JWST Opportunities and Policies
Articles in this section comprise the traditional call for proposals. These articles include information on observing and science policies, and details on the proposal submission process (including checklists). Other sections, that are selectable from the left sidebar menu, provide information on the observatory and instrumentation, observation planning, and data calibration and analysis. Downloadable PDF collections are provided as a courtesy, made available and updated when feasible. The online documentation is the authority, and will be updated with the latest information.
On this page
Current JWST proposal opportunities and guides
Past opportunities
- Director's Discretionary Early Release Science (DD ERS) Program
- Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) Program
- JWST Cycle 1 General Observer (GO) and Archival Research (AR) Program
- JWST Cycle 2 General Observer (GO) and Archival Research (AR) Program
Announcement
Release Notice: August 15, 2023
We are pleased to announce the Cycle 3 Call for Proposals for James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations and funding for archival research programs.
Participation in this program is open to all categories of organizations, both domestic and foreign, including educational institutions, profit and nonprofit organizations, NASA Centers, and other Government agencies.
We anticipate up to 5,000 hours offered for GO programs this cycle. See the JWST Call for Proposals for Cycle 3 for further details.
This solicitation for proposals will be open through October 25, 2023 by 8:00pm US Eastern Daylight Time. The Astronomer's Proposal Tool (APT) is required for proposal submission. Results of the selection will be announced in late May 2023.
Questions can be addressed to the STScI JWST Help Desk (http://jwsthelp.stsci.edu) where you can submit questions directly to the appropriate team of experts.
The Cycle 3 Call for Proposals
The Call for Proposals (CfP) invites the astronomical community to propose for observing time on JWST in a given cycle (nominally one year in duration). It summarizes the policies and procedures for proposing in that cycle of JWST observing, including requests for research funding on archival JWST data. See the JWST Call for Proposals for Cycle 3 for more information.
The James Webb Space Telescope offers proposal opportunities for General Observers (GO) and Archival Proposals (AR) and Guaranteed-Time Observers (GTO) during Cycle 3. Cycle 3 science observations will commence July 1, 2024.
We invite scientists to participate in the second cycle of investigations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). JWST is an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). JWST is operated and managed by AURA's Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI).
Important dates
Release of the Cycle 3 Call for Proposals | August 15, 2023 |
Cycle 3 Proposal Deadline | October 25, 2023 by 8:00pm US Eastern Daylight Time |
Cycle 3 Budget deadline | April 11, 2024 by 5:00pm US Eastern Daylight Time |
The Time Allocation Committee meeting date is scheduled for late January and early February, 2024. Notification of the outcome of the selection process will be sent to all proposers in late February/early March, 2024.
Science Justification Templates
Templates for JWST Cycle 3 Proposal PDF attachments:
Templates | LaTeX | Microsoft Word | |
---|---|---|---|
For GO, AR proposals | & | ||
For DD proposals |
Note: The templates have intentionally different margins, to accommodate about the same amount of text per page.
Proposers are encouraged to follow the JWST Proposal Checklist in planning and submitting their proposals. Proposers should also be familiar with the policies on data rights, duplications, dual-anonymous review, and other important topics covered in JWST General Science Policies.
JWST general science policies
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) science programs are required to follow STScI and NASA policy regarding requested time allocations, duplicate observations, data rights, and funding.
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JWST General Science Policies
- • Guidelines for Proposals where JWST and HST Overlap in Capabilities
- • JWST Observing Overheads and Time Accounting Policy
- • JWST Duplicate Observations Policy
- JWST Observation Duplication Checking
- • JWST Science Parallel Observation Policies and Guidelines
- • The JWST Single-Stream Proposal Process
- • Micrometeoroid Avoidance Zone: Policies and Procedures
- • JWST Observing Program Modification Policy
- • Policies for the Telescope Time Review Board
- • How to Submit a Program Change Request (PCR)
- • JWST Target of Opportunity Program Activation
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NASA-SMD Policies and Guidelines for the Operations of JWST at STScI
- • Policy 1 - Limitations on the Use of Funds for the Research of General Observers and Archival Research
- • Policy 2 - Data Rights and Data Dissemination
- • Policy 3 - Data Requests and Facilities
- • Policy 4 - Post-Launch Commissioning of JWST
- • Policy 5 - Clarification of Extensions of Exclusive Access Data to Public Affairs Activities
- • Policy 6 - Distribution of JWST Science Data Obtained from Investigations Other Than Those Selected Through the Peer-review Process
- • Policy 7 - NASA Needs for Support for Other Missions
- • Policy 8 - Definition of Observing Time
- • Policy 9 - Allocation of Guaranteed Observing Time to Scientists Selected Under AO 01-OSS-05 and Through NASA-ESA-CSA Agreements
- • Policy 10 - Redistribution of Guaranteed Observing Time Among Observers
- • Policy 11 - Protection of Science Programs Associated With Guaranteed Time
- • Policy 12 - Education and Public Outreach
Download PDF
JWST Call for Proposals for Cycle 3 (please note that the PDFs might not display in Safari but work fine in Chrome and Firefox).