How do I apply?

Apply here.

Students: Applications open October 6 and close November 7, 2025. Students and will be notified by email about fellowship interviews by November 14, 2025.

Newsrooms/Orgs: Applications open September 1 and close November 7, 2025. Potential Mentors will contacted by RJI to follow up on the application and discuss project possibilities prior to being matched with a student.

What is a 2026 RJI Student Innovation Fellowship? 

A Mizzou journalism student placed with a news organization to work 30-40 hours per week in summer 2026. These fellowships are sponsored by RJI’s Palmer Innovation Endowment fund and the stipends are paid directly to the students.

These Fellowships are focused on projects that create, extend or build upon innovative work in each newsroom and transparently share that work with the industry by publishing articles through the Innovation in Focus series to help journalists learn from and emulate the innovative work.

Projects that are similar to past projects undertaken by Student Fellows and/or not very innovative will be less likely to be picked for a student match. We are looking for newsrooms who want to undertake projects that will be useful to other newsrooms in the journalism industry to learn from.

What do the student fellows receive?

Each student fellow receives a minimum stipend of $8000 and will be expected to work for 30–40 hours a week for 12 weeks, starting mid-May and ending mid-August. Organizations are allowed (and encouraged!) to supplement this stipend with hourly pay.

Payments from RJI are made in two parts directly to the student. Half the stipend is paid at the beginning of the fellowship (within 30 days after the fellowship start) and the second half is paid after all the student’s RJI deliverables are met.

How are org/newsrooms chosen?

These fellowships are designed for each student to work with a newsroom or journalism organization on innovative projects of mutual interest. Partner organizations are chosen based on their application answers, proposed projects and the availability of a student fellow whose interests match the skillsets needed for those projects.

How are students chosen?

All current and soon to be recently graduated Missouri School of Journalism students are eligible and encouraged to apply. Students are chosen based on the application, interview and the newsroom applications we receive. We look to make strong matches between student interests & skillsets and the innovative projects pitched by newsrooms.

Who supervises the student work?

The newsroom/org mentor will give the RJI Student Innovation Fellow regular feedback and provide guidance on projects at least 3 days a week whether in-person or remote. The mentor will also be the main point of contact with RJI on everything related to the fellowship and attend orientation and required zoom meetings.

RJI will meet with Student Fellows regularly prior to and then bi-weekly throughout the 3-month Fellowship to make sure they are learning, supported and achieving their goals. 

What am students required to produce for RJI?

Each student’s work will be highlighted in RJI’s Innovation in Focus series and newsletter. These 2-3 articles will be produced by the student fellow over the course of their fellowship to share their innovative project work and help other newsrooms implement the same innovation. 

How are the RJI Student Innovation Fellows chosen?

RJI’s Director of Innovation Kat Duncan and Innovation in Focus Editor Emily Lytle will choose up to 10 finalists to interview before awarding the fellowships.