Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference
Free Five-Day Summer Program for One High School Journalist From Each State
A skill-building, network-growing, life-changing experience that can give you a head start on your future.
Find your future: June 22-27, 2025, in Washington, D.C.!
The Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference is an engaging, in-depth, five-day summer program for 51 high school journalists (one from each state and the District of Columbia) who “dream, dare and do.”
Be the one to represent your state and join students from around the country at an exclusive, free Washington, D.C., journalism experience like no other.
The Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference Experience
Get insider access to Washington, D.C., newsrooms, connect with students from across the U.S. who share your passion, meet some of the nation’s top journalists and explore our capital city.
Conference Benefits for 51 Selected Students:
- Advice from leading journalists.
- A $1,000 college scholarship.
- A free five-day trip to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., June 22-27, 2025, with hotel, airfare and meal expenses paid.
- Lifelong connections to 50 fellow students from across the country and professionals who share your passions.
- Ongoing support from a community of more than 1,500 program alumni who work at organizations including Apple, ABC News, Amazon, the “Today” show, the U.S. State Department, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and start-ups such as digital news site The Juggernaut.
“The 2024 Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference was the most incredible week of my life. It perfectly combined learning from industry professionals with socializing with like-minded student journalists from all across the country.”
Michael Faherty, 2024 Free Spirit Scholar, Connecticut
Your D.C. Experience Includes:
- Tours of city sites such as the D.C. memorials and monuments at night, Capitol Hill, Smithsonian museums and a Potomac River dinner cruise.
- Group dinners and a competitive game night.
- Conference panels and on-site visits cover such topics as:
The Future of Journalism Understanding the First Amendment Media Ethics Watchdog Reporting Photojournalism Journalism Careers and Mentorship News Innovation Student Press Freedom Covering Politics Investigative Reporting Free Spirit Alumni: Where We Are and How We Got Here - Networking with alumni journalists and entrepreneurs at the Free Spirit Alumni and 2025 Class dinner.
- Connecting with thought leaders, influencers, policymakers and journalists at the Free Expression Awards ceremony honoring champions of the First Amendment. Past winners have included Evan Gershkovich, John Lewis, Eric Church, Montana youth climate advocates, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ava DuVernay.
- Behind-the-scenes tours of D.C. newsrooms. Past visits have included The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, Fox News and C-SPAN.
- Class commencement ceremony.
Freedom Forum partners with Close Up Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic organization that has hosted student programs in Washington, D.C., since 1971 to ensure Free Spirit Scholars have the most comprehensive, experienced care, while participating in the conference.
Apply by March 23, 2025. Selected students to be notified in mid-May.
How to Apply
To apply for the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, complete the online application form and upload the required materials. ALL application materials must be uploaded in the online application.
All supplemental application materials (transcripts, essays, etc.) must be uploaded directly to your online application preferably as PDFs. Word Documents are also permissible. Do not send Google Document links.
All applicants will be notified by mid-May if they have been selected for the program.
Freedom Forum makes all determinations without regard to race, color, gender, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected classification.
“I would highly encourage anyone who is interested in journalism to apply to the Free Spirit Conference. It helped me expand my sense of the world and just grew my love for journalism.”
Amy Nakamura, The Washington Post social media editor, 2016 Free Spirit Scholar, Hawaii
About the Conference
The Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference was established in 1999 to honor Al Neuharth, founder of the Freedom Forum and USA TODAY.
The annual event hosts 51 of the nation’s leading high school student journalists - one person from each state and the District of Columbia - at an immersive program designed to inspire and encourage students to pursue journalism and media careers.
More than 1,500 Free Spirit Scholars have gone on to work for organizations including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, ESPN, the “This American Life” podcast, entrepreneurial media outlets like The Juggernaut, network-affiliated television news stations and more.
Free Spirits have been described as people who “dream, dare and do.” Those are words that conference participants demonstrate each day, and they are the program’s motto.
Apply by March 23, 2025. Selected students to be notified in mid-May.
Al Neuharth in His Own Words
From Al Neuharth, founder of the Freedom Forum, USA TODAY and the Free Spirit and Journalism Conference:
“Free press, free speech and free spirit.
The first two are easy to grasp:
Free Press: The freedom to print or broadcast without censorship.
Free Speech: The freedom to speak without compromise.
Free Spirit is harder to define.
Free spirits dream, dare and do. A free spirit can also be a risk-taker, a visionary, an innovative leader, an entrepreneur or a courageous achiever who accomplishes great things beyond his or her normal circumstances.
“I had the time of my life…”
Thijs Wynveen, 2024 Free Spirit Scholar, North Dakota
