Applications for the 2025-26 Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowships for Excellence in Journalism are now open and are due by January 17, 2025. 

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The Rago Fellowships are awarded annually to two rising journalists of outstanding character and ability to complete a nine-month internship with The Wall Street Journal’s editorial team. Recent college and journalism school graduates, and working journalists with less than five years of professional experience, who are U.S. citizens are welcome to apply. Applicants should have a commitment to pursuing a career in journalism and should already have some experience with writing or editing in a serious journalistic context, either in school or professionally. A demonstrated ability to multitask and meet deadlines is critical for success. Candidates will be notified whether they have been chosen as semifinalists in early February. Semifinalists will be asked to complete a brief interview and editing test. Finalists will be selected several days after completing the semifinalist round. Finalists will be interviewed by a panel of judges from The Wall Street Journal, the Rago family, and The Fund for American Studies in mid-February. The fellowships begin in September. 

The application form requires the following information and materials:

• • Cover letter 
  • Resume or CV 
  • Three published journalistic writing samples
  • A sample editorial of between 500 and 600 words that could appear in The Wall Street Journal
  • A personal essay of no more than 1,000 words about an experience which affected the development of your character
  • One letter of reference from someone familiar with your writing.