How to Get Published in Street Level

We may feature a special theme for Street Level 2010. Watch this space!

Deadlines for Street Level 2010

Fall term courses: December 18, 2009
Spring term courses: May 14, 2010
  We encourage professors to submit complete story and broadcast packages, and to include all necessary elements, such as photos, slideshows, audio, video or other multimedia.

Who we are

Street Level is an annual online magazine that showcases top written, broadcast and multimedia work by undergraduates at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. The magazine is co-edited by Profs. Pete Hamill and Mary D’Ambrosio.

We’re looking for the year’s strongest work from Advanced Reporting and Beat courses—in-depth print and broadcast stories that bring people and places to life.

Contributors whose stories are accepted should expect to work one-on-one with Profs. Hamill or D’Ambrosio, who may require additional reporting or revisions.

What We’re Looking For

It doesn’t matter where the street is. It could be in Prague. It could be in Pittsburgh. But we want to see the people who live and work on that street from the ground level, not from high buildings, or the clouds.

That is, stories for Street Level should focus on individuals. Those individuals might be affected by Large Issues. But we should get to know them one at a time, truly see them, have them explain the worlds in which they live. We need to know about their work – or lack of it. We should discover what – in the deep part of the night – they dream about. And what they’re afraid of, for themselves, for their friends, parents or children.

In short, we want to see pieces where the reporter goes somewhere and, through hard digging, brings the residents to life, while telling us about the rhythms of the place, the sounds, odors, light, color, and textures, and how the weather was. We’re interested in stories from anywhere, as long as the reporter went there. And work should be driven by reporting that reveals something new.

We’ll consider 3,000 word+ features, and 10-15 minute broadcast pieces, typically produced in Advanced Reporting classes. We also welcome shorter Beat class stories.

We continue to work with broadcast professors to create a platform for showcasing broadcast work attractively. We hope that platform will be crowded with human life in urban settings.

How to Submit

We’d be delighted if all faculty teaching Beat or Advanced Reporting classes submitted up to three pieces, by students likely to follow their stories through publication.

Each piece should carry the professor’s name and course description, plus the student’s e-mail address.

Packages should be submitted to streetlevel@journalism.nyu.edu by the above dates.

Additional Story Elements

We urge print contributors to provide five to 10 digital photographs at the time of submission, along with any audio or video selections that might accompany the pieces. Students who feel too unskilled in these areas may want to team up with friends or classmates who specialize in photojournalism or videography.

Photos: Digital only, low resolution at 72 dpi. Please make sure to include captions and photo credits.

Radio entries: mp3 audio files

Video and Broadcast entries: uploaded to YouTube, or in Quicktime, then reduced to Flash. Conversion guidelines are available in outside Rm. 717. Please contact Prof. Adrian Mihai, at am14@nyu.edu, for additional assistance in preparing broadcast files.

Slideshows and Photo Essays: Submit these in one of two ways 1) create a package of digital photos on a disc, and place it in Prof. D’Ambrosio’s mailbox on the 6th floor 2) submit a slideshow in flash, to streetlevel@journalism.nyu.edu

We welcome your suggestions, amendments and any list of professional contacts to whom we can send the final product.