JWST Cycle 5 proposers are encouraged to follow this workflow for writing and submitting proposals for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Know the deadlines

The Cycle 5 proposal deadline is October 15, 2025 by 8:00 pm US Eastern Daylight Time.

Director's Discretionary Time proposals can be submitted at any time. 

Know where to find the JWST user documentation

• JWST User Documentation
• JWST Proposal Opportunities and Science Policies
• JWST Observatory and Instrumentation documentation
  • JWST Observatory Hardware and JWST Observatory Characteristics and Performance
  • Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam)
  • Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS)
  • Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec)
  • Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI)

Learn the JWST observation planning tools

• JWST Interactive Sensitivity Tool (JIST) – JIST is a web-based tool intended for rapid feasibility checks and initial exposure time estimates. For simple observing scenarios, JIST may suffice for proposal preparation.
• JWST Exposure Time Calculator (ETC) – The JWST ETC is a web-based tool for estimating how much exposure (science) time will be required for different instrument modes and configurations to achieve the desired science goals. When ETC calculations are used in the proposal preparation, the ETC Workbook ID should be noted in APT as described in JWST APT-ETC Connectivity. The ETC workbook will not be part of the review process. Proposers should consider working on their ETC calculations early to avoid overwhelming last minute ETC usage.
• Astronomer's Proposal Tool (APT) –  APT is a stand-alone software package required for preparing JWST observations and submitting JWST proposals.

For an overview of how to use these and other related tools for proposal preparation, please refer to Getting Started with JWST Proposing

Design a JWST observing program in APT

• Download and install the latest version of APT. 
• Create a New JWST proposal in APT and fill out the Proposal Information form
• Enter your target or targets  
• Create a new Observation Folder and a new Observation with an observation template. 
• View an Observation with the Aladin visualizer tool. 
• Run the Visit Planner tool.
• Resolve any errors or warnings in APT.
• Check for duplicate observations.
• For a more detailed overview of how to use APT and other related tools for planning your observations, please refer to Getting Started with JWST Proposing
• For a more detailed checklist of all the steps involved in putting together a complete proposal, see Guidelines and Checklist for Proposal Preparation.

Write your science proposal

Create the PDF attachment of the proposal narrative, which includes a number of required text sections such as the "Scientific Justification" and "Technical Justification" and/or "Analysis Plan".

Submit your JWST proposal

• Attach the PDF of your scientific proposal to the APT file on the Proposal Information form.
• Preview and verify the entire proposal by selecting the APT PDF Preview tool. This view will merge the information provided in APT along with the PDF attachment. This is the document that the Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC) will review (with the omission of the list of proposers and Team Expertise and Background section). APT supports UTF-8 for the title, abstract, observing description, and observation comment, but make sure all special characters appear correctly. 
• Submit your completed proposal with APT. Select the APT Submission Tool in the top tool bar, and follow the instructions. In the Submission Log window you will see a message giving the time of the submission, the assigned proposal ID (if a new proposal), and the submission status.
• After the initial submission, proposals can be resubmitted as needed (up to the stated deadline). Resubmitting does not change the proposal number received upon the initial submission.

Wait and check

After you submit your proposal, all investigators will receive an automatic email acknowledgment that the submission was received successfully. If you do not receive that email within minutes of your submission, please check the APT Submission Log field for a problem. In addition, all investigators will receive an additional email indicating whether your proposal was successfully processed after the submission deadline.

Notification of your proposal's status (approved or rejected) generally occurs within approximately a month of the Telescope Allocation Committee meeting. The full list of approved programs will be made public.  

Next steps for approved programs

Successful JWST observing proposals will be reviewed by a STScI instrument scientist and program coordinator. Programs may require adjustments or revisions after the award. Proposers should submit programs that are executable, but in some cases STScI expects iterative optimization between the institute and the PI of accepted Cycle 5 programs. The instrument scientist and program coordinator will iterate with proposers to finalize the observations in accordance with TAC recommendations, under the approval of the STScI director.

Next: JWST Anonymous Proposal Reviews