This page describes a workflow that proposers are encouraged to follow for writing and submitting JWST proposals.

See also: Getting Started with Planning JWST Observations

Know the deadline

The Cycle 6 proposal deadline is September 30, 2026 by 8:00 pm US Eastern Time. The APT submission portal will close promptly at this time.

Director's Discretionary (DD) time proposals can be submitted at any time. 

Create or update your MyST account

• All proposers (PIs, co-PIs, and co-Is) must have a My STScI (MyST) Single Sign-On (SSO) Account.
• If you do not have a MyST account, you should create one.
• Proposers should verify the information in your MyST account and update it accordingly.

Read the Call for Proposals

Carefully read all of the information in this Call for Proposals. Proposers should especially pay attention to:

• Late Breaking News, for new information that arises during the Cycle 6 Call for Proposals;
• Key Policies with which to be familiar, especially ensuring your proposal is compliant with the policies around Dual Anonymous Peer Review (DAPR) and the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI);
• The types of JWST proposals and the requirements for proposals of each type and category;
• How to fill out the information required in APT;
• The requirements and guidelines for the PDF Attachment, including the templates, page limits, and sections;
• How your proposal will be evaluated and reviewed by the Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC).

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
  • Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam)
  • Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS)
  • Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec)
  • Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI)
• Consult the JWST Acronyms and Abbreviations and Appendix B - Links to Resources
• Subscribe to the JWST Observer News mailing list.

Learn the JWST observation planning tools

• 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 or technical issues.
• Astronomer's Proposal Tool (APT) –  APT is a stand-alone software package required for preparing JWST observations and submitting JWST proposals.
• 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.

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

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, as detailed in JWST Filling Out the APT Proposal Form.
• For proposals requesting new observations:
  • 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.
  • Check for duplicate observations.
• Upload your PDF attachment in the APT Proposal Information form.
• Resolve any errors or warnings in APT.
• Verify the PDF output is as expected, using the PDF Preview tool.

For a more detailed overview of how to use APT and other related tools for planning your observations, please refer to Getting Started with Planning JWST Observations.

Write your science proposal

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

Submit your JWST proposal

• 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, the Team Expertise section, and the Observing Description). 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 (or re-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.

After the submission deadline, all investigators will receive an additional email indicating whether your proposal was successfully processed.

Notification of your proposal's status (approved or rejected) will be sent via email to all investigators in Early to mid-March 2027. The full list of approved programs will be made public on the STScI JWST Approved Programs webpage.  

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 6 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 Proposal Types and Categories