The Ellsworth American, an award-winning weekly newspaper on the coast of Maine, is looking for two paid, full-time summer interns to write feature stories and take photos for its monthly outdoor recreation, activity and entertainment guide called Out & About.
The internship runs from late May or early June until mid-August or later, with some flexibility for individual schedules. Out & About also runs in the American’s sister newspaper, the Mount Desert Islander, although the internships are based out of the American’s office in Ellsworth.
For the internships, the American is looking for aspiring journalists who have a sense of adventure and are physically active outdoors (this is a feature-writing program, not hard news). It is a busy internship program, requiring high energy, strong organizational ability and solid reporting and feature-writing skills. Photography skills are also sought, as interns will shoot their own photos for assignments. Having your own camera is a plus, but not required.
Interns work 40 hours a week on a flexible schedule, meaning that they work the occasional Saturday or Sunday. An intern must have a driver’s license and their own reliable vehicle, as they will be required to travel to assignments outside the office on a regular basis. Interns report, write and illustrate at least several feature story packages in the course of a week. Generating your own story ideas is welcomed and encouraged, but not required.
Previous Ellsworth American interns have been new college graduates, graduate students and undergraduates. Interns always find the summer experience to be extremely helpful, as the editorial staff takes its teaching role seriously. Former interns have gone on to work for news outlets including the Bangor Daily News, the Portland Press Herald and Maine Public Radio.
The Ellsworth American is celebrating its 175th year of publication in 2025. It is printed in broadsheet format on the paper’s own printing press, which also prints several other area newspapers. The newspaper’s office and press are located in downtown Ellsworth (population 8,500), the county seat of Hancock County. Bar Harbor, in the heart of Acadia National Park, is 30 minutes away on Mount Desert Island, and other popular tourist destinations including Blue Hill and Deer Isle are also nearby. Tourism accounts for most summer jobs in the area, and year-round industries include construction trades, fishing, boat building and farming.
Hancock County also has an unusually active arts community relative to its population (56,500 people), with a lively summertime schedule including gallery shows, concerts and theatrical performances. Farmers markets are popular destinations, lakes and ponds for swimming are plentiful and trails (whether for running, hiking or biking) are easy to find.
To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, transcript and 3-5 clips of published news and/or human interest pieces to Steve Fuller, Arts & Special Sections editor, via email (sfuller@ellsworthamerican.com) or by regular mail (The Ellsworth American, 1 Printing House Sq., Ellsworth, Maine, 04605).