2009. This Institute accepts up to 24 students.

The second Institute in 2010 will be held May 16 to 31 at Dillard University in New Orleans for students who are members of the National Association of Black Journalists or who are enrolled at a historically black college or university that is represented by the Black College Communication Association. The postmark deadline to apply for the May Institute is Feb. 27, 2010, and students will be notified whether they have been selected no later than March 27, 2010.

(For either Institute, students who wish to attend but may have academic conflicts should contact the director of the Institute, Don R. Hecker, hecker@nytimes.com, to determine if special arrangements can be made.)

Applications should be sent to PO Box 2690, Times Square Station, New York, NY 10108.

Students are competitively selected by a panel of journalists at The New York Times. Applicants must submit an essay of up to 500 words on why they want to be journalists; six published writing or editing clips, or portfolios of their work if they are submitting visual material; and a completed Institute application form.

Graduates of the Institute have interned at or now work at some of the most prestigious news organizations in the United States, including The Washington Post, the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe and, of course, The New York Times itself, along with many other newspapers and news organizations.

Supervised by veteran journalists from The Times, The Boston Globe and the Times Company’s Regional newspapers in a newsroom environment, the students cover events in the cities where the Institutes are held. At previous Institutes, the students’ work has explored issues across the entire spectrum of American life. They have interviewed a Presidential candidate, covered Presidential speeches and explored a variety of national political issues. And they have spotlighted the plight of the homeless in wealthy communities, shown the challenges to immigrants both legal and illegal, and produced dozens of other stories that give voice to both ordinary and extraordinary people.

Application forms:

New York Times Student Journalism Institute in Tucson (January 2010)

New York Times Student Journalism Institute in New Orleans (May 2010)

The Institute is offered twice a year, in the first two weeks of January for student members of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and in the last two weeks in May for student members of the National Association of Black Journalists or students at historically black colleges and universities.

The Institute brings together students from historically black colleges and universities and writers, editors, designers and photographers from The New York Times, The Boston Globe and Times Company Regional papers.

Once selected, the students have all of their expenses paid by The Times. (They also receive a small stipend to provide spending money.) The Times is committed to assuring that no talented student will be denied the opportunity to take part in the Institute because of lack of financial means.

• Be a student member of the NABJ or NABJ or a student at an HBCU.
• Have worked for at least one semester on your student newspaper OR have been an intern or employee of a news media organization.
• Have a letter of recommendation from a member of the faculty or from an editor at a news media organization.
• Be in good academic standing.

Applications for either Institute must be sent to:

The New York Times Student Journalism Institute
PO Box 2690
Times Square Station
New York, NY 10108