A Call to Journalist and Social Media Interns
Swimming World Magazine as part of the International Swimming Hall of Fame is seeking another gifted group of writers for the summer who are interested in enhancing their journalism skills and garnering valuable experience to add to their resumes.
The recent School Year 2018-19 Intern Class submitted stories every two weeks and delved into feature writing, race analysis, training studies and event coverage. A large percentage of Swimming World’s most-read online content was written by our stellar interns. Our army of interns significantly improved our ability to cover swimming and diving events worldwide! They were able to interview high-profile coaches and athletes and get on pool deck to cover some of swimming’s major events. New doors can open for professional opportunities while writing for Swimming World – a few were able to network for freelance writing positions!
This summer, we are looking for writers eager to report local swimming happenings, help with event coverage, hone their feature writing skills and dive into historical reference from the International Hall of Fame. This past college season presented some thrilling storylines, and we’re sure that summer of 2019 will be no different!
The Journalist Application Process
If you or someone on your team – athlete, manager, grad assistant – is interested in gaining exposure and journalism experience this season, please submit the following to Kristy Kinzer at kristyk@swimmingworld.com. There is no age limit.
- A brief bio including name, school, conference, major, and class.
- An aquatics-related writing sample. This may be an analysis piece, a feature story, or a training-specific article. Be sure to edit this story thoroughly. Look through our website to see examples of our intern’s stories!
- *Please aim for a word count between 600 and 800 and abide by Associated Press Style rules.
- Please have applications sent to Kristy no later than Friday afternoon, April 26.
*We will be accepting applications starting on Friday, April 12. Applicants will be notified of their selection by Monday, April 29. Selected applicants will begin training for the internship on Tuesday, April 30 and start publishing on Monday, May 6. The internship will conclude Friday, August 16.
Social Media Application Process
If you or someone on your team – athlete, manager, grad assistant – is interested in gaining exposure to social media experience this season, please submit the following to Diana Pimer at dianap@swimmingworld.com.
- A brief bio including name, school, conference, major, and class.
- Screenshots, written work, or links to previous work in social media. This does not have to be aquatics related, as personal accounts are acceptable.
- Please have applications sent to Diana no later than Friday afternoon, .
*We will be accepting applications starting on Friday, April 12. Applicants will be notified of their selection by Monday, April 29. Selected applicants will begin training for the internship on Tuesday, April 30 and start publishing on Monday, May 6. The internship will conclude Friday, August 16.
The Nitty-Gritty
Photo Courtesy: Kristy Kinzer
Do you like working from a coffee shop or from home? As long as you have access to email and WiFi, you can work for us! This internship is conducted via email/text/phone calls – all work can be done remotely.
Stories will be submitted and published on a biweekly schedule for the journalism portion, and each intern will receive individual feedback throughout the internship to build writing and reporting skills. If this opportunity makes you excited about representing the best sport in the world, then apply now!
What Our Interns Say About Their Experience
“My internship with Swimming World has taught me a lot of valuable lessons moving forward in my writing career. First, it has given me more confidence in my writing. Going into the internship, I was excited but didn’t know if I was as qualified as all the other interns were. As time went on, I gained more confidence in my writing – especially with meet coverage/recap stories, which I was not familiar with. I also gained beneficial experience learning how to create and post stories on WordPress and coming up with my own creative ideas for stories, which wasn’t always easy.
Photo Courtesy: Grace Nordquist
Finally, after working hard and giving my best effort to the internship, my editor gave me the best (and coolest) opportunity I’ve had yet in my writing career. I was able to represent Swimming World at the TYR Pro Series meet in Des Moines, Iowa. I got to be on deck and take pictures, watch the meet, and then interview some of the best swimmers in the history of the sport. It was an experience of a lifetime only possible through my internship with Swimming World. Finally, I was asked to write an article for the hard copy of Swimming World Magazine, making me a published author. Going into the internship I wasn’t sure what to expect, but any expectations I had were exceeded. There were times I struggled with writer’s block, balancing my school work along with swimming and the internship, and a couple late nights writing recap stories, but the experience I gained from the internship made it all worth it.”
–Grace Nordquist, Journalism Class of 2018-19
I want to apply but was wondering if you would take someone who will be graduating college in May? Also, is this internship paid? Looks like a great opportunity, thanks!
Hi Emily! Yes, we would definitely still accept your application! And no, it is not paid. Hope to see your application soon!